Jesse and Ron Pound Warhawks

AlphaGo Zero

J. Q. Adams on foreign policy

On July 4, 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams delivered an historic address on U.S. foreign policy. After reading the full text of the Declaration of Independence, he continued (a portion of his talk follows):

In the progress of 40 years since the acknowledgment of our independence, we have gone through many modifications of internal government, and through all the vicissitudes of peace and war, with other mighty nations. But never, never for a moment have the great principles, consecrated by the Declaration of this day, been renounced or abandoned.

And now, friends and countrymen, if the wise and learned philosophers of the older world, the first observers of mutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to inquire, what has America done for the benefit of mankind?

Let our answer be this–America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity. She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, equal justice, and equal rights. She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations, while asserting and maintaining her own. She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when the conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart. She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama, the European World, will be contests between inveterate power, and emerging right.

Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will recommend the general cause, by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself, beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force. The frontlet upon her brows would no longer beam with the ineffable splendor of freedom and independence; but in its stead would soon be substituted an imperial diadem, flashing in false and tarnished lustre the murky radiance of dominion and power. She might become the dictatress of the world: she would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.

-- ‘She Goes Not Abroad in Search of Monsters to Destroy’, The American Conservative

War

Nutritional Ketosis and Cancer

[This article is based on Dr. Joseph Mercola's piece "Promoting Advances in Managing Cancer as a Metabolic Disease Need Your Support," August 02, 2017]

In 2012 Dr. Thomas Seyfried wrote "Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management and Treatment of Cancer." In the book's preface he writes:

Several major findings planted the seed for this treatise: 

First, it became clear to me that the therapeutic action of some anticancer drugs operated largely through reduced caloric intake. 

Second, the reduced caloric intake could target the majority of cancer hallmarks. 

Third, that ketone bodies can serve as an alternate fuel to glucose in most cells with normal respiratory function. 

Fourth, that metastatic cancer arises from cells along macrophage lineage. 

Fifth, that all cancer cells regardless of tissue origin express a general defect in mitochondrial energy metabolism. 

Finally, that cancer can be effectively managed and prevented once it becomes recognized as a metabolic disease.

Seyfried has a distinguished background. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of neurology at the Yale University School of Medicine and then served on the faculty as an assistant professor in neurology. Throughout his long career, he's received many awards and honors from organizations such as the American Oil Chemists Society, the National Institutes of Health, the American Society for Neurochemistry and the Ketogenic Diet Special Interest Group of the American Epilepsy Society.

He recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of New England, and a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Comprehensive Integrative Medicine.

He presently serves on several editorial boards, including those for Nutrition and Metabolism, Neurochemical Research, the Journal of Lipid Research and ASN Neuro, where he is a senior editor. In total, Seyfried also has over 170 peer-reviewed publications in the scientific literature.

He and others have been able to advance the theory that cancer is primarily the result of defective energy metabolism in, and damage to, the cells' mitochondria.

Simply put, genetic mutations are not the primary cause of cancer but are, rather, a downstream effect of the defective energy metabolism. 

Seyfried is one of the pioneers in the application of nutritional ketosis for cancer, a therapy that stems from the work of Dr. Otto Heinrich Warburg, one of the most brilliant biochemists of the 20th century. Warburg, a personal friend of Albert Einstein, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for how cells obtain energy from respiration. He was even nominated for two additional Nobel's.

According to Warburg,

Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.

Primarily a researcher and professor, Seyfried doesn't personally see patients. Instead, he collaborates with clinicians who base their treatment protocols on metabolic therapy and nutritional ketosis protocols he developed. Yet, Seyfried receives progress reports from doctors and patients alike.  Mercola cites several encouraging reports.  Here is one:

Bomar Herrin

Dr. Bomar Herrin, 58, was the envy of many men his age. Working out regularly, he was averaging 16 pullups, punching the speed bag and doing a grueling P90X exercise program. But something unexpected occurred during his weightlifting routine in July 2009. Herrin, an emergency medicine physician for 30 years, felt a snap near his right shoulder.

Initially he was diagnosed with a pathological fracture. A biopsy revealed it was caused by a plasmacytoma, or a cluster of cancerous plasma cells. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell, and when they become abnormal they are called myeloma. Myeloma cells in several parts of the body are called multiple myeloma. While Herrin had radiation to treat the plasmacytoma in his arm, a PET scan revealed lesions on his spine, sacrum and ribs, which indicated that his cancer might have spread.

Strongly motivated to find a way to halt the progression of his disease, he embarked on a different path: metabolic therapy. That was eight years ago. For eight years, Herrin has been following a ketogenic diet and fasting regularly. He recently reported to Seyfried that his cancer load and inflammation markers are down.

In March 2017, his kappa/lambda ratio was normal for the first time — a measure of multiple myeloma activity. His eating plan has also helped him reduce and stabilize his weight at 173 pounds, down from 225. And he reports: "At the Mayo Clinic, I am now being asked to describe just what I am doing!"

Conclusion

As Mercola states, metabolic therapy isn't a magic wand. It won't — and doesn't — save everyone's life. Typically, a majority of the clinics following this alternative protocol see patients at the end of their journey, typically when traditional treatments have failed. Unfortunately, a certain percentage of patients aren't going to survive, no matter what.

But if patients can get through this metabolic protocol, the median survival can increase 400 percent and their quality of life can be drastically improved.

A friend's health philosophy and diet

. . . in his own script, as of 2007.  He does not use computers and probably never will.  Overall, I think his diet and health philosophy has much to recommend it.  In my long life I've met no one who takes diet and exercise more seriously than he does.

More information:

Smart Crow

Here's a crow not hampered by the dumbing down of public education.

Sheer entertainment: 'Nique - Jordan

Dominique Wilkins was nicknamed the Human Highlight Film for good reason.  Michael Jordan needs no introduction.  Both were fierce competitors, especially when they played against each other.

Dominique Wilkins VS Michael Jordan | 'Nique 57 Points, MJ 41 | 12.10.86

Being Creative with Craigslist Ads

Callers have gotten into the spirit of the ad.  The first lady who called said she had a "galactic" interest in the items. 

My PhD son-in-law devised the ad after the two of us hauled it from upstairs down to our garage.  My original intention was to put it in the basement then call 1-800-GOTJUNK later when we had other stuff to get rid of.  He suggested Craigslist.  Giving it away would guarantee it would get a new home fast, and he had fun composing the ad.

The ad went up around 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday.  By 1:30 the desk was loaded into an F150 and on its way to its new home 20 miles away.

Climate Change Sanity

Some sober thoughts on this political thing called climate change:

Random Thoughts on Climate Change by Steve Saville 

A pat on his orange head by Eric Peters  

Pigs at the Trough by Bionic Mosquito

Even if humans are bringing about their own demise with uncontrolled pollution, getting governments involved will make it worse.  

The answer is the restoration and enforcement of property rights. 

Final Four? No, Final Two

My grandson and his new dog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZB1EN2BTwk&feature=youtu.be