ibshambat@gmail.com wrote:

In general, agreed. As to why, for a few generations now, American kids
have been raised on sugar cereals, junkfood, and soda. Lots didnt do so
well on it; dietary deficit and contamination precluded maximal mental
development.

The Boomers were the last generation raised on food grown on family
farms rather than agribusiness and petrochemicals. That has a lot to do
with why their music and films are still so popular.

Gibbon noted that all the emperors who grew up in Rome were disasters-
Nero, Caligula, and Commodus come to mind- while all the remarkably
successful leaders, Trajan, Hadrian, Diocletian, Justinian, all grew up
on farms out in the boonies.

But now, we have the forensic data on Aristocratic skeletons showing
high lead levels. Which turns out came mostly from "garum", which was on
every upscale table like catsup. But the high acid fish sauce was kept
in a *lead* bottle. It was also upscale to throw out pottery, and cook
with lead pots.

Archeology found over 100 wild plants and animals in the stomachs of bog
bodies and the bone middens of farms & villages. And now we see that
these provided essential trace minerals- Zinc, Iron, Copper, Manganese,
etc and micronutrients plants absorb from the biota in natural,
"organic" soils- that are needed by some of the 150 or so
neurotransmitters when laying down new neural pathways in the brain...
to maximize mental development.

You might grow up to be rational and smart anyway, but lots have ADD,
ADHD, Autism, or become neurotic wrecks. Hence all the ad hominum in the
postings. The TV says the national autism rate is 1:155. In my neck of
Ozark woods, which still has mostly family farms, its more like 1:4000,
and the posted rate for the Amish is 1:15,000.

Robt, Kaplan, "Imperial Grunts" reports that half the Green Berets grew
up on family farms. This is but 1%% of the population providing 50%% of
the nation's most competent soldiers. That has a lot to do with why the
Arkansas hill town schools still work, and why increasing numbers of
parents are moving here to raise their kids.

Transnationals have figured it out also, have been investing in towns
that ring these hills so much that manufacturing jobs are INCREASING. In
NW AR, there is now a net immigration from Silicon valley and other high
tech regions by engineers and professionals.

The Eu has never been into junkfood as much as the US. They have tried
to retain their traditional diets. In like manner most of the hill towns
here dont have any fast food outlets, but they do have fruit & veggie
stands for homegrown local produce. Leslie AR, a town near me, has had
an organic sourdough bakery for over 20 years. Pop 627.

These are spoze to be stupid hillbillies. But when my son graduated from
Leslie high in 1996, 20%% of his class scored over the 95th percentile.
Smart parents are picking up on this, and its having a hothouse effect.
They are more emotionally stable, so job turn over is lower, and this is
causing more employers to invest here.

There never was polluting industry, and the land is too steep for
agribusiness, so the environment is pristine. Which is one reason why
the rivers here draw upscale fly rod trout fishermen, and why the Army
corps of engineers is vigorous in protecting the watersheds. So- not
only can you swim in these rivers and creeks, you can drink it. That's
where my tap water comes from. parents who care about a healthy diet for
their kids also want the clean environment, and of course, they are the
smarter parents to start with. Which relates to Kaplan's book.