Contrasting Physiques

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Had a sort of interesting time last evening. I went to 'Chun Yi -

The Legend of Kungfu'. It was a quite interesting, very lively and

highly colorful two hour theatrical performance, with a story line,

from mainland China. Afterwards I took the subway part of the way

home, to the car park.

The physiques were interesting. The performers, who ranged in age

from about six to 35, had obviously been perfecting their art eight

hours a day for ten to fifteen or more years. They were all highly

athletic, naturally, and uniformly lean down to the ribs and spinal

vertebrae being clearly visible in almost all cases (BMI = 18?).

Their movements were incredibly fast (the kinetic energy released on

impact is mv^2 - 'mass times velocity squared' - hence the critical

importance of speed). But they were not muscle-bound.

Then in the subway car on the way home two unconnected people were

sitting about ten feet apart, each taking up two seats, and each of

whom I am guessing must have weighed about 500 pounds .........

waist diameters of about 36 inches. They were both sitting with

their knees two feet apart because they couldn't get them any closer,

there was too much fat in the way.

This is something I just do not understand ............. any more

than I can understand the recent case of a patient lodging a

complaint with the local medical association because her doctor

pointed out to her that she is obese and needed to do something about

it. That they would even investigate such a ridiculous complaint

tells us how far down the road to total ridicularity we have now

regressed. Some people now apparently believe it is offensive for a

family doctor to suggest a patient can improve their health by losing

weight. The next step down this slippery slope might logically be

expected to be to require anyone who is not obese to become obese

promptly, so that obese people will not be embarrassed/offended by

the presence of people of appropriate weight.

Anyway, as we left the theatre after the performance the performers

were gathered in the foyer. Also they had on display the poles and

metal bars that the performers had, to the accompaniment of dramatic

music, broken on their heads. They also did cycles of back

somersaults from one side of the stage to the other, alternately

landing on their feet and heads ........... feet, head, feet,

head, feet, head! I wonder what the prevalence of dementia is in

these people! In any event, it was worth seeing, imo.

[Yes, not all on topic, I know. Sorry.]

Rodney.