Why I Will Watch the NFL Playoffs

I have spent some time pointing out the reasons that college hoops is the best spectator sport, but today I offer an olive branch to you NFL fans. I will watch the NFL playoffs this season with great interest...even though it will require me to watch an INSANE amount of commercials for Gillette and terrible beer. And, love them or hate them, it is because of the New England Patriots. The undefeated, 16-0 Patriots.

This does not happen in big-time sports very often. There are way too many (82 total...and 40 of them meaningless) NBA games for a team to go unblemished. Baseball? HA! 162 games. Hockey? They count ties in their point system for crying out loud, and again, too many games. The NFL? The 1985 Bears were close, but they lost one game to the Dolphins. It does happen relatively often in college football, but their championship system is a farce. I am talking about an undefeated season where the champion is decided on the field (not by a poll) in a winner-take-all tournament setting.

Only once in my lifetime have I had the opportunity to watch this play out. It was the 1991 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, led by their towel-chewing coach Jerry Tarkanian, rang up a 30-0 regular season record. Their ballyhooed "Amoeba" defense perplexed and dominated the opposition. Their roster was littered with future NBA players like Greg Anthony, Larry Johnson, and Stacy Augmon. They had won the NCAA Championship the year before. They were a juggernaut. A sure bet. Unstoppable.

They dispatched four teams fairly easily on their way to the Final Four where they met Duke. And, they lost by 2 in a shocker. They were a great team that lost, but it was a great story. If they had won, it still would have been a great story. Fans could not lose in this scenario (unless you were a UNLV fan, of course).

See, no matter what happens with New England, it will be high drama. It will be full-on, parade-inducing, confetti-flying, glory for the ages for the Pats, or it will be euphoric pandemonium for the team that upsets them.

I have no dog in this fight, so it will simply be good sport regardless of the outcome.

Hoops Season

If you REALLY like college hoops, check out my Bracketboard blog. That's where I'll be doing a lot of writing during hoops season.

The Sports Prof shares my sentiment about the NBA hurting the game and focusing too much on "sizzle" and not enough "steak."

Life Without Football

Wow, another good one from Kyle Whelliston on football and American culture.

Football is a game that has become 15 percent sport and 85 percent extraneous matter. The reports from training camp, the player profiles drawn in heroic bas-relief, the ex-players debating concepts like "knowing how to win." Indeed, the football broadcast in 2007 has become the final evolution of the spambox, padded with balding cures, penis pills, dangerous financial offers, and tits. And like spam, it's all very difficult to filter out.

If you do not like football, you will love this essay. If you like football, it will challenge you to ask yourself why. If you are apathetic about football, it will speak to larger cultural concerns.

Fun with Death

Deceased rock star and catalyst for my rock-n-roll awakening Kurt Cobain is the subject of a new documentary. Friends Brandon, John, and I went to Nashville's Belcourt Theater to see About A Son last night. The film consists of video/images of Washington towns Aberdeen, Olympia, and Seattle, and audio from Cobain himself. Cobain's voiceover is taken from Michael Azerrad's interview tapes for his book Come As You Are. The film gives insight into the mind of Cobain and the childhood, physical ailments, contradictory personality, and general grouchiness that so heavily inspired his music.

There are no Nirvana songs. No live footage of the band. No entertaining of conspiracy theories about his death. No chest-beating about how they changed music. It is a very real portrait of Cobain and the towns, landscape and culture that molded him. Check it out if you can.

On a not-entirely-unrelated note, check out this highly entertaining and informative cartoon on the death industry and the impact of our decaying bodies on the earth. If Cobain made cartoons, they might have looked something like this. Fascinating stuff.

College Basketball Returns

A wonderful essay from my friend, Kyle Whelliston of ESPN fame. Kyle once stayed at my house during a trip to cover the Hilltoppers. I've known him since his days as "that 100 games guy."

Anyway, this is a great essay, even if you do not like basketball--and I expect you might like college basketball a bit more if you read it.

Conferences in basketball make things special. They give teams from counties and regions home-and-home shots at each other each winter: Kent and Akron in the MAC, the Metro Atlantic's Manhattan-Iona and Canisius-Niagara pairings, Lafayette and Lehigh in the Patriot, the Big West's Irvine and Long Beach. There are state skirmishes too: Montana-Montana State in the Big Sky, Arkansas and Arkansas-Little Rock. Sometimes they clash over the rights to a name: Saint Francis must be somewhere up there, checking in twice a year to see which NEC team (PA or NY) is wearing his name more proudly.

I will be writing more on my hoops blog from now on. I'll link here whenever I write something that crosses hoops into this space. Of course, I'd argue that hoops ALWAYS does that...

Hey Kids: GO TO CHURCH

Does going to church help offset being born into disadvantaged life circumstances?

Journalist Melissa Lafsky reports that the answer appears to be: YES.

Overall, we find strong evidence that youth with religiously active parents are less affected later in life by childhood disadvantage than youth whose parents did not frequently attend religious services.

About A Son

Did the band Nirvana serve as an efficient conduit for your teenage angst? Did you enjoy watching hair metal die a not-so-slow, excruciating death? Did you buy a $150 Lotus guitar, a stomp box, a beat-up crap amp and start plowing through songs from the "Nevermind" album, willingly shredding your vocals chords on a daily basis?

YOU DID?!?!? Well, then you might need to see Kurt Cobain About A Son. It's a new documentary about Cobain and it seems that all of the dialog in the film is his own voice. It's lifted from clips of interviews and recordings largely unheard to this point.

I think I want some water to put out the blow torch of my excitement.

Poopeating Grin

A call to ingest more fecal matter from Slate.com.

Our food is hosed and boiled and rinsed and detoxified and frozen and salted and preserved. Recently, we have begun to irradiate it, too—just in case. As a result, when our bodies encounter the occasional inevitable bug, they're unhappy. Our centuries-long program of winnowing out all the muck has turned us into sissies and withered the substantial part of the immune system mediated by our intestinal tract.

This is why I do not feel so badly about letting my nine-month-old lick floors and chew on our 100-year-old traveling wardrobe which serves as our coffee table.

I think I'll ask for a side of axle grease and a splash of poo with my oatmeal at Teresa's on Friday.

Woman Sues Apple Over $200 Price Cut

You knew it was a matter of time. EDIT: Link has been corrected.

According to Li's lawsuit, filed on Sept. 24 in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, the price reduction injured early purchasers like herself because they cannot resell the product for the same profit as those who bought the cell phone following the price cut.

Li purchased a 4GB iPhone for $499 and alleged that owners of the 4GB model were given less favorable terms than those who bought the 8GB model at the premium price, according to the lawsuit.

I hate shady business dealings. I hate stupid litigation even more.

Radiohead for the Cost of Plain Ol' Radio

Radiohead is releasing a new album. And, folks may download it for whatever they wish to pay. The band is letting consumers set their own price.

This sort of idea is right up Freakonomics author Steven Levitt's alley. He blogged about it today.

What does this mean for music? If one of the biggest bands in the world is giving away their music (or, more accurately, just setting out the e-tip jar), what does that mean for record companies, iTunes, etc.? If people can get Radiohead for free or for their own price, will this be an even greater incentive to not pay for "lesser" music?

Riveting stuff. Brandon/Justin/Derek(s), I expect you will have excellent insight/thoughts here. No pressure.

Understanding Creation Through Frankenstein

Popular culture has turned the Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein into a lumbering oaf devoid of intelligent thought. In Boris Karloff's film interpretation, we see a Monster that merely roams around zombified with his green arms extended, appendages stiff and rigid, while issuing unintelligible grunts and moans. Actually, in Shelley's terrific novel, the Monster is quite the student, learning language and reading many books and classic works that inform him on humanity, human behavior, and on his unique position in the world. The Monster states:

Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from, beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.(1)

As the Monster comes to understand his terrible plight as a secondary creation of man and not of God, he breaks open:

"Hateful day when I received life!" I exclaimed in agony. "Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire him; but I am solitary and abhorred..."

No Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him.(2)

The loneliness of the Monster leans on the reader throughout the book. Some of his lamentations read like Psalms of David crying out to God for mercy and for answers. The horror of the novel is not so much in the physical hideousness of the Monster (although his countenance does cause other characters to recoil), but the crushing loneliness of this abandoned creation.

Left to a lesser God, such would be our lot. A lesser God might look upon our "filthy type" and dismantle us much like the Monster's would be bride is dismantled by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. But, through His mercy, we are monsters restored. What might have been horrific and terrible to look upon is made beautiful by Him. For example, a horrendous crucifixion and death births a glorious resurrection. Further, we have not been left to toil in loneliness. We have been provided with human communities, relationships, marriages, parents, and children. We have not been abandoned. We have the spark of our Creator and may even glimpse Him in His created beings in our best moments.

The Monster's rejection so stained him that he killed Victor's wife on their wedding night, and this after he had killed Victor's closest friends. This led to a pursuit of the creature on the northern seas to the icy reaches of the earth. Finally, the Monster was being pursued by his creator. Although Victor sought to destroy the Monster and undo his unholy creature for good, the Monster took twisted delight in the fact that his creator pursued him at all--even if it meant his death at the hands of his creator. In fact, that likely would have been comforting for the Monster.

The Monster serves as a sort of anti-Adam. Instead of pursuing us to destroy us, God pursues us for life. Instead of trying to end our life, he desires for us life to the full. Instead of recoiling at our ugliness, he makes it beautiful. Instead of our Creator dying as we float away on a chunk of ice in a distance ocean, we are pulled toward Him even as we struggle to escape.

________________________________

(1) Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus, (Hertfordshire, England: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1999), 100.
(2) Ibid, 101.

iPhone-y

Obviously, I am not anti-technology. I am typing this post on a computer on an internet blog. But, we sometimes fail to ask whether new technology is good or necessary, and to evaluate its impact on our communities and relationships.

I tend to view most technological advancement much like I do cars. How efficient is this thing? How long before it becomes obsolete? How much energy will it use? How will this impact the environment? How much does it cost? Does it replace vital human interaction or impact communities in a negative way? How much time will this thing save/cost?

Which brings us to the iPhone. I do not have one and likely will not until there is some other gadget which is way more advanced that makes the iPhone an "old model" in three or four years (months?). As serious as I am about running, I almost always buy "last year's model" runing shoes for 25% less than the new model. Why? Because year to year, the changes are mostly cosmetic. Maybe when the iPhone uses up its "Geek Cred" (I totally stole that from another blogger), I'll have one in five years. Maybe not. Therefore, I will not pretend that I know a lot about the iPhone or why it is the greatest item ever fashioned.

That said, it seems to me that Apple pulled one over on their fanboys and fangirls with this $200 price cut.

Steven Levitt, University of Chicago economist and author of Freakonomics (a must read if you have not already read it), had this to say earlier in the week:

If you ask an economist how to price a new product that is just being introduced, the response you will get is that you should charge a very high price at first and then steadily reduce that price over time.

There are two reasons for doing this. First, it generally gets cheaper to produce things over time, so it makes sense to lower prices in response. Second, people vary widely in their willingness to pay for a new gadget. By starting high, you get as much money as you can from those who really want the product, then expand the market at the lower price point.

Hmm … that sounds exactly like what Apple just did with the iPhone. They brought it out at $599, sold one million iPhones, and then dropped the price to $399 after two months, in the hopes of selling nine million more this year...

What economists (and Apple too, I guess) ignore is that consumers hate it when companies follow practices that look like they are designed to maximize profits. You won’t find it in economic models, but consumers care about the reason a firm chooses the price it chooses...

Apple’s price cut looks like one driven purely by a desire to maximize profit, which is why everyone is so mad.

Of course, there is an economic argument that Apple made a good financial decision for their company...in the short run. But part of Apple's gig is that people believe they are getting a better, more innovative product from Apple than they get from other companies. Cutting the price of the greatest invention since the wheel by 33% after two months on the market severely undermines that credibility. It could potentially hurt the Apple mystique for future purchases.

Wendell Berry, Kentucky farmer and writer, set forth this rubric for evaluating technology in his essay "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer":

1. The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces.
2. It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces.
3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces.
4. It should use less energy than the one it replaces.
5. If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body.
6. It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
7. It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.
8. It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that will take it back for maintenance and repair.
9. It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.

Again, someone who knows a lot more about the iPhone than I do will have to perform this evaluation. And, while I will likely never live an agrarian life quite like Mr. Berry, he does raise some important points that might help us resist the urge to fall into the iHerd of iPeople buying iGadgets for the sake of I.

Kids and High Blood Pressure

Expect more and more news like this if we do not turn around the obesity trend in our nation's children.

The prevalence of HBP (High Blood Pressure) and pre-HBP in children and adolescents showed a downward trend between 1963 and the 1988-1994 survey. But the trend began to reverse through 2002. For example, the prevalence of high blood pressure in all children and adolescents decreased from 11.1 percent in the 1976-1980 (Black and white) and 4.7 percent in 1982-1984 survey (first national survey for Mexican-American youth) to 2.7 percent in the 1988-1994 survey (all children), but rose to 3.7 percent in the 1999-2002 survey (all children).

Pre-HBP is a reliable predictor of early organ damage, thickening of the heart walls, and lesions in the aorta.

Just another reminder than the health care solution is in our pantries, cafeterias, and lunch boxes, not in political solutions to treat a nation that lives a lifestyle prone to sickness. We cannot simply treat the symptoms; we must treat the illnesses of apathy and convenience on the front end. Namely, how we eat, sleep, and exercise.

Going Local: Football

As we head toward fall, I plan on posting a piece on "going local" from time to time. This week, let's start with something downright American: sports. In fact, in a strange way, rooting for our local university's basketball team is what originally pushed me to go to farmer's markets, explore my city, appreciate the climate, etc. That initial love of something local, peripheral as basketball may be, pushed me to seek new ways to support local people, businesses, and athletics.

I have blogged before about how television undercuts all that's good about athletics. To paraphrase something I said a couple of year's ago on my hoops blog:

Fans cannot tailgate with college buddies through television. There is no virtual or Hi-Def replacement for the smell of popcorn wafting into my section at Diddle Arena. In basketball, a last second shot to win the game registers as a measly two points in a computer-generated fantasy league, but in reality it wields the terrible power to spark jubilation or strike crushing despair into thousands of hearts the moment it hits the bottom of the net. It can suck the air out of an arena, or send it into total pandemonium. There is no plasma screen that can replicate nippy winter walks to a college stadium with wives, children, and family, nor the rush of warm air that hits your face as you click through the turnstile. Instead of encountering the power of a fight song or alma mater ringing in your ears, you get muted crowd noise with a "Brought to you by...State Farm Insurance" promo. Instead of engaging in halftime conversation with the elderly, living encyclopedia sitting next to you who has had season tickets for thirty-five years, you get an army of talking heads in suits and cakey make-up yammering at one another, all wrapped in more rapid-fire rounds of commercials.

We have a local university (WKU) that sells season football tickets for $25. That's for the ENTIRE season. To be clear: that's five college football games for $25. I once paid $125 for ONE game at Ohio State. Twenty-five bucks gives you access to five weekends to pack up the grill and head to campus with friends and family to tailgate, barbecue, throw around the pigskin, and interact with others from your community. Five weekends to meet someone new on the South Lawn. Five weekends to cheer in unison with thousands of others for a local team.

If the response to this is, "Yeah, but WKU is not playing anyone worth watching," then please go ahead and click on the TV and begin the game watching. Many fall prey to ESPN's ploys which cultivate the idea that the only important football is played by a handful of schools that play on TV every week. ESPN is a TV network! Of course, they would LOVE to foster this idea!

No, this is a chance to enjoy high level, local sports for a minimal financial investment. When a family of four can invest $100, and spend five Saturdays eating together, cheering together, connecting to something local together, it is at least worth thinking about.

Maybe football is not your bag, and that is perfectly fine. The message here is that this is just one of many ways to connect locally.

Do you want perfect picture resolution? Go see the game IN THE STADIUM. Do you want perfect color and amazing clarity? Try the view from Section HH. Do you want to go beyond Hi-Def? Try the real thing.

It not only works for football; it works for most areas of life.

Running Lesson #12,459: Limits

Sometimes, our will plays no part in going faster, doing better, or trying harder.

I was hoping to set a PR in a 5k (3.1 miles) race this morning. I went out from the starting line at a blistering pace (too fast, really) in an attempt to test my limits and try to run under 17.45, which would require a 5.38-per-mile pace.

I hit Mile 1 in 5.31. This was my fastest race mile ever, but I could feel a hint of lactic acid building in my legs. I was in the lead pack running about 7th place, although I knew some of the greyhounds in front of me would drop the hammer at some point. These were racers that I know well, but have never had the pleasure of seeing up close during a race, so that was a nice experience.

As we hit a slight downhill in Mile 2, they began to separate from me a bit. It soon became clear that I was not going to stay with this front group. I hit mile two at 11.24 (5.53 for Mile 2--too slow for my PR goal). In an effort to go out hard and test my limits, I had pretty much cooked my legs--so, there would be no strong finishing kick to bail me out. It was going to be a grind in Mile 3.

Mile 3 includes the only real hill on the course, and it brought burning waves into my legs. A PR was out of the question, but I knew I would be very close to 18 mins, so I summoned everything I had to pour on the coal and keep my time under 18:00. I hit Mile 3 at 17.27, with the finish line in sight just 0.1 miles away--and 33 seconds to get there.

I churned toward the line with ferocity, arms flailing, lungs full of razors, quadriceps and hamstrings teeming with acid, face contorted in severe pain and grim determination.

And I hit the line in 18.01.

The sweet relief of the finish was somewhat embittered by one second--or the amount of time it takes to stand from a chair or lift a spoonful of cereal. Eighteen minutes of strategy and pain was spoiled by a solo tick-tock of the clock. Or, so it would seem.

But, there is a life lesson here. My WILL to keep it under 18 minutes played no role in the reality of actually DOING it in that final furious blitz to the finish line. Maybe that second could have been made up somewhere else on the course--a faster downhill stretch, a harder push up that hill...or maybe harder training two weeks ago, easier training two weeks ago, more sleep, less sleep, the "What-if" list goes on forever. We all play this game with our circumstances in life that fail to meet our expectations. Find fault, assess blame, rationalize. Later, rinse, repeat.

The hard reality is that in the moment of truth, my physical best today was not enough to reach my goal. It seems that is often the case in life. Racing simply puts that truth right in our face, lungs, and legs for all to see and for us to feel on a physical and emotional level. There is no rationalizing the stopwatch or the clock. It's truth can be glorious or cruel and that line is drawn with the smallest of pens. It is a line that is one second wide.

Thank God for limits and the reminder that finding our limits, physical or otherwise, is often where we most clearly see Christ. Thank God for grace, especially in those times when my best is short of the goal. Thank God for the privilege of racing and the hope of running the race and keeping the faith even when we fall short.

Understanding Creation Through Tortillas

I recently tried to make a batch of homemade tortillas for our Mexican dishes. It took awhile. I was slow and clumsy. I made a total mess in the kitchen. I overcooked a few of them and those poor wretches were akin to a crunchy, leathery sow's ear. Others were like ultra-thin crackers that broke into tiny flour-shards--little wheat-y razors.

But a few were REAL beauties. The kind of whole grain flour taste that one cannot find in an air-tight sealed bag of Old El Paso brand or Kroger brand tortillas that have endured an interstate journey. Each hand-rolled tortilla had a shape all its own. Some were oblong. Some evolved with an unfortunate protrusion or deformity. Some thickened a bit too much. Some rolled out wide and paper thin, while others resisted and kept shrinking back no matter how vigorously I pressed and rolled them. These stiff-necked tortillas resisted the poking and prodding of their (sometimes) benevolent creator. While all of them had little golden-brown spots after they exited the griddle, no two patterns or colors were exactly alike.

What they all had in common was that they were fashioned by the same creator with loving care and a heart bursting with hope. A creator with a taste for the real thing--not just enjoying "adequate" tortillas of conformity rolled off a machine with perfect ratios of flour and water (and partially hydrogenated oils for longer shelf life) and uniform 10" size. A motivated creator willing to invest an hour in fashioning his own bread instead of purchasing the mass-produced bread largely created by a machine.

Some were broken. Some went bad before being used. Some were consumed in pure delight as they were wrapped around hearty black beans or maybe some peanut butter and a banana.

There are literally millions of better tortilla-makers on this celestial ball, but there is something to be said for taking a role in creating one of the food staples that sustains one's life.

Please read this post from the Ochlophobist. Here's a teaser.

One can teach one's daughter to bake bread in the worst of Bauhaus sky rise apartments. One can hand one's Bud drinking neighbor a bottle of homebrew. One can, as the Honduran family down the street from me did, grow a vegetable garden in one's front yard. One can stay put whenever possible. One can do everything in one's power to keep and help the little and aged. One can make use of used things and fix what is broken. One can take the walk a bit more slowly. One can move one's thumb over wool. One can stand in the corner of the most humble home, before flame and window, and re-member on earth what is remembered in heaven.

Thanks to Kevin for pointing me to the Ochlophobist. His/her blog convicts me.

And it inspires me to create things: silence, songs, conversations, and tortillas.

Muslims and Evangelical Christians

I have been teaching a summer class that ended today! I hope to resume regular posting next week after one more round of intense grading this weekend.

In the meantime, here is a fairly interesting piece on how Muslims and Evanglicals are similar.

Sugarcoating It

Joel Stein of the LA Times has written a wonderfully funny piece on kiddie cereals.

"While I appreciated the honesty of Sugar Pops (bran, wheat, rice, corn -- who cares? It's got sugar in the name!), it seemed too desperate and bland. The Froot Loops mascot baffles me to this day. It seems like an ad campaign created by a wine snob: '"You see, guys, this toucan with an enormous nose, kind of a supertaster bird, is going to fly around pointing out notes of strawberry, lemon and dark cherries in the cereal. Kids will love it!"'

"Seeing Past the Sugarcoating"

Obesity: A Visual

Check out the growth of obesity epidemic in visual format. It's a map of the U.S. and a year-by-year update starting in 1985. It is pretty startling. It was not that long ago that no state had an obesity rate higher than 14% (1985). Now, practically every state is at 20% or higher and a full third of states are 25% or more. Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia are over 30%!

Fast food and snack food companies say that people have to take "personal responsibility" for their choices. That may be true, but this kind of shift does not occur without some SERIOUS help from marketing and a titanic shift in cultural values and behavior.

Notice that Kentucky and several other southern states are always among the most obese states.

TURN THE TIDE. Personal choice, legislation, whatever...I do not care. Just do your best to find an effective way to change this. It is hurting our bodies, our minds, our lifespan, and our quality of life. We do not have to be ultra-thin, world-class athletes, beautiful, or have ripped abs. We can be a lot fitter and allow our bodies an easier way do their job by streamlining a bit.

Busy Week

The blog may be slow this week. In addition to teaching a summer class, we are having bible school at church this week. Laurie and I are teaching the 2nd-4th grade kids. So, needless to say, time is short.

Quick 5k update: I did not run as fast as I did in my previous 5k. I had hoped to run under 18 mins, but finished in 18.26. It was warm, and it was a fairly tough course, but I went out a little slower than I should have. But, you can't PR every time out. My wife competed in her first post-baby race and reached her goal of finishing in under 30 mins (29.23).

More later this week as time allows.

Rough River 5k

Although Rough River State Park is probably best known for playing host to the Kentucky State Old Time Fiddler's Contest (it happens next weekend), it will be hosting it's third annual 5k race tomorrow. This is the closest race to my parents' house. I grew up just 15 minutes away from the park, and I have fished Rough's waters all my life. There is ALWAYS healing and good feelings attached to that place.

I ran the inaugural race in 2005 and competed last year as well...both in oppressive heat. Race time was 9:00 am in those races, and the temperature has crept into the mid-80s by post time each of the past two years. Mercifully, they have moved the start time back to 8:00 am tomorrow. Plus, it is supposed to dip to 60 degrees tonight. If the wind is calm, tomorrow has the makings for a fantastic race.

After that, it's a trip to my family's farm in Breckinridge County for our annual July shindig. You know the type: massive potluck, horseshoes, showing off 6-month-old son, and playing music together all afternoon. It's the good stuff of life. Like Rough River, that farm holds many, many great childhood memories and I love going back there.

Post-race post to come on Monday, along with a breakdown of fat. It gets a bad rap, but it's a necessary part of our diet. Eating the right kinds of fat is the trick, of course.

So, get out and talk a walk/run/bike ride early tomorrow if you can. We do not see many 60-degree overnight lows in mid-July.

Four More Years?

Whether you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, or other, this latest survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life illustrates the voting power of religious Republicans (RR's). Among registered voters who self-identified as Republican or "leans Republican" and attended worship services at least once per week, 71% still approve of the job President Bush is doing. Nationally, the number is 29%. A startling 80% of RR's believe that using force in Iraq was the right decision. Nationally, it's 40%.











The results of the Pew Center's survey raised my eyebrows. Although President Bush's approval rating has plummeted, he has maintained healthy support among religious Rep's. This is not terribly surprising, I guess, but the strength of the support is eye-popping when compared to the national numbers. I wonder what the numbers look like if the RR's are pulled from those statistics. The gap is likely even greater.

The real message here is what RR's are saying to their '08 candidates...and it's not "don't be like Bush." In fact, the message may be "four more years," at least in policy matters.

So, which is more important for Republican presidential hopefuls? To be like Bush, or to NOT be like Bush? Within their party, it may be the former if they want to win the nomination. Nationally, it may be the latter if they want to be President. At the very least, trying to be both should prove to be entertaining.

Apathetic About Independence

My family was traveling from dawn 'til way-past-dusk last night, so my Independence Day post is a day late.

Two quotes to spur us to activity:

"The trouble is that we have taken our democracy for granted; we have thought
and acted as if our forefathers had founded it once and for all. We have
forgotten that is has to be enacted anew in every generation." ~John Dewey

For all the ills in our government, political parties, society, and oval office, this is my country. The system may need fixing, but it is the system (or some semblence of it) that has been in place for 220+ years now.

The forefathers were not deistic beings who wound the watch of America and set it in perfect motion for all eternity. The ideas that they set forth must be re-enacted by us and by those who follow us. The system may be corrupt or even broken, but we must be the ones to make it work or do repair. The government of this country is not a product to be sold to us by Democrats or Republicans, presidents or governors--which is what it seems to have turned into sometimes. It is, "We, the people."

"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.
It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."
~Robert M. Hutchens

The less we care, the less we vote. The less we vote, the less we control direction. The less we control direction, the more those with power and money control us.

The biggest threat to America is not terrorism (sorry, Rudy, I know you are banking on that one). It's us. It's our apathy about our role in the decision-making process. It's our willingness to vote for American Idol, but not our representatives or our even our president.

I'm far from a political pundit, but ANY entity composed of members who do not care about it is bound to erode and eventually die.

Do you know who your representatives are? Your senators? Find out. Participate. Create change.

Indulge

I feel like I've been something of a huge killjoy regarding food on here lately, so here's some tasty news.

1. Dark chocolate is good for you in small amounts. It not only has high antioxidant levels, but it now has a clinical study that shows it reduces blood pressure. Granted, the allowance is small, but a little chunk of dark chocolate goes a long way.

Try this. Cook up a cup of plain, whole oats (not pre-sweetened, packaged outs). Toss in 1 tbsp of peanut butter and one tbsp (NOT heaping) of chocolate chips. Add just a little brown sugar. Stir it up, and enjoy a breakfast that tastes like an oatmeal cookie. It's best with a tall glass of cold milk, of course.

2. You don't have to go all-organic. It's simply not worth it in some cases. One reason organic fruits and veggies are so expensive is that they are shipped from across the globe. By the time it gets to rural Kentucky, it's old and has lost a lot of nutrients. Buy from your local farmer's market. The nutrients and money saved likely outweighs the pesticide levels that we worry about.

Besides, many thick-skinned fruits and vegetables absorb very little pesticide (bananas, for example). More porous foods like strawberries or thin-skinned foods like grapes may be worth their organic price, but local and non-organic food is often more nutritious than store-bought organic.

For pregnant women and small children, low pesticide levels are important, simply because the body weight of a fetus or an small child is proportionally much lower than adults. Therefore, ingesting pesticides has a greater impact. Therefore, with small kids and expectant moms, organic is probably best if you can swing it.

I am a big organic food supporter, but having an "organic" sticker does not automatically make it a better choice every time for everyone.

3. Almonds lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Buy some raw almonds and place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and toast the nuts for 6-7 mins. Take them out and let them cool. They will be super-crunchy and flavorful. Replace a couple hundred calories of your daily intake with a good handful of almonds (about 16 individual nuts), and enjoy the taste and the health benefits.

4. Use spicy food to reduce inflammation. If you suffer from sore muscles, tendons, or arthritis, partake of some hot salsa or other food of your choice. Cayenne, chili peppers, or crushed red pepper are commonly used in many Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.

There are lots of others I can put on here. But, I mainly wanted to say that eating well does not mean that we have to eat blandly or have our food become boring.

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow.

The Fast Supper

Da Vinci's The Last Supper











And, the Fast Supper








I love how they put the feminine character to the right of "The King" creating Dan Brown's "chalice" image from The Da Vinci Code. Clever.

They make T-shirts, if anyone has an itch to buy me something.

Shaq Attack on Fat

Behold! An NBA superstar does something to be admired: he is attempting to change the lives of several kids who have been diagnosed as "morbidly obese" and at severe risk for health problems. In the previews for Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC's Good Morning America today, it appears that much of the problem lies with parents who are unable to say "no" to their kids requests for food.

Shaq is doing his part to turn around some disturbing trends in American health.

1. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, American children born in 2007 may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This is attributed mainly to lack of exercise, poor dietary habits, and subsequent complications from this lifestyle including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other other ailments.

2. Americans are shorter in stature than their their European counterparts. This was not always the case. Economist Paul Krugman writes,

There is normally a strong association between per capita income and ...
average height. By that standard, Americans should be taller than Europeans:...
But ... something has caused Americans to grow richer without growing
significantly taller.

Why is this so? The changing ethnic mix you say? Nope, says Krugman.

It’s not the population’s changing ethnic mix...: the stagnation ... is clear even ...[for] native-born whites.

Americans are a wealthy lot compared to just about any country, but many other countries are growing taller than we are.

3. The U.S., with our immense wealth, top-notch medical facilities, access to education, and being the world's superpower, should have the highest life expectancy of any country, right? Well, that's asking a lot. But, top 10 for sure...right? No. Top 20? Top 30? Top 40? No, no, and no. We checked in at #45 according to the 2007 World Fact Book, behind nearly every country that most folks consider "highly developed." Japan, Switzerland, Australia, France, Iceland, Canada, Italy, Spain, Norway, Israel, Greece, Austria, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Jordan, Puerto Rico, and Bosnia and Herzegovenia all rank ahead of the U.S. among many other smaller countries. Why?

As an aside, most of these countries have a lower infant mortality rate, too. Again, I ask, why?

Do these countries have better health care? Better access to it? Better genetics? I doubt that any of those are true. I would hypothesize that they have healthier lifestyles. When visiting Spain a couple of years ago, an older Spanish lady told me that the secrets to their long lives and healthy bodies were "olive oil and lots of walking."

So, I will tune in at 8 pm central to see Shaq's "tough love" approach with these kids. I generally hate reality TV and since Lost is in reruns, there is not a single TV show that I watch on a weekly basis. I will watch tonight mostly out of sheer curiosity.

It is significant that a person weighing 335 pounds is doing this. He has just 14% body fat, which is in the low-normal range for a man. It would not be nearly as effective if some 150-lb fitness trainer was doing this show. Shaq is literally and figuratively larger than life for these kids. For all of my blogging against our weight trends in the U.S., a healthy body has little to do with how thin a person appears. There are plenty of healthy people who are viewed as "bigger" or "heavy."

God gave us all a body. Some of us are better designed for marathoning. Others are better suited for basketball. Still others have the build for swimming, power-lifting, football, or some other activity. An individual's ideal body is not found on the Gap Iconostasis, or on the pages of fashion magazines. Shaq's ideal body weight is 335, give or take. Serena Williams will never be small, but she is quite fit and an amazing athlete. Charles Barkley, while a bit pudgy these days, was known as the "Round Mound of Rebound" in his playing days, but he was a brick house. He was just wide. The U.S. Women's soccer team has done wonders for projecting an image of healthy bodies over just thin ones. (A longer "body image" post will have to wait until another day.)

We all will not and should not look the same, but we can all strive for health whether our ideal weight is 120, 150, 200, or 335. Hopefully, Shaq can help turn the tide for kids in this country.
He has been a collegiate All-American, an MVP, an NBA Finals Champ, a clothing/shoe mogul, a rapper, and an actor. This health thing should be a piece of cake...rice cake, that is.

Dream Away

As Americans battle their bulging waistlines with pills, Ab Lounges, crash diets, hours in the gym, Joggin' in a Jug, or some other program or drug (or even surgery), they may be ignoring a simple but effective ally in maintaining their health: sleep. Research on how sleep affects weight and general health is still in its infancy, but there are already important academic studies that link sleep to obesity and decreased life expectancy among many other health problems (increased stress, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke/heart attack, it's a long list).

How much sleep is enough? Well, everyone is different, but it seems the greatest health risks occur primarily among those who sleep less than seven hours per night, those who have frequently interrupted sleep, and those with sleep disorders. Most people have an "ideal" sleep time of 7-9 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep.

Many Americans seem to take pride in "getting by" on less sleep, linking their lack of rest with good work ethic and a willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. That simply feeds the "faster" culture that has been discussed here before. Like poor dietary habits, the cumulative effects will not be felt for years or maybe decades, so the current consequences of just "feeling bad" or tired are tolerated. Sleep is sometimes viewed as "wasted" time, and people even go as far as to avoid it or fight it off by staying up too late, then relying on caffeine to jump start them in the morning and keep them awake in the afternoons and evenings. We have more important things to do than, say, give our body its biologically required time to rest, heal, and keep us healthy.

Our body regulates certain bodily functions while we sleep. In regards to weight control, two very important hormones are regulated primarily during sleep. Leptin and ghrelin may sound like Tolkien characters, but in actuality they are hormones that regulate our appetite and our "full" mechanism.

One hormone, ghrelin, which triggers appetite in humans, was found at higher
levels in people who regularly underslept. Another hormone, leptin, which lets
the body know when it is full and should stop eating, was found at much lower
levels in people who did not get enough sleep.(1)

Depriving our bodies of sleep disrupts our ability to identify real hunger or when we feel full. Obviously, this contributes to overreating and late-night snacking which leads to excess caloric intake.

Apart from weight gain, our bodies do important repair work while we rest. When engaging in physical training, increased strength, endurance, and speed all come from a simple formula: stress+recovery. Too many rely on a stress+stress pattern. When a goal is achieved, they immediately push to the next goal. In my training, I do no more than 3-4 "hard" runs per week. The other days are strictly easy, pleasurable runs or off days. Doing 6-7 hard workouts per week does not make me faster (trust me, I've tried this). It wears me down and sets me up for injury and burnout. I think the formula for daily life is similar: work hard, play hard, rest hard...well, that does not quite work, but you get the idea.

If you are a Navy Seal, maybe you have to condition yourself to survive on four hours of sleep per week during Hell Week (first week of training). But, for those of us living our daily lives without the immediate threat of extreme sleep deprivation or "sleep torture," we should make sure that we are getting adequate shut-eye. It helps us recover, repair tissue, "reset" our brains, control our appetites and hunger mechanisms, maintain a healthy body weight, and lowers our risk for myriad health problems.

There is an old saying that the sleep-deprived often trumpet in their defense: "I'll sleep when I'm dead." C'est vrai, but perhaps we can prolong the coming of the Big Sleep by taking getting (roughly) eight hours nightly in the present time. Adequate sleep can improve one's quality of life simply by giving a biological need it's proper place in our list of priorities.

CEREAL UPDATE
I knew that there had to be a reason I had missed out on the Kroger 100% Natural love fest. When I picked up a box in the store this week, I remembered why: 2 g of Trans Fat per serving. I calmly put it back on the shelf. This "100% Natural" is a farce.

"Kroger, the nation's biggest food retailer after Wal-Mart, sells a store-brand
granola, '100% Natural Cereal,' that contains partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oil. But none of its natural-category products include high-fructose corn syrup, Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston says."(2)

Shame on you, Kroger. The "100% Natural" title is incredibly misleading. It's like "All Natural" 7UP. It still has high fructose corn syrup. I'll stick with Kashi.

(1) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0224_050224_sleep_2.html
(2) http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_1039.cfm

Tony the Tiger Slims Down

On the heels of yesterday's post, Kellogg's announced today that they are setting a new standard of responsibility in my beloved cereal aisle. The commitment is two-pronged: 1) more careful in the way that they market to children, and 2) front-of-the-box nutritional information.

Never underestimate the power of litigation. Some will argue that parents' suing McDonald's or Kellogg's for a child's obesity is ridiculous. Maybe. But, a little fear of the law and some good muckraking journalism can go a long way. Look at the changes McDonald's and Wendy's have made since the book Fast Food Nation (2002) and the documentary Supersize Me (2004) hit the scene. Those events coupled with a few attempts to sue McDonald's for contributing to obesity and subsequent health problems have created at least a gentle wind of change (cue The Scorpions).

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act in 2004 (also known as the "Cheeseburger Bill"), but it did not receive a Senate vote. Most of these lawsuits against McDonald's and other fast food corporations have been turned down by the courts. But, the bad press and attention have shed light on a lot of the evils and poor nutrition of fast food, and that has prompted at least a minor shift in marketing and food options.

Breakfast Cereal Killer

On family trips to the grocery store, my wife has been know to drop me off in the cereal aisle and pick me up after she has worked her way over half of the store. The cereal aisle is the number one reason that I do most of the grocery shopping. I will drive a normal human crazy with frustration as I while away the time in front of 80 feet of boxes.

So, here lies the cereal-eating habits of a man who requires a vast amount of quality carbs due to marathon training. Cereal is low in fat, high in quality carbs (if the right cereal is chosen), and can be consumed with milk, which provides quick, quality protein. It is the perfect snack for those who require a lot of calories or it can be "part of this complete breakfast." Or lunch. Or dinner.

Grab a spoon and enjoy.

HEAVY ROTATION

Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Sorta like harder, crunchier, heartier Super Golden Crisp. This mix of seven whole grains offers serious resistance. If you love to eat healthy whole grains, and you enjoy having the roof of your mouth shredded by hundreds of little oat-razors, this mix is for you. Mystery fact: where else can you get 9 g protein in one serving without ingesting an animal product?

Kellogg's Raisin Bran. No other raisin bran knockoff holds up. I eat loads of generic cereal, but Kellogg's has the best stuff going in the bran/raisin department. The stuff has loads of fiber and the ingredient list is short, which is almost always a good thing.

Frosted Mini-Wheats. Any brand, make, or model will do. These miniature snow-on-hay-bales soak up milk like tiny little sponges, and they pack loads of whole grain. But, they have visible sweetener on them, so it's almost like cheating.

LIGHT ROTATION

Multigrain Cheerios. It's like a daily multivitamin in delicious, toasted, lightly sweetened form. And, like a One-A-Day, it will turn your urine neon green-yellow. Seriously. Try it. It looks like Chernobyl runoff.

SmartStart. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, these flakes hold their crunch so well, that I can only assume that Clark W. Griswold's non-permeable, semi-osmotic cereal varnish is at work here.

Kroger Muesli. Cue up some John Denver, put on some jeans and a flannel shirt, sit on your back porch at sunrise, and chow down on this whole oat, raisin, barley, bran concoction. It is a body-connected-to-the-earth experience that is difficult to match.

OPEN BOX AT OWN RISK

Fruity Pebbles. One 15 oz. box = One Serving. Really, it's flavored puffed rice. There is no stopping point with these little guys. You tell yourself you can stop, but it's like watching a VH1 Behind the Music. You WILL finish it. Your will to stop or turn away plays no part in this.

Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs. I only eat these on special occasions when I am alone. It's kind of embarrassing to howl at the moon over a bowl (OK, seven bowls) of a kiddie cereal. I'm like a crazed night wolf as soon as I get a whiff of these critters.

Lucky Charms. If you have a lot of chores to do, fuel up on a couple of bowls of sugar-coated, refined carbs with a generous smattering of pure, refined sugar marshmallows. They're magically insulin-spiking.

Golden Grahams. Some college rock band-types fall into habits like smoking pot, alcoholism, or heroin. I binged on Golden Grahams. I know that they are scrum-diddly-umptious, but I consumed enough of them in college to fill the Astrodome--so I'm probably done with them for the next 50 years or so.

Froot Loops, Trix, Apple Jacks, etc. Pure, straight trash carbs coated in sugar. It's all about the marketing. It's like a happy meal for breakfast...without the saturated fat, or that pesky risk of E Coli. And, you can almost hear your pancreas cursing at you from the depths of your innards.

BONUS QUESTION
Honeycomb. Have you tried these lately? Something has happened to them recently...and it's NOT good. Maybe bits of endangered Arctic Snow Owls gave them their original delectable texture and flavor. If so, it was still worth it. Now, they are like the old Honey Round rip-offs, but in the REAL Honeycomb box and at the brand name price. Can anyone explain this?

Feel free to share your favorites and make suggestions to this verified cereal addict.

Brownsville 5k Experience

It was good to race a 5k again. As I wrote last week, I was not sure how the months of long runs, big mileage, and limited speedwork required by my marathong training would affect my 5k times. The question was answered positively. My last 5k on Labor Day 2006 yielded a time of 18.20 (a personal best at that time), but I got around the course in Brownsville in 17.45. Not only did a shatter my previous best, but I ran a good race. Many times, runners go out too fast or too slow, but I think I ran about as well as I could run on Saturday.

I think I run best if I can maintain even mile splits. I slowed down a bit each mile (5.37, 5.44. 5.48), but my perceived effort was fairly even. Plus, I was able to push a little but at the end of the race in the last tenth of a mile. Also, the temperature was in the low 70s and it was cloudy, which is great for a race in June. All in all, I was pleased. This gives me a goal of breaking 17.30 by Labor Day. I will have other 5k races before then, but those are mostly at historically slower courses during the peak of summer temperatures. Shaving off 15 seconds at one of those races is unlikely, but I have not done a lot of speedwork yet. I am very encouraged by this result.

Another great aspect of the Brownsville trip had nothing to do with the race at all. The Edmonson County High School property borders on Mammoth Cave National Park. So, the "cool down" run after the race included a run over a steep ridge to Houchins Ferry. This was not much of a cool down at all, since it required running straight up a ridge, then straight down to the river, and then running back over the hill and down again. Still, the scenery, shade, and smells made it worthwhile, especially after a race well-run.

Look at this map of Mammoth Cave National Park. Scroll down to the last map (the BIG one) and find Brownsville on the left side. It shows how close Brownsville is to the park. For a great summer day trip, pack a picnic lunch and take a drive to Brownsville. Turn right at the ECHS sign. Follow the road up a steep hill and then over the ridge. This leads to the Green River and Houchins Ferry. Take the ferry over and enjoy a picnic. Drive around the park, but find your way back to Brownsville and hit Bertie's Ice Cream before heading home. Good fun.

It was a good trip and a great race. Thanks for your prayers as I do not have any injuries to report--just some lingering soreness. I think my next race will be the 2k on June 23 (next 5k is probably July 14) . This race is FREE and it is the public opening of the new greenway near Weldon Peete Park on Old Lousville Road here in Bowling Green. There is over a mile of paved walking/biking trail on the flatland near the Barren River on the north end of town. Come on out and enjoy the day.

First 5k Race of the Season

I am racing my first 5k (3.1 miles) of the season on Saturday in Brownsville, KY. Many would look at the distance and conclude that a 3.1 mile race should be "easy" for a marathoner (26.2 miles). Hardly. In fact, in some ways, it is harder.

A marathon is siege; a long, epic struggle of Will vs. Physiology. Months of training, strategic diet, mental preparation, and travel planning go into it. Once the race begins, adjustments can be made for weather, course difficulty, or falling off pace. This is not so for a 5k. A 5k requires one to push to the edge of comfortability from the opening gun. It is a three-mile race on the razor's edge of oxygen deficit and lactic-acid overload. Fall off the edge, and a runner's optimal time is toast. The same is true if a runner does not push hard enough. No racer wants to finish feeling as if they had too much left in the tank.

In a marathon, the first 10 miles or so are spent conserving and holding back to ensure that there is enough in the tank to finish well. Many times, a 5k involves running past the red line too soon and languishing home with lungs ablaze and legs of lead.

Saturday, I will attempt to find that uncomfortable, yet sustainable, pace early and save enough to thunder home in record time. My previous best at this distance is 18 mins 20 secs. Last year on this course, I ran 18.24. As I wrote a couple of weeks back, this marathon training may have helped or hurt my 5k times. I feel that I am faster right now than I was last year at this time, but I will not truly know until Saturday.

The quest for a sub-18 min 5k begins. I will have 4 or 5 chances to do it this summer and this is the first. Please pray for safety and a good trip around the course.

Why I Hate the NBA

I love college basketball. In the winter, I blog about college hoops and the NCAA selection criteria. I especially love the NCAA Tournament selection process and have been called something of an expert (obsessed, crazed maniac?) on the subject by Kyle Whelliston (of ESPN) amongst others. I even went on Louisville's ESPN Radio twice last year to yak about which teams were going to get into the tourney or be left at home.

A spirited discussion with my brother-in-law this past weekend forced me to think about why I do not watch professional basketball, or the league known as "The Association." That's the NBA for us un-hip, stodgy basketball purists. The prompt for this discussion came from a book(1) that I received for my birthday. The first chapter deals with communitarian philosophy and small-town high school basketball, and I find much common ground in Stephen Webb's opening essay entitled, "Building Communities One Gym At A Time: Communitarianism and the Decline of Small-Town Basketball."

Webb states that communitarians believe "that the needs of the community outweigh the individual" and that "communities determine meaning, not individuals." Communitarians also believe that individualism is too shaky a foundation for a solid community. Further, "communities are more than a collection of individual persons, just as a basketball team is more than the sum of its parts." And here lies the problem(s) with the NBA.

1. Individuals are marketed over teams. The NBA does not market teams. It markets players. People watch the NBA because the are "the best players in the world." Maybe. But they are not the best teams. In world events like the Olympics and the World Basketball Championships, these great individuals are getting their butts handed to them regularly by teams from other countries without ANY or very few "great" players. Why? Because Argentina has a great TEAM. Argentina and Puerto Rico are far more than the sum of their parts. The USA usually consists of a collection of great players, but they are far from a team. It is a collection of All-Stars comprised of world class athletes with suspect shooters, mediocre defense, and an collective inability to submit to a team concept. Argentina is forged metal. The US is a bundle of rods loosely bound and easily scattered.

That said, it is perfectly fine if a fan wants to watch great individual players--in fact, I enjoy that, too. However, that is simply good entertainment and not good basketball. The talent of any one player is secondary to the team concept in my basketball values, and in the NBA it is all about LeBron, Kobe, T-Mac, Shaq, D-Wade, etc. The star player is valued and marketed over the team for which he plays. This undermines the team concept and promotes individualism in our culture and in our kids watching basketball. I simply do not like it.

It happens with college hoops, too, but it is pretty rare once we get past Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke and the rest of ESPN's favorites. Quick! Name the best player from George Mason's Final Four team in 2006! Could you name any player? It's hard to do because that was a team and not a marketed product centered on a star player. When they made their run, they were referred to as "George Mason"--a team, and not "Greg Oden and the Ohio State Buckeyes" or "Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators" or "Tyler Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tar Heels." In fact 95% of college basketball are teams. It's the ESPN and media hype machines that turn college stars into one-man shows. In the NBA, it is all about the top players.

2. Ugly basketball. Admittedly, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks play wonderful basketball. These teams do adhere more to a team concept, but even at that Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki are marketed over the larger team by the league. With a team like Cleveland, it's all LeBron all the time. Lakers? It's Kobe and four other guys. The offense usually works like this:

--Give the ball to Kobe high on the wing
--Set pick for Kobe
--Kobe drives. If the defense stays home, Kobe shoots. If it collapses, Kobe still shoots, or MAYBE he'll kick it to a teammate.

Where are the offensive sets? Where is the pick-and-roll? Where is the artistry? It gets lost in the 6-step Electric Slide that Kobe gets away with without dribbling on his way to the hoop. There are WWE-sanctioned wrestling matches taking place under the hoop. It is ugly basketball.

Watch a collegiate game involving Air Force or Georgetown on offense. It is precision passing and cutting. Watch a collegiate game with Southern Illinois playing picture-perfect, textbook, half-court, in-your-shorts, man-to-man defense. Heck, watch VMI create mass chaos in a turnover-filled free-for-all. These are all done with a team philosophy with all players submitting to a system to achieve a goal. Not so in the NBA for most teams. Kobe IS the system.

3. Overpaid Prima Donnas. I'm sorry. I find it hard to watch guys making millions play a game at half-speed. Guys who gain 30 pounds in the offseasons. Guys with a $7 million per year contract who hold out for a to get $7.8 million. Guys who coast all season and then try to turn it on in the eternally-long playoffs. I can encounter greed anywhere. I do not need to watch it soil a beautiful game. Are college players any better? In a word: YES. But, we must look past the television darlings.

One can point to the elite levels of college basketball and see the same kind of NBAttitude by big-time stars currently playing on college teams. But, again, the basketball played by the top 20 teams on TV every night only represents about 6% of Division I college basketball. Did you know that there are 336 Division I college hoops teams? The overwhelming majority of college ball is played by kids who KNOW that they are not going to the NBA. They are there to get a step ahead in life, to get an education, or at the very least, to play a game they love.

Get past the television and go watch a game at Western Kentucky, Murray State, Tennessee Tech, or Montana State. Nearly every player on the court (save a gem here or there) is playing college ball and it is their last stop. There are no millions waiting for them.

So, connecting this with my fast food post, get out and support the local teams. Is college hoops not your style? Kentucky is a great place for high school hoops, too. Webb states, "Small towns used to be the source of many of America's cultural values and social standards. Residents of small towns did not feel like they were being left behind by the glamour of big cities." So many small towns in Kentucky announce Wal-Mart's coming as it if acknowledges their importance in the world. In fact, what already exists at their local diners, barber shops, churches, and gyms is what defines their character. Wal-Mart only allows them to be like everybody else. Healthy individuality is fostered by strong community.

I know that my WKU Hilltoppers will likely never win an NCAA Championship in hoops. I know that my church will likely never be huge. I know my personal boycott of McDonald's or Wal-Mart will not make a dent. But folks in those communities at WKU, at my church, and at my local places of business might appreciate it.

Our communities are more than the sum of their parts. And that is why I hate the NBA.

1. See especially Stephen H. Webb, "Building Communities One Gym At A Time: Communitarianism and the Decline of Small-Town Basketball" in Jerry L. Walls and Gregory Bassham, Basketball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Paint, (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2007), 7-18.

Not Lovin' It

Anyone who knows me well has to be utterly shocked that I have waited this long to post about fast food. With the other blogs that I read are currently filled with heavy (and quality) discussions on church and faith, I figure it might be a good time for me to indulge in one of my far-too-frequent tirades against those who would control our taste buds, wallets, wastelines, and children if at all possible.

What triggered this was an event in my office yesterday. I dropped by to do a little work with my 5-month-old son in tow. I happened to mention that we were going to a birthday party tonight for a little friend who is turning one year old. The first question from our departmental office associate: "Are you going to McDonald's?" This is not solely about how bad the food is for us. It touches many parts of our lives and serves as an indicator of larger cultural trends.

The long arm of fast food extends FAR past the drive-thru window. Unlike other aspects of popular culture like music, fashion, film, or sports, food culture becomes a part of us physically. We ingest it and it goes into our bloodstream and organs. Listening to Flock of Seagulls in the 1980s may have prompted you to get a weird hair cut and now serve as the butt of jokes at current family reunions or when old pictures are reviewed, but it did not affect your cholesterol, clog your arteries, or make you obese. Overindulgence in fast food culture may have done (and may do) just that.

So, here are some reasons to limit your trips to the drive-thru.

1. It's bad for you. Have you ever cooked a hamburger at home on a grill? Does it look, taste, or feel like a McDonald's hamburger? How does Mickey D's get their burgers to taste the same in Miami, Florida, as in Seattle, Washington? How come they do not shrink when cooked? It is mainly because what you are tasting is not a hamburger at all. What you are tasting are chemicals. Leftover meatish parts from hundreds of slaughtered cattle thrown into a hopper, ground up, and fashioned into a uniform, bun-sized patty. The flavor largely comes from IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances). Eric Schlosser has this to say in his 2002 book Fast Food Nation:

In addition to being the world's largest flavor company, IFF manufactures
the smells of six of the ten best-selling fine perfumes in the United States,
including Estée Lauder's Beautiful, Clinique's Happy, Lancôme's Trésor, and
Calvin Klein's Eternity. It also makes the smells of household products such as
deodorant, dishwashing detergent, bath soap, shampoo, furniture polish, and
floor wax. All these aromas are made through essentially the same process: the
manipulation of volatile chemicals. The basic science behind the scent of your shaving cream is the same as that governing the flavor of your TV dinner.

The taste does not come from just the food. So, not only is it high in calories, fat, trans fat (in some cases), salt, and mostly devoid of nutrition, but the taste comes from the same folks who give Pert Plus it's smell.

2. It hurts local businesses. It's tough enough for small sandwich and coffee shop owners to make it. It's nigh impossible when a fast food restaurant sets up shop across the street or next door. Is Subway cheaper than Bread and Bagels (a local sandwich shop in Bowling Green, KY)? Yes, it is. Which one has higher quality food with better ingredients, an infinitely better atmosphere, works with local farmers, and has a vested interest in Bowling Green? B&B. All that for a dollar more at lunch time! What a bargain!

Do you enjoy drinking coffee and seeing bands at Spencer's? Do you like the excellent sandwiches at B&B? Support them.

Some argue that dollar menus appeal to those with little money. I would argue that they should not be eating at a restaurant at all, and even if they do...

3. It is expensive. One of the greatest tricks of the fast food industry is proclaiming it's economic value, especially through "value menus" or "dollar menus." A sandwich, fries and a drink from the dollar menu will still cost you $3.15 in Kentucky. That works out to a cost of $9.45 per day or roughly $70 per week. I can buy high-quality, organic food for two people with $70 per week. Further, a pound of turkey ($5), 1/2 pound of cheese ($2.50), a loaf of bread ($2), six or seven bananas ($2) and drinking water costs about $11.50--and I'm talking about the good stuff here. One could make at least six meals from these groceries. That's less than $2 per meal.

Fast food is not cheap. I understand that some folks in dire financial straits without a stove at home can enjoy a hot meal at a fast food restaurant for $3-4, and that is understandable. But, if you are reading this blog, this probably does not apply to you.

4. It is not faster. Time yourself. Make a sandwich at home and eat it. Then, one day, drive to a fast food restaurant at lunch time, order, get the food, and eat it. I'll go 10-1 that the homemade lunch is faster. If you have leftovers from dinner the night before, that's even better!
5. It is aimed at kids. "Brand imprinting for later actuation in life." That is what McDonald's brass calls it according to Morgan Spurlock's documentary, Supersize Me. In other words, a seven-year-old has more lifelong buying power than a 70-year-old. So, it's clowns, playgrounds, birthday parties, coloring and legos. It's happy meals gift-wrapped in colorful boxes and pseudo-hamburgers wrapped in fun paper, and it all comes with the latest California Raisin figurine (1980s), beanie baby (1990s), Incredibles (2000s), or (insert new Disney movie here) toy. The nation decried Joe Camel and had him axed, yet Ronald McDonald is something of a hero and more first-graders can correctly identify Ronald than they can common portrayals of Jesus in a picture lineup. To me, Joe Camel and Ronald are two sides of the same coin; they get the hooks of addiction in into kids at an early age. That may sound strong, but no six-year-old brain is a match for the salty, cheesy, sugary, caffeine-laced concoction of the standard McDonald's meal. Heck, it hooks adults fairly easily. Couple that with the toys, parties, playgrounds, and general good-feelings, and the psychological impact is massive.

6. It reduces small-town character. Most people probably care less about this than I do, but it pains me to drive through the South and see that the interstate exits at all of the small towns look the same: Cracker Barrel, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Subway. Lather, rinse, repeat. I enjoy an occasional blueberry pancake overload at Cracker Barrel as much as the next guy, but basically what CB has done is taken the idea of the hometown country store/restaurant and replicated it on a massive scale. The irony would be funny if not so sad. It is an imitation of the real thing (like say, Teresa's or Judy's Castle or Murray's...).

And that is ultimately the crux of the matter. The continuing explosion of fast food serves as an indicator of a larger trend. It's megachurch for our diets. It's Duke and North Carolina on ESPN, replacing attendance at a local, real, live college basketball game with a slick, marketed product of hype. It's Wal-Mart for our restaurants, enormous and replicating at an alarming rate...actually McDonald's IS inside many Wal-Marts. It's "convenient" and "time-saving" so that we can get on to more important things like hurrying home to watch hours of television so that they can market more fast food to us during the commercial breaks. Eating meals is what sustains our physical body. I think that is pretty important stuff.

The worst of it is that we say that we value education in this country, but the food that is available in schools is some of the worst out there. We spend resources on education and preach the value of it to kids while sending them to a lunchroom filled with low-grade food. Many college campuses' food courts are dominated by fast-food chains. Why are we not educating students on the value of taking care of their bodies? Our intellectual capacity and knowledge suffer if the body that houses them is compromised.

We often cannot see the cumulative effects of what we do to our bodies during our youth until a little later in life. Before we get older or get sick, our time, convenience, and tastes drive our actions. Eventually, when we get sick or break down, THEN we make changes to control our cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, weight, etc. How about a little preventative maintenance? Do we want to reform health care in this country? Start at the front end and taking care of ourselves by eating well and exercising. Of course, all of us are going to break down and need medicine at some point and some of us are predisposed to certain ailments, but Americans as a whole can certainly do more on the front end.

We marvel at the soul and human mind that God created in His image. What about the human body that is also made in his image? Why do our bodies look the way that they do? We hear lots about being good stewards with what we are given. Does this not apply to our physical body as well? Or maybe it's more what kinds of abuses we will tolerate. For many Christians, drinking alcohol, even an amount that might be physically beneficial, is frowned upon, but gorging on fried foods, ice cream, or pies on a regular basis is perfectly acceptable. Why?

I am not advocating a workout regimen in order to be a "better Christian." But, maybe we should examine the motivations and reasons for the status of our health both individually and collectively in this country.

I am also not trying to suck the fun out of eating. But, do we think of food as fuel or as fun? Hopefully, it can be a bit of both, but when food becomes a hobby it also becomes a danger.

Rapture Ready

My primary job this summer is to bond with and take care of my 5-month-old son. As I rocked him to sleep yesterday afternoon, I turned on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) to see what the face of Christianity looks like to the millions at home watching TV and happening upon this giant Christian network.

What I got was "Rapture ready." This is the calling card of TV preacher Rod Parsley on his program, Breakthrough. In the future, maybe a long post on the idea of the Rapture can happen, but for today let's simply think about where this puts the focus of our faith: the end of time. It seems to me that a lot of TV preachers have two foci: earthly material wealth and "being saved" from hell. Where do these ideas put the focus of our faith? MY material wealth in this life and MY personal salvation are right up front. Of course, most preachers also focus on converting others so that they can have wealth and be saved, but the engine that drives all of this is self-aggrandizement and self-preservation.

I am not degrading the value of a good life or eternal life, but were these the greatest concerns of Jesus? Of Paul? I would argue that they were not. In fact, the focus of Christ seemed to be giving up material wealth. Certainly, personal salvation was extremely important, but personal salvation in the context of how that transforms our lives and our priorities, not simply how it saves us from hell.

Are we saved? If so, praise be to God for eternal life. But, does that not have a massive impact on how we live NOW?

I believe it does, and it has little to do with accumulating cars, houses, or blessing me with $35,000 if I pray for 10 people. There is a good deal of patient endurance in Christ, of struggling with brothers and sisters in Christ, of showing Christ to others in word and deed, and of constantly challenging ourselves and others to conform more to His likeness.

More on the (lack of a) Rapture (a word that does not appear in the Bible, and a word that is rooted in Latin, not Hebrew or Greek) another day.

Oh, and today, make sure you are Rapture ready.

Springtime Joy and Hydration

Out of the cold depths of winter comes days like Sunday and Monday. Beautiful, cloudless, glorious spring days illuminated with the orange-warm rays of that giant mass of incandescent gas (apologies to They Might Be Giants) above. The thought of hats, gloves, and scarves seem far away. The first hints of the coming brutal heat are felt when the sun peaks in the afternoon, but quickly fades away into cooler evenings. This is a good time of year.

Keeping with the theme of my previous "Speed Kills" post, please take the time to enjoy May. It's Derby, flowers, soft winds, and warm weather. Notice how the sky lightens a bit earlier and darkens a bit later. Notice how the shadows of the buildings are getting shorter when you arrive at work or go to lunch. Notice how the trees plump their leaves to provide maximum shade for us in preparation for the coming heat of June, July, and August.

As a runner, I must remind everyone to stay hydrated. I'm no dehydration alarmist, but we do require more H2O as temperatures climb, especially those of us who exercise outside. The "8-8" rule (drink eight glasses of 8 oz) is a bit of a myth. Not everyone requires the same amount. We get a considerable amount of water from our food (up to 32 oz depending on what one eats). If you feel thirsty, drink. If you feel bad or hungry during the day, try water first. Beyond that, the best indicator of your hydration level is the color of your urine. If it's darker than a pale, yellow straw color, you probably need more water.

As readers already may have gathered from previous posts, I believe our bodies can tell us a lot about our general health if we listen to it. Hydration level is a perfect example of this. We have a thirst mechanism and what we expel from our bladder is like our fluid guage. Simply listen and observe.

Are You Ready for the Country?

One of my creative outlets is a post-country/folk band called Redfoot. You can hear rough cuts of two songs from our upcoming album here if you are interested.

Lately, I have been combing my memory (and the internet) for old songs that impacted me or songs that my parents/grandparents held dear. This process has yielded some old gems that you might hear occasionally, but really should be songs that are part of your library if you currently do not have access to them. Most of these are from a land far, far away from Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.

Here are a dozen classic country tunes that hold a soft spot in my heart (in no particular order):

"Cool Water." Sons of the Pioneers (1947). The Pioneers possess watertight harmonies and a sound that is truly from another era. This is one of their best selections.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today." George Jones (1980). Simply the saddest song ever written delivered by a singer who can crank up the emotion to an incredible level. Also, it's one of the top country songs of all time according to just about anyone's list.

"Devil Went Down to Georgia." Charlie Daniels Band (1979). Horrendous theology; mighty fine fiddlin'. And, one of great choruses of all time.

Fire on the mountain! Run, boys, run!
Devil's in the house of the risin' sun.
Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough
Granny does your dog bite? No, child, no!

What does this mean? I have no idea. But, it sure does work.

"El Paso." Marty Robbins (1959). Robbins' soaring vocals only add to a great story. My pick for the top cowboy song ever. That wicked Feleena...

"Lucille." Kenny Rogers (1979). I am not a huge fan of The Roaster, but he did have a great run in the early 80's. This is a great tune about heartbreak.

"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" Waylon Jennings (1973). Few left a mark on music like Waylon: played with Buddy Holly, negotiated a "rock 'n roll" contract with much artistic freedom in a Nashville-dominated country world in the early 1970s, and kicked off the Outlaw Country movement. Currently, this is my favorite of his tunes.

"Flowers on the Wall." Statler Brothers (1966). It was a big hit four decades ago, and then was revived by Pulp Fiction in 1994. Sadly, it is known more for the Bruce Wills/Ving Rhames scene in Quentin Tarantino's movie than for what it truly is: a darkly comedic song about a man in total isolation (institutionalized?) after a rough break up.

"Coat of Many Colors." Dolly Parton (1971). I cannot take too much Dolly in one listening session, but she is fine sprinkled in here and there. This song is one of her best.

"Boy Named Sue." Johnny Cash (1969). This Shel Silverstein poem is brilliantly retold by Cash on the San Quentin album.

"Coal Miner's Daughter." Loretta Lynn (1969). Straight from the poor, hillbilly gut and proud of it. Loretta's voice and delivery are so genuine, and this song is basically her three minute biography.

"Your Cheatin' Heart." Hank Williams (1952). It's Hank Williams.

"Sixteen Tons." Tennessee Ernie Ford (1955). "Muscle and blood, skin and bones, a mind that's weak and a back that's strong." There are lots of songs that capture the hopelessness of coal mines, but owing your soul to the company store takes the cake. Johnny Cash's rendition of Merle Travis' "Dark as the Dungeon" is a dandy, too.

These are just a dozen songs I've been thinking about and listening to lately. I just noticed that they were all released in 1980 or earlier. Hmmm...maybe a post-1980 list can happen in the future.

Marathon Recovery and Twitchy Fibers

MILEAGE LOG:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 5 miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: 8 miles (projected)
Sunday: Off

Marathon recovery is a bit like a big dessert. Months of sweat, miles, and considerable pain culminate into one race. Hopefully, that race produces a desired result. If so, the recovery can be an enjoyable time of easy miles and loads of food. That is precisely what I have been up to this week in regards to training: resting sore muscles and weakened tendons along with consuming ridiculous amounts of high-carb, high-protein recovery foods.

The next race goal will likely be the Memorial Day 3k, which is three weeks from Monday. That will give me another 1-2 weeks of recovery, then 1-2 weeks to sharpen up with a few speed sessions and see how much my marathon training impacted my speed in shorter races. Certainly, all that running would make a runner faster at any distance, right? Well, that's not quite the case, biologically speaking.

A person has two general types of muscle fibers: "fast-twitch" (better for sprinting and shorter races) and "slow-twitch" (conducive to distance running). For most, the ratio is about 50/50, but elite sprinters could have as high as an 80/20 fast/slow twitch ratio. Conversely, some elite marathoners have 80/20 slow/fast twitch ratio. This seems to be determined genetically.

Research has shown that by marathon training, some fast-twitch muscles fibers can be trained to take on the characteristics of slow-twitch fibers. They only way to know an individual runner's ratio is to have a cross-section of their muscled taken for research. Even at that, there is not much that a person can do about it.

All this to say that training for the marathon could conceivable make a runner slower in shorter distances. I will find out if I have been made fast or slower within the next month in the upcoming 3k and the Summer Classic 5k in Brownsville (Edmonson County) in June.

Speed Kills

My freshman classes gave their final presentations this week. One question served as the linchpin of our course this semester: "What does 'getting an education' mean?" Their assignment was to take a long view of the semester and think about how these last 15 weeks have helped (or not helped) to answer that question. Most came up with similar ideas, citing a better understanding of American culture, the world in which we live, how to ask good questions, and how to value and evaluate differing and opposing viewpoints. This is basically what I expected, and was pleased that these themes were identifiable.

But, I was surprised at how many specifically mentioned our conversation of "Time" as an important part of the course. We did this way back in early February, yet a number of students tagged those classes as the pivotal week of the course. Students were divided into groups of three of four and given a short chapter from Alan Lightman's wonderful little book, Einstein's Dreams. It is a fictional foray into Einstein's thoughts on alternative views of time (time flowing in reverse, eternal life, time as cyclical instead of linear, etc). What many students realized was that "Time" is merely a measurement of "Life." Time consists of human-made increments of life: seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades, centuries.

The question then becomes, "What is important in life?" If we live from point to point, checking off the list as we go, we eventually (and quickly) come to an ending point. This speeds up our lives. We are born, we grow into adults, we graduate high school and head to college, we find a partner, we get married, we establish a career, we have kids, we raise kids, we retire, and then we die. This pattern is not inherently bad, but it if we live each stage with blinders on, constantly looking to the next point, we fail to recognize what is happening to the left of us. We ignore the beauty to right of us. We might even forget what has happened behind us and got us to any particular "point." Our obsession with "the next level" speeds us up and hastens the completion of our "Time." Eventually, there are no more points to connect, and no more steps to climb. We spend our lives racing to the next point and forget to live while we are doing it.

In his book Faster, James Gleick notes how we maniacally hammer the "door close" button in elevators. Once we press it and it lights up, the doors are in the process of closing. Whether we press the button no more times or jackhammer it with 37 mini-punches with our index finger, the door close time will be the same. What's the rush? We feel that we are "wasting time," but where will this "saved" time go? For most, it will probably be frittered away flipping through one of their 500 television channels later in the evening.

For students, this time in college is not a four-year waiting room before they start their "real life." As John Cougar/Cougar Mellencamp/Mellencamp once sang, "Your life is now." Certainly, we should focus on studies, cultivate our marriages, raise our children, and look to the future. But, we must take off the blinders while we do these things. We must see the others to the left and right of us who are celebrating, hurting, striving, falling, living and dying. We must view our current "level" as where we are and not be solely focused on "what's next." We should slow down and savor the daily wonders that we enjoy. Savor the coffee. Stand in the burning sun and feel the brutal humidity if just for a moment. Allow the bitter cold to sting our skin before opening the door into a heated building. Pause and thank God for the work that we have to do today. Take the stairs instead of pounding the worn-out elevator button. Take a stroll (or run, of course) and leave our watches on the counter. This is not "wasted" time. This is life.

The supreme irony that a marathon runner, who has been so focused on a Boston Qualifying TIME of late, is writing about slowing down is not lost on me. But, what do I experience when I run? Is it a means to an end? No. My pursuit of "faster" will hopefully allow me to experience more "life" in a trip to Boston.

Savor your moments today and every day, and look behind, to the right, and to the left of you as you do so.

*Check out these two books...if you have "time," of course:
Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams, (New York: Warner Books, 1993).
James Gleick, Faster, (New York: Vintage, 1999).