LegendaryLife.com Blog

One day, predictably, we will all become elderly if something else doesn’t extinguish are internal flame of life earlier. Most people simply don’t realize how much of an impact this will have not only on their lives but of those around them.

Background

With incredible advances in medicine, treatment and technology in general, it’s now possible to live well beyond our natural life with proper intervention. This causes a conflict as we age, at what point do we allow nature to simply take its course as the medical conditions start to pile on. Do we want a quick death or one that drags on for decades? Do we want to allow our children the power to pull the plug should we no longer be in a condition to make the decision for ourselves? Do we want to burden our family and society with the costs of keeping us alive when there is no hope of reversing the constant onslaught of aging?

Summary

I encourage you to view this video but here is a summary in the meantime:

• Americans who are at least 85 are the fastest growing segment within the population
• medical advances allow longer lifespan but not necessarily better quality as we age
• America becoming a mass geriatric society for the first time in history
• not everybody gets a major disease such as Cancer or Stokes, but all do get a decrease in bodily function with age
• people are dying of chronic diseases and less of infectious diseases which is a reversal
• medical system not set-up to deal with diseases that take time to discover such as acute disease over time
• specialized training in geriatrics is not keeping up with upcoming demand of up to 20% of the population
• many doctors doing house calls to the most fragile who cannot make it to an office, house calls are growing
• expectations from elderly parents are rarely discussed with their children as they age
• most people dream of a quick and simple death but long, painful conditions are rarely taken into account for elderly care
• we all become old but rarely do we consider the ramifications this will have to those around us such as family and friends
• family care giving was once over a few months before death but now, due to advances in medical care, this may last up to several decades
• aged care housing or nursing homes are understaffed and underfunded
• 60% of elderly over 85 now live in nursing homes till their life ends and if they stay over 6 months, they will never leave
• nursing homes are places where some enjoy the social life or wait to die, it depends on perception
• loss of family, friends and independence takes its toll on the aged
• at the end of life, while waiting to die, friends and family become the most important to the elderly
• after 68 years of marriage, Parkinson’s’ and Alzheimer have taken its toll on a relationship, they notice their spouse has changed but not themselves
• in youth, people want to live forever but when they get old, this becomes their greatest fear
• due to large medical advances in geriatrics and their conditions, decisions as to when to stop treatment and allow nature to takes its course are all the more difficult
• most people wish to die at home but end up dying in a hospital
• dementia is a serious condition that occurs with aging that makes medical consent and treatment challenging
• diagnosing conditions in old age with tests often leads to a Pandoras box of other ailments
• death of a parent is a difficult situation for children to take, often leading to prolonged suffering for both involved
• depression and lack of purpose are rampant in the elderly population
• death is still a social taboo rarely discussed until the time comes
• within 25 years, there will be 70 million elderly in the United States

The Bottom Line

Simply wanting to live a long life isn’t good enough, if there is no quality or meaning then it quickly becomes a burden to yourself and those who care most about you.

Reference
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/livingold/view/

Frustration of a government bureaucrat with the lack of efficient medical services to the poorest in his country of Ecuador, Dr. Rodas starts up the Cinterandes Foundation in 1995 with a group of like minded medical professionals.

Background

Medical care is quite easily accessible if you live in a modern city, such as New York or Chicago but what do people who live at the top of mountains, hundreds of miles from nowhere in deep jungles or in isolated fishing villages do if they have a problem? More often then not, if they don’t have money, nothing. This is the sad reality that most of the world lives in, from Africa to China, South America to even North America. The solutions aren’t difficult to come by, but finding medically trained professionals with the will and passion for the ultimate in medical adventures is.

Summary

I encourage you to view this video but here is a summary in the meantime:

• some patients wait YEARS to seek treatment because of cost
• operations take place on mobile platforms (trucks and boats) for more efficient delivery of services
• relies on private donations and money originating in Europe and the United States to keep things going
• have performed over 5 200 surgeries so far
• each doctor is assigned a geographical area to provide basic health care to the local population
• improvisation is the key when you don’t have access to all the supplies you require
• diabetes, heart disease and tuberculosis are common diagnosis in even the most rural of places
• doctors are always looking for the forgotten, poor and most needy to provide their much needed services for
• 13 million people live in Ecuador, of which 25% are indigenous living in poverty
• doctors work in conjunction with local healers to treat the whole patient, services aren’t simply isolated to the patients medical needs
• apparently guinea pigs are great at diagnosing injuries after passing them over a patient
• Dr. Rodas son plans on taking over the Cinterandes Foundation in a few years
• patient quote “everything is worse when you are not healthy”… I couldn’t agree more!
• the Cinterandes Foundation provides medical care for over 50 thousand people

The Bottom Line

You are never too small, too insignificant, to create lasting change in this world for the better.

Reference
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/06/ecuador_health.html

I was working on myfoodcount.com when I “accidentally” found a reference to animutation, my curiosity was peaked and this is some weird stuff!

WARNING: IF YOU EPILEPTIC, DO NOT VIEW ANIMUTATIONS

Mixture of Media

Weird doesn’t mean awful, let me clarify that. I have seen many different animation styles in the past, from minimalistic to surreal and everything in between but this one is just plain interesting although the novelty does wear off rather quickly. Animutation is the logical result of what happens when you mix American 80s pop-culture with mostly J-Pop (Japanese Pop) music using the power of flash. You got clip-art, video, edited imagery and borderline seizure inducing color changes all thrown into what seem to be infinite layers to produce rather eye heavy media.

Inside Jokes

There seems to be many “inside jokes” within the media, more then you typically see in other animation styles although these are far more blatant. These include a must-have appearance by Colin Mochrie,Pee-Wee Herman, Carrot Top, boogie-eyes and of course, many appearances by Mario the Nintendo mascot. The creators also seem to rather enjoy lengthy credits. Many clips are pretty funny though if you can bear the eye strain of watching a few episodes in one shot.

Why is this on myfoodcount.com?

I believe in using multiple media to help show and spread non-biased health information is important. Although I don’t see Animutation being used on this site anytime soon, I wouldn’t rule it out (minus the seizure inducing effects). The way I see it, the internet is but one medium to spread health knowledge - in the past, people used bundles of paper often referred to as books - in the future, who knows. Besides, I have my own comic and have been in the production/3D industry for about half of my life I am not a one dimensional person anymore then you are (I hope).

The Bottom Line

Having fun with media and culture is part of the natural learning process.

No matter you walk in life, I think everybody will love this movie - to sum it up, Queen Latifah begins the movie living the same mundane life the majority of people around me live - wake up, go to work, go to sleep. She keeps a book of possibilities with her about the life she WANTS but never does anything to turn these into a reality for her. She loves cooking, is in love with L.L. Cool J. (who plays a salesman) and hates the “cubicle” that her boss keeps trying to keep her in. But she sticks her head down and keeps going day by day, week by week, month by month till the years come packing on. Then… a life altering even occurs - she has 3 weeks left to live!

The transformation

In the matter of a week, Queen Latifah goes from mundane towards living the life of her dreams, blows all her money and finally LIVES LIFE. At the end of the movie - predictably - she finds out her disease was mis-diagnosed and uses that as a stepping stone towards making the rest of her book of possibilities into one of realities.

Why I loved “Last Holiday”

I absolutely love these kinds of movies as they mirror how I live my life - I push until I am exhausted then push some more… I do daily actions to make the life I want a little closer towards reality - I jump in head first - usually into a brick wall but every once in a while - a breakthrough occurs. THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT!

Imagine… then turn it into reality!

Imagine you had 3 weeks left to live, what would you do? What would you say? How different would your life be? Well… why wait? Everyday that you are alive is one less day you will have to live - think of your life as a highway, you are born and from that moment on, you are driving 200mph straight into a brick wall, the only problem is your headlights aren’t on so you can’t see it coming. Nobody knows how long they really have to live… so why wait till its too late to make lasting and positive changes in your life?

The Bottom Line

It’s up to you if you decide to watch this movie or not - but what I do want you to think about today and every single day forth - is - what can I do today to make my dreams a reality before I hit my brick wall?

Coppell from 25 000 ft up!

For the past few months, I have been hearing lots of static regarding Google Earth, from meteorologists using it to highlight geographical features to ABC News using it to show how the war in Iraq is going. I never though much of it until I gave it a whirl yesterday. AMAZING!

What is it?

Google Earth is a software you can download that essentially allows you to zoom in on any area of the globe, it has the same power my 3D Studio Max has when I work on 3D animation but with a more intuitive interface for the lay person. Trying to find directions to a local sporting even? Stick it into Google Earth and you can zoom from outer space down to a street corner in only a few seconds. It is a really cool effect. You can also change perspectives, view additional information such as restaurants, streets, landmarks and much more.

What are the implications?

Google Earth is an amazing tool simply for its eye candy but even more so for what it offers above and beyond any other search engine. Want to find a local Flower Shop? Easy, I am sure they are working on an interface where you simply put in “flower shop� and based on your IP address, you will be able to zoom and physically see using satellite imagery the closest flower shop. But it gets even more powerful when you realize that once you have enough people using the system, that keyword now has intrinsic value. If you “pay� Google extra money in the future, maybe your location appears with additional options on the map, like an in store visit with a layout you can “walk through� for your online purchase, link to their website etc. It is like the yellow pages on steroids.

It goes beyond business applications…

One feature I love about Google Earth is the satellite imagery, it will only get better with time… maybe one day I will be able to wave out my front yard and on the Internet, see myself. Going for a camping trip or a vacation, overlaying weather on these maps can help improve your safety and sense of direction if you get lost. If they had realtime satellite imagery, Google Earth could be used for search and rescue operations, even help fighting a war (like the Pentagon is already doing). The applications are endless but notice how they all point back to Google… very smart business idea.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is power, and Google Earth is by far the best application of its kind short of using DoD technology.

I just finished watching the amazing documentary “TransGeneration” produced by Sundance Channel in association with Logo. I am a perfectly straight male who is very comfortable with his sexuality. I believe everybody should have the right to live their life the way THEY want.

Being secure about yourself and your beliefs is all that should matter as you live out your life, no matter the lifestyle you choose but you have to admit, most of us have life pretty easy in comparison.