Pic Spam and Article About UK v US Health
I've been busy as hell, but not in a bad way. Peter is here and I spent most of my two days off either working (and getting sunburned) or showing Peter around town. Being from Washington state - and having never been out of it - he's amazed by the sun and the landscape here.
Peter and a baby goat. He looks like Andrew, doesn't he? (Peter, not the goat.)
Peter and Rose. Rosie is going into heat again and is PMS-ing and grumpy as hell. She was not too impressed with Peter as he was not a jack.
Rose the Disgruntled Donkey and Lexie the High-Maintenance Horse
Andrew and Joe helping make the seedling cloche. Peter, Paula, and I covered the table part with chicken wire and Andrew and Joe built the table. The idea is that the seedlings sit on the table and the chicken wire allows them to drain. The ribs of the cloche are made of PVC pipe and the plastic comes down over them to seal at the bottom. This keeps the seedlings warm overnight.
In other news I came upon THIS article in the Huffington Post and thought it was interesting.
UK vs. U.S.: Who Has Better Health And Well Being?
I can't seem to find the actual study (just the Healthways article), but I don't find most of the results too surprising. More people in the UK have access to health care which would certainly explain the lower percentage of chronic health conditions. From my own research, I also know that the UK has a far better food system than most places in the US (where "food deserts" are quite common), so that explains the healthier eating habits.
The first slide interested me the most, and I feel is the most problematic. First off, the across-the-board percentage differential was not that great, but I am always a bit suspicious of self-reporting on nebulous issues like "thriving." In fact, the very concept of "positivity" seems rather American to me. In some respects, it seems very ingrained in American society. Ideas like being positive, expecting the best, setting strong goals to succeed, pulling ourselves up by our proverbial bootstraps, pursuing happiness, exceeding the success of our parents, and the idea that anyone from any background can get ahead in life, etc. are common themes in literature and the media. ("Based on an amazing true story of courage and perseverance.") I remember being "taught" these things in school. Granted, it was usually subtextual, but most of the stories I read in my reading books were "uplifting" or "motivational." But are most other countries that way? I somehow doubt it. In fact, I've read many children's stories from other cultures and discovered that most are far less sanitized and positive. That extends to adult media, too. What was that Pink Floyd line from "Time?" Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way. Not that I take Floyd to be the ultimate spokesband for English culture, but I do think that American culture is more oriented toward positivity and the desire to thrive rather than survive. What is defined as "happy," anyway? And is thriving the same straight across the board?
Peter and a baby goat. He looks like Andrew, doesn't he? (Peter, not the goat.)
Peter and Rose. Rosie is going into heat again and is PMS-ing and grumpy as hell. She was not too impressed with Peter as he was not a jack.
Rose the Disgruntled Donkey and Lexie the High-Maintenance Horse
Andrew and Joe helping make the seedling cloche. Peter, Paula, and I covered the table part with chicken wire and Andrew and Joe built the table. The idea is that the seedlings sit on the table and the chicken wire allows them to drain. The ribs of the cloche are made of PVC pipe and the plastic comes down over them to seal at the bottom. This keeps the seedlings warm overnight.
In other news I came upon THIS article in the Huffington Post and thought it was interesting.
UK vs. U.S.: Who Has Better Health And Well Being?
I can't seem to find the actual study (just the Healthways article), but I don't find most of the results too surprising. More people in the UK have access to health care which would certainly explain the lower percentage of chronic health conditions. From my own research, I also know that the UK has a far better food system than most places in the US (where "food deserts" are quite common), so that explains the healthier eating habits.
The first slide interested me the most, and I feel is the most problematic. First off, the across-the-board percentage differential was not that great, but I am always a bit suspicious of self-reporting on nebulous issues like "thriving." In fact, the very concept of "positivity" seems rather American to me. In some respects, it seems very ingrained in American society. Ideas like being positive, expecting the best, setting strong goals to succeed, pulling ourselves up by our proverbial bootstraps, pursuing happiness, exceeding the success of our parents, and the idea that anyone from any background can get ahead in life, etc. are common themes in literature and the media. ("Based on an amazing true story of courage and perseverance.") I remember being "taught" these things in school. Granted, it was usually subtextual, but most of the stories I read in my reading books were "uplifting" or "motivational." But are most other countries that way? I somehow doubt it. In fact, I've read many children's stories from other cultures and discovered that most are far less sanitized and positive. That extends to adult media, too. What was that Pink Floyd line from "Time?" Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way. Not that I take Floyd to be the ultimate spokesband for English culture, but I do think that American culture is more oriented toward positivity and the desire to thrive rather than survive. What is defined as "happy," anyway? And is thriving the same straight across the board?