From: Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) on


Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) writes:
>
> > While this is certainly possible, there are new views that this is
> > in fact indicative of problems that modern man has with running,
> > not problems with humans running in general.
>
> Given the stress that jogging puts on the knees, it is surprising that human
> beings tolerate it so well.
>
Humans can run down any other animal in existence. What other
animal can run 100 miles in a day?:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadville_Trail_100
#begin quote
Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon (aka The Race Across The Sky or
the LT100), first run in 1983, is an ultramarathon held annually on
trails and dirt roads at high altitude west and south of Leadville,
Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The course is
difficult, with runners climbing and descending 15,600 feet (4,800
m), with elevations ranging between 9,200-12,620 feet. Because of
its difficulty, it is common for less than half the starters to
complete the race ahead of its 30 hour time limit.
#end quote

This is a book, "Born to Run" that argues that humans are naturally
made to run, but our modern society with its modern ways (and
shoes) cause problems:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McDougall
#begin quote
In Born to Run, McDougall tracks down members of the reclusive
Tarahumara Indian tribe in the Mexican Copper Canyons. After being
repeatedly injured as a runner himself, McDougall marvels at the
tribe's ability to run ultra distances (over 100 miles) at
incredible speeds, without getting the routine injuries of most
American runners. The book has received attention in the sporting
world for McDougall's description of how he overcame injuries by
modeling his running after the Tarahumara. [2] He claims that
modern cushioned running shoes are a major cause of running injury,
pointing to the thin sandals worn by Tarahumara runners.
#end quote




> > Filthy buses, smog filled air, few trees, concrete as far as the
> > eye can see, that's the city. People who live in the suburbs might
> > have plenty of clean air, birds, trees, grass, wild animals
> > wandering about, that sort of thing.
>
> It depends on whether you prefer people or things.
>
I'm not sure I prefer "things", but I do tend to prefer nature and
I see more of that in more rural settings.


--
"Gonna take a sedimental journey", what Old Man River actually
said.
From: Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) on


Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) writes:
>
> > Food tends to be the cheapest thing going. Of course if you insist
> > on buying pre-made TV dinners, your costs will skyrocket.
>
> Food costs have skyrocketed in recent years, and balanced foods with good
> general nutritional value and expensive ingredients like protein are always
> more expensive than cheap carbohydrates.
>
Even the "poor" in first world countries have generally enough
money to buy staple foods.



--
"Gonna take a sedimental journey", what Old Man River actually
said.
From: Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) on


Mxsmanic wrote:
>
> Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) writes:
>
> > I don't see any inequality.
>
> When an employee leaves a company, he loses 100% of his income, but the
> company loses only a small fraction of its workforce.
>
You've said that. I still don't see the inequality. If the worker
goes to another job, is that relevant? The worker has the set of
total jobs available. If you allow him access to those but refuse
to allow an employer to fire (or lay off or let go) someone, then
it would seem the inequality is the other way.



> > Unions are monopolies which remove the bargain from the employer
> > and employee relationship. They make everyone equal no matter what
> > effort they put in on the job or how good they are at the job.
>
> That depends on the union. They do not remove bargaining, they allow it.
>
It's "collective" bargaining. This means that the quality and
effort one person puts in is paid not on his merit but on the
average merit of the group.


> A
> single employee can't bargain much, but a union that can make all employees
> stop working simultaneously is very well placed to bargain.
>
I think I called that "extortion".


> Each employee
> risks his entire salary, the company risks its entire production.
>
I don't see how that's equal.



--
"Gonna take a sedimental journey", what Old Man River actually
said.
From: Mxsmanic on
Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) writes:

> Humans can run down any other animal in existence. What other
> animal can run 100 miles in a day?

That doesn't mean that running 100 miles a day is a good idea.

> I'm not sure I prefer "things", but I do tend to prefer nature and
> I see more of that in more rural settings.

Nature is things.
From: Mxsmanic on
Bill Bonde {Colourless green ideas don't sleep furiously) writes:

> Even the "poor" in first world countries have generally enough
> money to buy staple foods.

Yes, but the cheapest staple foods are calorie-dense carbohydrates. A loaf of
bread is cheaper than a steak. Additionally, poor people work longer for less
money, and have less free time to prepare foods, so they are more inclined to
buy prepared foods in order to save time. Prepared foods also tend to be very
high in carbohydrates (crackers, cookies, chips, etc.).

Eating well costs money and requires time, neither of which is in plentiful
supply among the poor.