Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines

I just got off the phone with our retirement health care insurance provider.  I asked if HPV vaccines are covered under our policy.  I had been informed at the drugstore that they were not covered and I wanted a reality check.

The CDC currently recommends that all 11 and 12 year old children receive these vaccines.  Further, they recommend "catch-up" vaccinations for boys under 21 and women under 26 years of age.  This virus has been linked to increased risk for cancers of the cervix vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and certain head and neck cancers (specifically, the oropharynx, which includes the back of the throat, base of the tongue and tonsils).  If I read this recent article correctly, HPV can be spread by kissing.  Kissing which is a pleasant way to pass the time and usually not considered a hazardous activity when done out-of-sight of overly protective dads.  So HPV is not just a "sinner's disease" that smites only those who engage in Biblically prohibited activities.

So I was surprised to learn that they do not cover the cost of vaccines or most other "preventative" measures like birth control.  That was a big surprise to me.  The vaccine is a bit pricy, about $500 for the series of three shots.  It looks like we will have to find $1000 over the next six months to cover Belladonna and Kubota.

I asked the service representative about compliance to the Affordable Care Act and he informed me that ACA only applies to insurance provided to active employees.

If true, that gives lie to the claim that "the ship left the dock and cannot be recalled" when discussing the Affordable Care Act.  There continues to be an  enormous, parallel, non-Obamacare compliant component to the health system, one that most people will "graduate" to after they retire.

What is a "perfect body" for a woman?

The MailOnline (UK) ran an article about some women pushing back against a Victoria's Secret ad that glorifies anorexic looking girls

This is what "real" people look like.

The Madison Avenue, junk culture idea of female perfection.

Anthropologists tell us that two factors combine to form each culture's image of the "ideal woman".  Those factors include optimum fertility and wealth markers.

Some markers of fertility transcend cultures.  There is a sweet-spot for the ratios of various hormones.  That "presents" as ratio of hip-to-waist and the presence of bosoms.  Goddesses never look like prepubescent boys.

Some some markers vary by environment.  There are places in the world that are subject to famines, or where intestinal parasites are ubiquitous or where people are commonly exposed to the stresses of cold and or wetness.  The "ideal woman" in those cultures carry additional body fat.  Those rail-skinny girls in the Victoria's Secret ad would become skeletons during the next dry spell, or they have worms or will die of exposure, thereby making them unfit to be a stewards of your genetic legacy.

Markers of wealth can include no suntan (does not have to work in the field), or very short feet, or the facial features and hair of the dominant (wealthiest) segment of the culture.  Historically, wealth was static.  Farm fields stayed within the family.  Tribes defended every oasis.  Only family was trusted to guard the flocks or herds as animals are vulnerable to both theft and predation.

Marrying into a family with resources ensured that your children had a better chance of surviving into adulthood and would be able to take care of you in your old age.

Things are more chaotic today.

A person with exceptionally low levels of body fat might be an athlete, or that might be their genetic fate....or they might be extremely neurotic. 

Most guys want a healthy partner.  That includes both mentally and physically healthy.  A healthy partner is more likely to conceive babies, if that is on the agenda (and often, it is not).  A healthy person can give back to the relationship.  A healthy partner and can carry more than their fair share during those inevitable times when stuff-happens.

Yeah, most young guys are competitive and their girl friend is more about impressing their buddies than about the human being on the other side of the pretty face.  Most of us grow out of that phase.  We want a balanced woman, not a coat hanger.

One final observation:  

Most people add weight as they age.  Before the age of "Super-size me" low body fat was a reliable marker of a human who had finished growing their frame (bones) but had yet to finish growing their muscles and adipose tissues.

At one time it may have made biological sense to marry a fourteen year old girl.  Lives were short.  Infant and maternal mortality was brutal.  And as discussed earlier, "beauty" is what makes biological sense given the culture and the environment. 

So the standard of women with hip bones so sharp that they will cut you may have morphed from the archaic, vestigial  standard of the ideal, fourteen year old, virgin bride.  In other words, a form of pedophilia fantasy

Gratuitous picture of a healthy woman

Water color by artist Steven Hanks

Powderpuff Football

Belladonna is pretty stoked about playing Powderpuff football. This is her senior year and her last chance to play.  The Freshman women play the Sophmores tonight.  To be followed by the Juniors playing the Seniors.

I had agreed to let her play boy's varsity football as long as she was a kicker.  She did not accept that offer.  She wanted to hit people.

Powderpuff football is "flag" football.  That means that the ball carrier is not tackled but is stopped when her flag is pulled.  The blocking, however, is real.  Bella subscribes to Vince Lombardi's observation that football is not a contact sport, it is a collision sport.

Much to my surprise I have Belladonna's permission to share her weight(s).  That is 225 bench, 420 deadlift and 3something squat.  I can also share that she weighs about 14....but I am not allowed to tell you the units.

It should be an enjoyable game to watch. 

Vaya con Dios, Woodpile Report

In those days, pigs believed the sooner they grew big and fat, the sooner they would be taken to pig paradise, a place that was so wonderful...

That no pig had ever come back.

So when when the day came for parents go to that other world of endless pleasure, it was not a time for young pigs to be sad.  It was just another step toward the day when they, too, would make the journey.  -The intro to the movie Babe

Remus had a heck of a run.  He subscribed to the belief that many seemingly random events are not random.  In fact, they become highly ordered when viewed from an informed platform of cynicism, irony, tribalism and cui bono.

In fact, there is a real human being behind the character of "Remus" and he wants to get on with his life.  It takes time and psychic energy to maintain a separate persona. He has earned a break.  Perhaps the human behind the persona will pop up in other venues.  We can hope.

To echo Remus's classic advice "Stay away from crowds."  I add, "Be skeptical of free tickets to pig paradise." 

Baa-ram-ewe! Baa-ram-ewe! 
To your breed, your fleece, your clan be true! 
Sheep be true! Baa-ram-ewe!

Windbreak, continued

I planted three more trees in the windbreak.  There are Black Walnut trees in this part of the yard so I switched to native species as they are likely to have more resistance to the juglone secreted by the walnut's roots.

I planted Nuttall Oak (Quercus nuttallii/texana).  This species is currently something of a darling among the landscaping and Quality Deer Management folks.

Fall color.  Photo taken November 9, 2014.

The plant is beautiful, fast growing, cheerfully withstands being submerged in water from December-through-March and produces loads of acorns that drop during the starvation months of the year.  It is also (supposedly) cold hardy as far north as Madison, Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of Lucky Pittman.  This Q. nuttallii from Macon, Mississippi is still dropping acorns on March 14.

Like most fast growing trees, it tends to have widely spaced limbs which are not optimal for breaking the wind.  That shortcoming is ameliorated by the tendency of oak trees, especially in their youth, to hold onto their leaves through the winter.

This species is not native to Michigan.  Biologists contend that Mexico is the epicenter of Quercus diversity.  The further one gets from Mexico the fewer species one encounters and the more uniform each species becomes.  According to this site, Texas has 35 species of oak compared to Michigan's 9 species.  I suspect that this species would already be in Michigan if the Mississippi river flowed south-to-north.  Since it does not, I am helping God out by using the services of the UPS.

Tannerite

Yesterday was a rainy day.  I did nothing outside.  Rather, I dinked around on the internet.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching video.  I was baffled by the change in the color of the ground that occurred in the slow motion replays.  A good example can be seen at 1:15 (and 1:42 and 1:51) of the video posted above.

I finally deduced that it must be the seismic wave propagating radially from the blast since it seems to outrun the blast wave (Old NFO, correct me if I have this wrong).  I wonder if they are transverse or longitudinal. 

This is of local interest because we have an oil/geology exploration company in the neighborhood placing sensors and "caps" on a fifty meter grid as far as the eye can see.  They did this about fifteen years ago.  There have been huge advances in the technology.  Fifteen years ago everything was connected with cables.  This time it is all wireless.

I suspect there have also been advances on the software side.  I once witnessed an ultrasound technician check out a person's heart for hypertrophy.  Incredible processing and imaging capability was at his finger tips.  I would be surprised if some of that capability had not leaked into oil/geological exploration.

Bad Weather

Many people believe that the decision to not indite Officer Darren Wilson has already been made and that the decision will not be released to the public until it is clear that civil order can be maintained.

One of the factors that has been mentioned is the weather.  Cold weather is not conducive to silk-screened tee shirts and standing around looking victimized.  It also makes riot measures like water cannons doubly effective.

Accuweather prediction for weather in St Louis, Mo.

The Polar Vortex is expected to show up in eastern Missouri on Wednesday.  If my good friend Nik reads this post, I want to put five dollars on Wednesday, November 12 at 4:30 PM Central time and another five dollars on Friday, November 14 at 4:30 PM.