Getting too old for this...

[greendiver]

I turned 40 last July, to be honest with you, I do not notice a lot of difference compared to when I was 25!
I have always lived a low-stress life, eat 4 to 5 times a day, do not drink, and loads of exercise.
I have been going to the gym for at least 10 years in a row, not only to build muscle, but a general fitness program.( I use supplements)
I run a lot and spearfish a lot too ;-)..a bit of yoga and meditation.....bit of sex, before I forget!!

I moved to Spain 6 years ago, the spanish are relaxed, easy going and friendly (in general)
I am dutch BTW, they are not relaxed, easy going nor friendly (in general).
I do not, and have never chased the money, I look for the other things, like fishing with a friend, or walking to the market, the fishermen come in, tuna fish (still moving), and buy some and eat it( al plancha, in olive oil with garlic) with a nice glass of wine.

You should see the market, 100 meters from my place, fresh doradas, tuna, swordfish, octopuss, bonitos, bass, shark :-( , rays :-( , dentex...I forgot...red mullet, very nice and tasty!!name it,...all the vegetables...has anyone ever seen a real spanish tomato?( red,green 1kg!!)
If anyone wants to see a pic of the fish market!!, let me know
I am not able to buy an expensive car, however a used or not to expensive car will do!
The key is... no STRESS!!...a killer..

I see these old spanish guys, sitting in the park, smoking, drinking etc...and still...they have the second highest mortality rate in the world...thinking that trafic accidents are at least 200% higher then in Holland, the medical system is far from advanced,(not in Madrid or in Barcelona),...it is because of their diet and lowstress life....
(unfortunately this is changing...mcDonalds,Mtv etc...)

Things I do notice regarding my age; Some minor "chronical ligaments" issues and some wrinkles..
But, running long distances, no sweat, better now then 15 years ago...100 meters, did it 12.89...not bad for such an old Bas****d!

[Paul Kotik]

Originally Posted by Fondueset

That's interesting. There is a south michigan too.
They have a lot of 'government' and 'cars'.

I hitch-hiked through florida with a friend who shacked up with a jamaican prostitute and subsequently became schizophrenic. It seems like a very rich state, psychologically.

Oh, well, very rich psychologically indeed. Most residents have an abundance of psychologies.

[icarus pacific]

Originally Posted by Paul Kotik

South Florida ain't on the way to anywhere - unless you came over from Cuba on an inner tube (perhaps floating a Ford Pinto ?) on the way to Michigan !

Would that be flotsam or jetsam?

[josedesucre]

Originally Posted by greendiver

I see these old spanish guys, sitting in the park, smoking, drinking etc...and still...they have the second highest mortality rate in the world...thinking that trafic accidents are at least 200% higher then in Holland, the medical system is far from advanced,(not in Madrid or in Barcelona),...it is because of their diet and lowstress life....
(unfortunately this is changing...mcDonalds,Mtv etc...) !

It must be all that thinking ... and the low stress that's killing them

BTW, for a spearo, it appears you are buying a lot of your fish

[island_sands]

greendiver

I moved from London to Barcelona in 1995, i experienced just what you write above. I lived in Spain for six years and absolutely loved it. the food, wine, lifestyle, and the Spanish are wonderful people. The best friends I ever had (and still do).

Those markets are fantastic aren't they? mmmmm I used to go down there and buy about 4 or 5 different kinds of live crab - pound them all down in a big bowl (live, sorry) - and then boil them up with white wine, onion, tomato and herbs for hours and then strain it... the best seafood sauce

Thanks for writing that, brought back some good memories. Needless to say i put weight on in Spain and in my last year there went on a huge kick and lost it all... kept it off for five years and now battling with it again

[greendiver]

Originally Posted by josedesucre

It must be all that thinking ... and the low stress that's killing them

BTW, for a spearo, it appears you are buying a lot of your fish

Eventually..all of us, finally we all have to go!
But think about it, a country, which is far less developed then the US (or many other so called "developed countries), people live longer..

..I only buy the vegetables..

[greendiver]

Originally Posted by island_sands

greendiver

I moved from London to Barcelona in 1995, i experienced just what you write above. I lived in Spain for six years and absolutely loved it. the food, wine, lifestyle, and the Spanish are wonderful people. The best friends I ever had (and still do).

Those markets are fantastic aren't they? mmmmm I used to go down there and buy about 4 or 5 different kinds of live crab - pound them all down in a big bowl (live, sorry) - and then boil them up with white wine, onion, tomato and herbs for hours and then strain it... the best seafood sauce

Thanks for writing that, brought back some good memories. Needless to say i put weight on in Spain and in my last year there went on a huge kick and lost it all... kept it off for five years and now battling with it again

HI Island,

I am thinking about moving to that part of Spain, I live in the far south, nice but a bit far away from the "real world".
Sometimes I still need to be in a big city..the nearest decent bookstore is about 200km......for example
were you working as an Instructor overthere?
So now I know why you are on this 20k rowing, 5k swimming etc..

[Paul Kotik]

Originally Posted by greendiver

Eventually..all of us, finally we all have to go!
But think about it, a country, which is far less developed then the US (or many other so called "developed countries), people live longer..

..I only buy the vegetables..

Average life expectancy statistics are often very misleading.

US life expectancy averages, and infant mortality rates, for example, seem worse than other developed countries in part because US medical practice is a lot stricter about defining infants as dead. Newborns ( premature, etc.) defined as 'dead' in other Western countries are defined as 'alive' in the US, and extraordinary efforts are made to keep them alive. As the conditions which in other countries are considered death are quite extreme, many of these efforts fail, thus increasing the number of deaths, and therefore increasing the infant mortality rate and reducing average life expectancy.

There are many, many other sources of variance in the distribution of life spans. Averages, we should remember, are just the sum of observations divided by the number of observations. Comparison of averages can be very misleading.

[island_sands]

Originally Posted by Paul Kotik

Average life expectancy statistics are often very misleading.


There are many, many other sources of variance in the distribution of life spans. Averages, we should remember, are just the sum of observations divided by the number of observations. Comparison of averages can be very misleading.

When i was in Afghanistan they told me the average life expectancy of a woman was 42 years old. Looking at the life they led in Kabul, I am not surprised.

[Paul Kotik]

Originally Posted by island_sands

When i was in Afghanistan they told me the average life expectancy of a woman was 42 years old. Looking at the life they led in Kabul, I am not surprised.

We'd have to go back to about 1900 to see average life expectancy for (white) US females at 42.

But again, infant mortality skews the data. In primitive conditions, lots and lots of newborns and small children die. If you have 4 people (say, in a hypothetical Whakostan) who die at birth, and one who lives to be 120, then you'd compute the average life expectancy to be ((4 x 0) + 120) / 5 = 22. 22? Kind of misleading about what's going on there.

[josedesucre]

International health statistics have to be compiled following norms agreed to by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). While some data from very poor countries could be suspect, it is precisely on those countries where WHO has more offices and support personnel. Therefore, those presumptions about infant mortality skewing the data dont hold much water, IMHO.

[greendiver]

Originally Posted by Paul Kotik

Average life expectancy statistics are often very misleading.

US life expectancy averages, and infant mortality rates, for example, seem worse than other developed countries in part because US medical practice is a lot stricter about defining infants as dead. Newborns ( premature, etc.) defined as 'dead' in other Western countries are defined as 'alive' in the US, and extraordinary efforts are made to keep them alive. As the conditions which in other countries are considered death are quite extreme, many of these efforts fail, thus increasing the number of deaths, and therefore increasing the infant mortality rate and reducing average life expectancy.

There are many, many other sources of variance in the distribution of life spans. Averages, we should remember, are just the sum of observations divided by the number of observations. Comparison of averages can be very misleading.

Sorry mate!!, you have been misleaded....propaganda...maybe if you look at 3rd or 2nd world countries..
People in Spain, Italy..or other countries near the med, do live longer because of "real" reasons..
This is a fact!
Spain might not be as developed as some northern european countries or the US, but Spain is a "first"(sounds stupid, I am sorry) world county, and is a western country!

[icarus pacific]

Not that these statistics aren't fascinating and all but back to the topic... puhleeeze.

[Fondueset]

Sword fighting - right? Or sex? Dammit, my memory's crap

[Paul Kotik]

Originally Posted by greendiver

Sorry mate!!, you have been misleaded....propaganda...maybe if you look at 3rd or 2nd world countries..
People in Spain, Italy..or other countries near the med, do live longer because of "real" reasons..
This is a fact!
Spain might not be as developed as some northern european countries or the US, but Spain is a "first"(sounds stupid, I am sorry) world county, and is a western country!

Sorry, I deal in facts. Do you have any to support your theory? How do you know people in Spain, Italy etc live longer due to 'real' reasons ? Which people ? What is a real reason ?

The stuff I summarized is widely-known, documented out the wazoo, totally non-controversial. It's very old news. It wouldn't raise an eyebrow at even the most teary-eyed Euro demographics conference.

You haven't adduced a single documented fact.

If you'd like to make a project of looking for vital statistics that don't exist - knock yourself out.

And who on Earth would spin propaganda, as you put it, of this sort? And why ?