This was yesterday's Daily Om:

Finding Unqualified Happiness
If Only

Since most of our experiences are rooted in cause and effect, we naturally want to justify our contentment. We envision grand circumstances, stating that if only we could achieve this goal or obtain that possession, we would finally be in a position to attain happiness. As a result, satisfaction is always just out of reach and the very notion of grabbing hold of it seems like nothing more than a pipe dream. But the truth is that sincere contentment and fulfillment are never wholly the result of external events or situations. Though life's joyful moments can ignite the spark of contentment within us, that spark is fueled by serenity long established in our souls. When we forget this, it is easy to become stuck in "if only" patterns of thought. If we concentrate on the natural serenity that exists within us, however, we can move forward unimpeded by disappointment.

The circumstances you live through each day have the potential to bring both joy and despair into your life. Relying on the reactions they awaken within you to create an emotional foundation means living on a roller coaster of feeling whose course is determined by chance. Though you may yearn for the object of your desire-be it a new job, financial health, a spouse, or some other symbol of success-you have within you the power to be happy without it. Letting go of your "if only" thinking patterns can be as easy as recognizing that inward emptiness cannot be dispelled with outer world solutions. Try creating a list of your "if only"s. Then literally and figuratively let go of the items on the list by tearing it up or burning it. This simple action can help set in motion the intention to set you free, enabling you to make a fresh and balanced start in the present, unencumbered by regrets and unfulfilled desires.

There will likely be periods in your life in which you find yourself tempted to seek a magic formula for fulfillment that is centered upon a single goal or achievement. But the ingredients that come together to form the seeds of happiness that can sustain your spirit throughout the triumphs and trials of existence come from within rather than from without. When your search for satisfaction is focused on your soul, you will never fail to find the joy you seek.

I used to engage in a lot of if-only thinking. If only I had more money. If only I had a different job. If only I had a different partner. If only I had a different car. If only Bush would resign. If only . . . If only . . . If only . . . . I was trying to fill an unconscious need for inner peace by seeking outer things.

All of those things are worth striving for, but they are not worth putting my current life on hold to attain. When I decided to live in the present and do those things that make me a happier and better person (inner work, meditation, and so on), and let the future take care of itself, things started to fall into place.

For the first time in my life, I have the jobs I have always wanted (writer, trainer), I have a new partner I love and who loves me, and I just bought a better car than any I have owned before.

But I never spent a lot of time waiting for those things (well, OK, I struggled with the job thing for a couple of years before the pieces fell into place), or longing for those things. When I stopped grasping for what I didn't have, I created the space to do what was necessary to achieve those things.

It's one thing to create intention and then do what is needed, all from a place of feeling whole in who I am in the moment; but it's another thing to live with the "If only" mentality. And just to be clear, I don't see any of this as "the power of attraction" or whatever that "The Secret" nonsense claims.

I'm not saying I have all of this down and that I never grasp at a better future. But I am learning more and more each day to be present to who I am now and what I am about -- the more I do that, the easier it is to turn intention into reality.

Unconventional Love Sonnet #7

The desert speaks in riddles. Muted grays
and greens hide some secret further obscured
by searing sun. Any syntax of meaning crumbles
until all that remains is the naked moment,

unabashed in its revelation of nothing and
everything. The mind groans under the ambiguity
of now, demanding context more concrete
than the coyote's howl, the willowy breeze, or

the hummingbird's erratic flight. This landscape,
this impenetrable mystery, is not our home.
We are trespassers amid red rock, strangers

who have solved a single variable. In the quiet
solace of touch, the riddles become a prophecy
transforming confusion into a fertile presence.
.
.

Newsweek is taking advantage of Passover and Holy Week to feature three stories on religion in America.

The first article is called Is God Real?

To believe in any form of God requires, it is true, what Henry James called a "willing suspension of disbelief"; it is not especially rational to think, as so many Christians do, that a crucified Nazarene did what no other man had done before or since: rise from the dead and say that believing he had done so would wash you in the atoning blood of the lamb. As Harris likes to point out, people who demand evidence for everything else in their lives are somehow all too happy to accept the word of long-dead Biblical authors in a corner of a long-dead empire.

Yet it is not only Christians who know they are engaging in a leap from fact to faith. God, the great Rabbi Abraham Jacob Heschel said in 1967, "did not make it easy for us to have faith in him, to remain faithful to him. This is our tragedy: the insecurity of faith, the unbearable burden of our commitment. The facts that deny the divine are mighty, indeed; the arguments of agnosticism are eloquent, the events that defy him are spectacular ... Our faith is fragile, never immune to error, distortion or deception. There are no final proofs for the existence of God, Father and Creator of all. There are only witnesses. Supreme among them are the prophets of Israel." No final proofs—there it is, the ultimate caveat. Doubt and faith are not at war; they are parts of the same whole.

This is the substance of the article. It is decidedly anti-religion in some ways, or at least agnostic and skeptical. But it does seek a middle ground, a way through the thicket of faith versus reason. Here are the final paragraphs, which lead into the next article:

Liberty and republican values are the guardrails against extremism, either religious or secular. Religion should not dictate education or science policy, for example, but there is nothing wrong—and there is much right—with its being one voice among many in the shaping of our public lives. One cannot be for one group's right to speak out and exert influence and be against another group's right to do so. The battles must be fought on the merits, and religion should be one force on the field, not the only one.

This moderate solution pleases neither the atheists nor the fervent believers, which may recommend it even more. The more conservative faithful think centrists are squishy, and some atheists argue, as Harris puts it, that "religious moderates are themselves the bearers of a terrible dogma: they imagine that the path to peace will be paved once each of us has learned to respect the unjustified beliefs of others ... all we can say, as religious moderates, is that we don't like the personal and social costs that a full embrace of Scripture imposes on us."

Experience suggests, however, that the centrist approach tends to be the most pragmatic and is, to paraphrase Churchill on democracy, the worst possible answer, except for all the others. Atheists would expel God from the debate, but what of the rights of the religious to execute the duties of citizenship? And the most fervid believers would drive atheists from the arena in a fit of fear masquerading as scorn, but what of the rights of the atheists to play a full and unimpeded part in the story of the nation? Neither side should be frightened of debate; both have every reason, if they are as confident as they say they are, to be intellectually open to the other.

Which brings us to the exchange in the following pages. To say the least, Rick Warren did not lose his faith in the middle of the debate; nor did Sam Harris fall to his knees in a moment of sudden conversion. But they talked—civilly, coolly, even with a laugh here and there. The fact that such a conversation can take place between two men who would—and probably will—spend a lifetime opposing what the other stands for is a small ray of light in the gloom of the culture wars. In the end, Warren says that he has "thrown the dice," gambling that Jesus was not a liar, that he was what he said he was in the Gospel accounts. Harris is betting otherwise: "In the fullness of time, one side is really going to win this argument, and the other side is really going to lose." And so four centuries on, a world away from Pascal's France, two men are undertaking his old wager. Who will win? No one can say. At least not yet.

 

The next article, The God Debate, features Sam Harris and Rick Warren engaging in the same form of dialogue that Harris has had going on with Andrew Sullivan. It seems Harris will take on all comers, which keeps his name in the press and sells his books, and gives the religious leaders a more public forum to convey their views.

The reality is that faith, as the above article pointed out, stands against reason -- in opposition to reason, by necessity, or even by definition. Harris can debate every religious leader on the planet, and win the argument from a rational point of view, but few of the faithful will be converted to his position. Still, I admire his willingness to bang his head against the wall ad infinitum without flinching.

Here is a taste of their discussion:

JON MEACHAM: Rick, since you're the home team, we'll start with Sam. Sam, is there a God in the sense that most Americans think of him?
SAM HARRIS: There's no evidence for such a God, and it's instructive to notice that we're all atheists with respect to Zeus and the thousands of other dead gods whom now nobody worships.

Rick, what is the evidence of the existence of the God of Abraham?
RICK WARREN: I see the fingerprints of God everywhere. I see them in culture. I see them in law. I see them in literature. I see them in nature. I see them in my own life. Trying to understand where God came from is like an ant trying to understand the Internet. Even the most brilliant scientist would agree that we only know a fraction of a percent of the knowledge of the universe. HARRIS: Any scientist must concede that we don't fully understand the universe. But neither the Bible nor the Qur'an represents our best understanding of the universe. That is exquisitely clear.

WARREN: To you.

HARRIS: There is so much about us that is not in the Bible. Every specific science from cosmology to psychology to economics has surpassed and superseded what the Bible tells us is true about our world.

Christopher Churchill for Newsweek Sam Harris, author

Sam, does the Christian you address in your books have to believe that God wrote the Bible and that it is literally true?
HARRIS: Well, there's clearly a spectrum of confidence in the text. I mean, there's the "This is literally true, nothing even gets figuratively interpreted," and then there's the "This is just the best book we have, written by the smartest people who have ever lived, and it's still legitimate to organize our lives around it to the exclusion of other books." Anywhere on that spectrum I have a problem, because in my mind the Bible and the Qur'an are just books, written by human beings. There are sections of the Bible that I think are absolutely brilliant and poetically unrivaled, and there are sections of the Bible which are the sheerest barbarism, yet profess to prescribe a divinely mandated morality—where do I start? Books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Exodus and First and Second Kings and Second Samuel—half of the kings and prophets of Israel would be taken to The Hague and prosecuted for crimes against humanity if these events took place in our own time.

[To Warren] Is the Bible inerrant?
WARREN: I believe it's inerrant in what it claims to be. The Bible does not claim to be a scientific book in many areas.

Do you believe Creation happened in the way Genesis describes it?
WARREN: If you're asking me do I believe in evolution, the answer is no, I don't. I believe that God, at a moment, created man. I do believe Genesis is literal, but I do also know metaphorical terms are used. Did God come down and blow in man's nose? If you believe in God, you don't have a problem accepting miracles. So if God wants to do it that way, it's fine with me.

HARRIS: I'm doing my Ph.D. in neuroscience; I'm very close to the literature on evolutionary biology. And the basic point is that evolution by natural selection is random genetic mutation over millions of years in the context of environmental pressure that selects for fitness.

WARREN: Who's doing the selecting?

HARRIS: The environment. You don't have to invoke an intelligent designer to explain the complexity we see.

WARREN: Sam makes all kinds of assertions based on his presuppositions. I'm willing to admit my presuppositions: there are clues to God. I talk to God every day. He talks to me.

HARRIS: What does that actually mean?

WARREN: One of the great evidences of God is answered prayer. I have a friend, a Canadian friend, who has an immigration issue. He's an intern at this church, and so I said, "God, I need you to help me with this," as I went out for my evening walk. As I was walking I met a woman. She said, "I'm an immigration attorney; I'd be happy to take this case." Now, if that happened once in my life I'd say, "That is a coincidence." If it happened tens of thousands of times, that is not a coincidence.

 

Christopher Churchill for Newsweek Rick Warren, pastor

There must have been times in your ministry when you've prayed for someone to be delivered from disease who is not—say, a little girl with cancer.
WARREN: Oh, absolutely.

So, parse that. God gave you an immigration attorney, but God killed a little girl.
WARREN: Well, I do believe in the goodness of God, and I do believe that he knows better than I do. God sometimes says yes, God sometimes says no and God sometimes says wait. I've had to learn the difference between no and not yet. The issue here really does come down to surrender. A lot of atheists hide behind rationalism; when you start probing, you find their reactions are quite emotional. In fact, I've never met an atheist who wasn't angry.

HARRIS: Let me be the first.

WARREN: I think your books are quite angry.

 

 

The debate contains Harris' usual arguments, so there is nothing new there. But I think it's instructive to read Warren's responses. Through his views, we can get an insight into the role of faith in the human psyche. As much as I side with Harris' arguments (in part, but certainly not in whole, as most readers of this blog know), I do agree with Warren that Harris sometimes comes across as an angry man -- especially in his books.

In case you think that the atheists might possibly be swaying the public discourse in their favor, the final article, God’s Numbers, looks at recent Newsweek poll results that confirm little has changed in the realm of belief in this country.

Here is the breakdown:

A belief in God and an identification with an organized religion are widespread throughout the country, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Nine in 10 (91 percent) of American adults say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the country, with 82 percent of the poll’s respondents identifying themselves as such. Another 5 percent say they follow a non-Christian faith, such as Judaism or Islam. Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34 percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. Seventy-three percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agree with that view.

Although one in ten (10 percent) of Americans identify themselves as having "no religion," only six percent said they don’t believe in a God at all. Just 3 percent of the public self-identifies as atheist, suggesting that the term may carry some stigma. Still, the poll suggests that the public’s tolerance of this small minority has increased in recent years. Nearly half (47 percent) of the respondents felt the country is more accepting of atheists today that it used to be and slightly more (49 percent) reported personally knowing an atheist. Those numbers are higher among respondents under 30 years old, 62 percent of whom report knowing an atheist (compared to just 43 percent of those 50 and older). Sixty-one percent of the under-30 cohort view society as more accepting of atheists (compared to 40 percent of the Americans 50 and older).

[Emphasis added -- 34% of college grads believe in creationism?!?]

With 8 in 10 of Americans identifying as Christian, Harris and the other prominent atheists have their work cut out for them.

Harris thinks that, eventually, one side or the other is going to win the argument of reason or faith. He's betting on reason. I'm skeptical. Faith of the kind Harris opposes is part of the evolutionary matrix, something a student neurobiology should be able to grasp. No matter how far we evolve along the spiral of development, there will always be a series of troubling stages people must pass through -- the tribal, the egoic, and the mythic.

We cannot skip developmental stages. As long as there are people, there will be people who arrest at these stages and never grow beyond them. Unless Harris is willing to euthanize those people who never embrace a rational understanding of the world, at least on the spiritual developmental line, he (or his philosophical offspring) will lose the wager.

Quote of the day:

"Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody as equally corrupt, except themselves."
~ Robert Anton Wilson

Image of the day:


BODY
~ FIGURE COMPETITOR: The Soy Conspiracy -- "If you listen to the popular press and most "health food" makers, then you probably think that soy is a revolutionary food that every woman should be consuming. But now the scientific community is starting to take a closer look at this so-called miracle food. What they're finding is very, very disturbing."
~ Higher Trans Fat Levels In Blood Associated With Elevated Risk Of Heart Disease -- "High consumption of trans fat, found mainly in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and widely used by the food industry, has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD)."
~ The keys to getting a big chest -- "For most people lifting weights and getting ready for summer there are a few big priorities. One of the things that most guys want is a big chest." Poorly written and nothing new, but useful advice for novices.
~ Muscles and protein -- "Chronic muscle fatigue in athletes is associated with low blood levels of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The sooner you eat protein after you finish your hard workout, the quicker you will recover. The benefits of eating protein soon after you lift weights does not apply just to elite athletes."
~ Fructose is Not Better than Other Sugars -- "Large amounts of fructose appear to cause insulin resistance, impair glucose tolerance, produce high levels of insulin, raise triglycerides, and cause high blood pressure in animals." And you thought fruit was good for you.
~ Women Who Exercise Into Their 70's Can Delay The Onset Of Arthritis Symptoms -- It's never too late to start.
~ Fish Oil Helps Statins Reduce Coronary Events In Japanese Patients -- "Epidemiological and clinical evidence suggests that the increased intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-found in fish and fish oil-protects against mortality from coronary artery disease."
~ Science of the female orgasm -- "ABC Radio's Health Report has just had a special on the female orgasm with neurophysiologist Prof Beverly Whipple."


PSYCHE
~ Healthy Habits Might Stave Off Depression -- "Maintaining healthy habits such as exercising regularly and avoiding too much alcohol not only help you look good, but such habits might also stave off depression."
~ People Take Notice When They Feel Worse Than They Thought They Would, But Not When They Feel Better Than Expected -- "Marketing is often filled with hype and superlatives-the greatest, the best and even "heavenly"-but a new University of Georgia study that uncovers a curious aspect of human psychology could change how companies pitch their products."
~ Emotions Play Major Role in Teen Condom Use (HealthDay) -- "Emotions play a large role in teen condom use, and helping teens manage their emotions may be as important as practical information in promoting safe sex, a U.S. study suggests."
~ New Insights Into How The Brain Processes Pain Location -- "Is that pain in your chest a heart attack or indigestion? New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals that more areas of the brain than previously thought are involved in determining the location of pain."
~ The Glass Brain -- "It is one of the great dreams of brain research to visualize at once all nerve cells and their connections of a complete brain in 3D. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich and the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) have now come a step closer to turning this dream into reality."
~ Confrontation of good versus evil: Re-examining the Stanford Prison Experiment [The World's Fair] -- "Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University and the guy who conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971, writes today [Friday] in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the lessons and conduct of that pyschological test."
~ Brain damage, evolution, and the future of morality -- More on the recent morality study from Slate.
~ Study: Some People Love to Provoke Anger -- "While most people are upset or concerned when someone gives them an angry look, there are others -- with high levels of testosterone -- who actually enjoy angry expressions and seek ways to provoke them, new research suggests."


CULTURE
~ HIV patient names to be tracked in all 50 states by year's end -- "The names of people infected with HIV will be tracked in all 50 states by the end of 2007, marking a victory for federal health officials and a quiet defeat for AIDS advocates who wanted to keep patients' names out of state databases."
~ Today's excessive religious hysteria [Pharyngula] -- "A gay rights group called Soulforce had a sit-in (it warms my heart to hear the traditions of the 1960s have not completely died) in the offices of Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and typical homophobe. One of our local bible scholars, Reuben David, an assistant professor of Communication Arts at North Central University, took it upon himself to criticize these militant gay rights activists...."
~ Republicans, the Party of Despotism -- "Glenn Greenwald reports on the expressly stated affinity of leading Republican presidential candidates for dictatorial powers. Two of the three leading Republican candidates for President either embrace or are open to embracing the idea that the President can imprison Americans without any review, based solely on the unchecked decree of the President."
~ Dobson Disputes U.S. News Story -- "James Dobson takes it back: Maybe Fred Thompson is a Christian after all."
~ What’s the One Thing Big Business and the Left Have in Common? -- "(Believe it or not, it could be a desire for universal health care.)"
~ Nepal's endangered peace process -- "Scarred by continuing violence, the peace process is in serious trouble,"
~ Top GOP operative goes from Bush defender to Bush critic -- "A political operative who served as one of the president's top campaign strategists says he's splitting with the administration, telling the New York Times that he's disappointed in the way Bush has handled everything from Abu Ghraib to Hurricane Katrina...."
~ Alcoholic Energy Drinks -- a Threat to Kids? -- "Spykes Raises Concerns Among Underage Drinking Experts; Company Denies Products Aimed at Teens."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ 51 Ways to Go Green -- "Can one person save the environment? Actually, yes. Here are 51 ways you can help build a greener planet."
~ Jellyfish Have Human-Like Eyes -- "Here's lookin' like you, babe. Jellyfish have many eyes that serve different purposes. One set works like ours."
~ Report Details Global Biological Change -- "From plankton in the oceans to polar bears in the far north and seals in the far south, global warming has begun changing life on Earth."
~ The power of verification in science -- "Science is a collective, multi-layered process consisting of three steps."
~ On the Superiority of String Theory [Uncertain Principles] -- "Physics is of greater worth than biology, theoretical physics is more worthy than experimental physics, and high-energy particle theory is the most fundamental and important field in the history of human thought. Rather than deriding string theory as an excessively mathematical dead end, as many anti-science America-hating Bush-bashing politically correct feminist shrub-hugging liberal communist dupes do, we should celebrate it as the greatest achievement in the history of human thought." Who you calling a shrub-hugger?
~ Mobile Entertainment Reigns Supreme at CTIA 2007 -- "If there was an overriding theme to the Spring edition of the 2007 CTIA trade show, it was entertainment. What buzz existed was all about phones that show movies, television shows, or play music in one or another format or means of delivery."
~ Possible Solution to Mystery of Great Pyramid's Contruction -- "A French architect claims Egypt's Great Pyramid of Khufu was built with use of a spiral ramp to hoist huge stone blocks into place."
~ Campaigns Save Energy With Hybrid Cars -- "This year's presidential candidates are trying to get good mileage out of getting good mileage. The candidates, who do a lot of talking about the need for greater energy efficiency, are not just asking who walks the walk but also, who drives the hybrid?"


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ Cheat Death And Grow Younger With These 44 Longevity Tips -- Not really integral related, but it covers all the quadrants. I'm a big fan of #11.
~ Kundalini description -- Mystery of Existence posts a piece by Kara-Leah Masina on Kundalini.
~ Sense and Soul: An Integral Spirituality at the Ken Wilber blog.
~ Appropriateness for a Third Time from Aaron at Anxious Living.
~ Demotivated, Steve P. -- Umguy deconstructs Steve Pavlina.
~ Sound of Silence at Hokai's Blogue.
~ The Singularity is Here -- From ~c4Chaos -- "Ray Kurzweil was so wrong. The Singularity is not near. She's here! She's lying beside me. I turn to my right and there she is, looking deep into my eyes, smiling. She puts her arms around me and starts to whisper."
~ Buddhist Geeks 13: Genpo Roshi on Big Mind.
.

Today's Daily Om offers some good advice on how to have quality communication in our relationships.

Centering And Expressing
Communication

When we are in a relationship where we feel listened to and understood, we count ourselves lucky because we know how rare that experience is. We reserve our most intimate selves for the people who, along with us, cocreate an open space where we feel free to express ourselves and listen without judgment. These relationships, which thrive on open communication, can mean the difference between existential loneliness and a deep sense of belonging. We all long to feel heard, understood, and loved, and clear communication makes this possible.

Sometimes problems arise in the process of expressing how we feel, but it is always worth it to do the work. Even in our less intimate relationships, expressing ourselves honestly is essential to our sense of well-being. Whether at home with family or in the outside world, successful communication requires some forethought; otherwise we risk blundering through our relationships like the proverbial bull in a china shop. However, too much forethought can stifle us or cause us to pad our words so extremely that we end up saying nothing at all or confusing the matter further. The good news is that there are many methods that can come to our rescue, from meditation to visualization to journaling.

If the person we need to communicate with is open to sitting in meditation together for a set period of time before speaking, this can be invaluable. When we are calm and centered, we can count on ourselves to speak and respond truthfully. We can also meditate on our own time and then practice what we need to say. A visualization in which we sit with the person and lovingly exchange a few words can also be a great precedent to an actual conversation. If writing comes easily, we can write out what we need to say; it may take several drafts, but we will eventually find the words. The key is to find ways to center ourselves so that we communicate meaningfully, lovingly, and wisely. In this way, we honor our companions and create relationships in which there is a genuine sense of understanding and respect.

Quote of the day:

"I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top."
~ An English Professor

Image of the day (Tristan Campbell):


BODY
~ Strength Exercises That Work Your Core -- "Real "core" training - not that Bosu Ball crap - with cool videos. What else do ya' need?"
~ Trigger Points: What They Are, What They Mean -- "When muscles and other soft-tissues such as tendons and ligaments are placed under increased stress due to overuse, postural strain, etc., they have a tendency to develop localized areas which become hyper-sensitive, irritated and painful. Many of these localized areas are known as trigger points (TP’s). Trigger points have been shown by researchers to be the cause of much of the pain people feel on a day to day basis."
~ Perfecting the Plank -- An article on one of the most beneficial core exercises.
~ Health: Polyphenols On A Plate -- "Polyphenols have much better antioxidant properties than vitamins, and have been the object of growing interest on the part of nutritionists, epidemiologists, agrifood firms and consumers over the past decade or so. Their main advantage is that they protect against numerous diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. In particular, they help fight the formation of free radicals in the human body and thus slow cell ageing."
~ Omega-3 Fatty Acids Affect Risk Of Depression, Inflammation -- "A new study suggests that people whose diets contain dramatically more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases. The report, published online this week in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, suggests that we need to balance out our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids." I've been saying this for years.
~ Moderate alcohol intake may boost aneurysm risk -- "Drinking alcohol at moderate levels — two or more drinks per day — appears to be a risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm in men, researchers found."
~ One In Five Americans Are Either At High Risk For Developing Type 2 Diabetes Or Are Unaware That They Already Have Diabetes -- "Diabetes has become the greatest public health crisis of the next quarter century. To address the burden of this disease, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is issuing an urgent call-to-action for Americans to find out their risk for type 2 diabetes during the 19th annual American Diabetes Alert® Day. More than six million Americans have diabetes, but don't even know it."
~ Less Sleep May Lower Testosterone -- "Men's testosterone levels typically decline with age, and in some men that drop in male hormones can lead to a lack of energy or libido as well as an increased risk of falls with broken bones." Crap, I need to get more sleep.
~ Sleep Disturbance Increases Spontaneous Pain In Women -- "Sleep continuity disturbance impairs endogenous pain-inhibitory function and increases spontaneous pain in women. This supports a possible pathophysiologic role of sleep disturbance in chronic pain, according to a study published in the April 1st issue of the journal SLEEP."
~ Pregnancy weight can lead to fat toddlers -- "The standard advice for how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy may need to changed, concludes a rigorous and provocative study suggesting that even accepted weight gains may raise the risk of having an overweight toddler." Pregnant women who train with me and adhere to my diet advice only gain 25-30 pounds -- and are back to pre-pregnancy weight in less than a month.


PSYCHE
~ The Mystery of Consciousness -- An essay/review on the new book by Nicholas Humphrey, Seeing Red: A Study in Consciousness.
~ Women Of All Sizes Feel Badly About Their Bodies After Seeing Models -- "The rail-thin blonde bombshell on the cover of a magazine makes all women feel badly about their own bodies despite the size, shape, height or age of the viewers."
~ Seven Signs of Relationship (Dis)Satisfaction -- "Unlike 'love' and 'commitment', the words 'relationship satisfaction' are unlikely to strike fear into the heart of the unreconstructed man (or reconstructed woman). But once a relationship has become long-term, although we still talk about love and commitment, in some ways it's satisfaction that comes to the forefront."
~ Memory Suppression? How Inhibition May Allow for Flexible Control [Developing Intelligence] -- "Everyone does something they later regret. Can you ever intentionally forget that you did it? The idea of memory repression has rarely been considered within scientific psychology, but the processes involved in intentional forgetting (also covered last week) are the focus of a recent article by Michael Anderson."
~ Survival of the Steadiest -- "There is broad consensus today that personality is an amalgam of traits called the “Big Five”: Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Each of these broad measures can be broken down into smaller ones, but in general this taxonomy appears to take in most of what we think of as personhood. When you think of someone as basically “steady” or “flaky” or “gloomy” or “daring,” what you’re really doing is unconsciously taking a measure of these five traits and crunching them together."
~ Stolen Kisses -- "According to one study, up to 20 percent of long-term relationships begin when one or both partners are involved with others. Evolutionary psychologists call this "mate poaching." This figure holds steady across age groups and among couples who are married, living together or dating, according to psychologists who polled some 16,000 individuals in 53 countries as part of the International Sexuality Description Project." Hmmmm . . . .
~ Managing Your Moods Can Benefit Your Health -- "Learning how to deal with negative emotions and create positive ones may help you avoid many health problems. Your emotions may originate in your brain, but they don't confine themselves to your mind. They express themselves in your body as well in your heartbeat, your respiratory rate, your blood pressure and many other physical functions.Usually, strong emotions come and go, and normal physiological equilibrium is restored."
~ What is the relation between emotion and consciousness? -- "What is the relation between emotion and consciousness? In their recent paper in TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, Tsuchiya and Adolphs review recent studies that address this question. Focusing on domains where emotion and consciousness overlap and interact, Tsuchiya and Adolphs suggest that each (emotion and consciousness) is necessary for aspects of the other."


CULTURE
~ Up to 30 percent of workers bullied -- "The office bully has an array of weapons at his disposal, ranging from the subtle silent treatment to not-so-subtle verbal ridicule, the effects of which can ripple through the workplace."
~ The ethnobiology of the Haitian zombi -- Finally, a user's guide to zombification.
~ Gospel according to Judas -- "The Gospel of John says that he told Judas to go out and do what he had to do, which Jesus knew was to betray him. So the Gospel of Judas just takes the suggestion one step further. Jesus not only knew what was going to happen but initiated the action." An interview with Elaine Pagels about her new book on the Gospel of Judas. For an attempted, but ignorant refutation of Pagels, see Hiding from religious reality [Pharyngula].
~ Kissinger Declares Defeat In Iraq -- "AP reports: "A 'military victory' in the sense of total control over the whole territory, imposed on the entire population, is not possible," Kissinger told The Associated Press in Tokyo, where he received an honorary degree from Waseda University. He also said the other thing Bush really really really just doesn't want to hear. Kissinger said the best way forward is to reconcile the differences between Iraq's warring sects with help from other countries."
~ Bangkok vice: Buddhas, boxers, and bar girls -- "In the beginning there was Jon Stewart irony, and it was good. And then there was Steven Colbert meta-irony, and it was better. But then I discovered meta-meta-irony, and it scared me straight." A funny travel piece.
~ Back From the Wilderness, Left-Leaning Thinkers Are Having Their Day -- "Democratic policy wonks just can't seem to publish fast enough these days. Early this year, the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, put out its Agenda for Shared Prosperity, a broad economics blueprint developed by some 50 economists that tackles everything from healthcare to retirement security to trade."
~ Supreme Court Denies Detainee Habeas Cases... For Now -- "The Supreme Court on Monday denied review in two new Guantanamo detainee cases. Three Justices dissented, and two others wrote separately about the denial. Had any combination of four of those Justices voted for review, of course, the cases would have been granted."
~ Random Knowledge: Twinkies! -- "Twinkies are as amazingly good as they are disgusting. But do you know why?"
~ Norman Solomon: While McCain Walks in McNamara's Footsteps -- "Awakening from a 40-year nap, an observer might wonder how much has changed since the last war that the United States stumbled over because it could not win."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Online TV: Still Finding Its Way -- "Online TV offers the ultimate in a la carte programming-entertainment slices instead of cable and satellite bundles. But watching it on the living room set means bridging the gap between the Internet, with its do-everything PCs that demand close attention, and television, which does one thing well while we relax."
~ Chinese discovery casts doubt on 'Out of Africa' theory: study -- "The ancient remains of an early modern human found in Beijing suggests the "Out of Africa" theory of the dispersal of humans may be more complex than first thought, a study released Monday said."
~ Why the Rich Get Richer -- "A new theory shows how wealth, in different forms, can stick to some but not to others. The findings have implications ranging from the design of the Internet to economics."
~ Engineers create 'optical cloaking' design for invisibility -- "Researchers using nanotechnology have taken a step toward creating an 'optical cloaking' device that could render objects invisible by guiding light around anything placed inside this 'cloak.'"
~ Supreme Court Rebukes Bush on Carbon Dioxide Policy -- "The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming."
~ 'Self-healing' house in Greece will dare to defy nature -- "A high-tech villa designed to resist earthquakes by ‘self-healing` cracks in its own walls and monitoring vibrations through an intelligent sensor network will be built on a Greek mountainside."
~ Week in Photos: Living Goddess, Albino Wallaby, Japan Earthquake, More -- National Geographic -- "This week: Nepal's "living goddess," India's Muslims flee ethnic violence, busload of iguanas seized, and more."
~ Houses of the Future Could Be Made from Trash -- "New building blocks made of waste products could revolutionize home and office construction."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ More on Integral Relationship -- Gary at Integral in Seattle responds to ebuddha's response to me.
~ knowing and KNOWING from Brad at Hardcore Zen.
~ Wu Tsu's Buffalo -- From Lin Jensen at Tricycle -- "Zen master Wu-tsu once presented his students with an odd and troubling koan about a buffalo passing through a window. Wu-tsu said, “It is like a buffalo that passes through a latticed window. Its head, horn, and four legs all pass through. Why can’t its tail pass through as well?” The image is one of an unsuccessful attempt to pass from one circumstance to another."
~ Interfaith Blog Event #5: The Role of Forgiveness -- Mike's essay at Unknowing Mind.
~ Subtle Energies Accessible to Complex Physical Structures -- elamb at Source of Miracles looks at Wilber's theory of subtle energies.
~ Self-Help Junkies -- Steve Pavlina disses the self-help crowd, but offers an almost integral selection of areas to focus on personal growth.

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I found these images through Digg, which took me to You Say Too. No photographer is credited with the images, so I have no idea who is responsible for these amazing photos.

Milk, meet coffee. Coffee, this is my friend milk.








There are more images at You Say Too.

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Men's Health claims to have posted 50 things that women wish men knew. It's an interesting list from a hetero, shallow, and somewhat narcissistic point of view.

So, I'm curious if any female readers out there would like to say anything about this list. Please share your thoughts in the comments, and be anonymous if your prefer.

50 Things She Wishes You Knew
Universal truths that all men should--but don't--understand

1. Saying "I love you" immediately before, during, or following sex doesn't count.
2. Real men drive stick shift.
3. I will leave if you lie.
4. You are cute in raglan-sleeved T-shirts (two-toned baseball undershirts).
5. I'm convinced I'm pregnant and obsess about it for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours before my period, even when I have no rational reason to think so.
6. I love it when you hug me from behind and whisper in my ear.
7. "Fine" is never an appropriate response when I ask you how I look.
8. Most of the time when I fantasize, it's about you.
9. I'm terrified of becoming my mother, even though I admire her.
10. I get turned on simply seeing that I have an e-mail from you.

11. I expect you to call me.
12. Only rock stars are allowed to wear leather pants.
13. I'm scared of losing my independence.
14. I'm more forgiving of you than I really should be.
15. Oral sex is your get-out-of-the-doghouse-free card. Manolo Blahnik shoes also do the trick.
16. You did something bad. I seem cool with it. I'm not. (See directly above.)
17. If I'm not having sex with you, I'm... a. ...having a fat day. b. ...not feeling "connected" to you. c. ...blackmailing you to get something I want.
18. Shoes determine whether you're fashionable or not.
19. I own a Debbie Gibson CD, and I'm not afraid to use it.
20. When I compare my flabby tummy to a kangaroo pouch, say nothing.

21. A man I love plans the occasional fancy-schmancy dress-up date and impromptu weekend getaways, and he buys my favorite candy in advance when we're just going to the movies.
22. You look hot in hooded clothing items.
23. You should never tell me what to do.
24. If I slept over, you owe me breakfast.
25. My breasts love much licking and sucking.
26. If you ask me out directly, I will say yes.
27. I'm very impressed when you ask for my advice.
28. I'm unimpressed with a man who doesn't take the lead.
29. When in doubt, go with the shirt that matches your eye color.
30. I want to be Madonna.

31. Women get urinary-tract infections easily, so watch (and wash) your fingers.
32. I'm in heaven when you hold my hand.
33. You're sexy when you're shaving, fixing things, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, driving, eating a peach, holding a baby.
34. I need to hear how you feel about me. Often. Tell me now.
35. Surprises, especially gifts for moi = more loving.
36. I want to be the best thing that ever happened to you--and for you to recognize this.
37. If I'm not feeling loved, I will start looking....
38. Discussion of ex-gf's and ex-bf's should be avoided at all times.
39. I like it when you tell me what you're thinking, even if you don't know yourself.
40. Celebrating our anniversary, even if it's only been a few months, earns major bonus points.

41. I love it when you're sweaty.
42. It's best to consult your gal pals for gift ideas.
43. A lady should always be greeted with kisses.
44. I like porn.
45. I love holding your bum in the palms of my hands.
46. Even nice girls like hushed dirty talk in public.
47. It's cheating as soon as you're doing something with her that you wouldn't want me to see, hear, read...
48. For the record: I'd rather you break up with me than cheat.
49. I remember everything about our relationship.
50. You should know all this and more with-out my telling you.

I know a lot of people who have a hard time falling asleep at night. The day's events, stresses, and tomorrow's responsibilities play and replay, keeping us awake, making us anxious. I have been one of these people for most of my life.

Today's Daily Om offers some useful advice on how to overcome this brain pattern, which really operates like a habit. We get into the habit of stressing ourselves, so we need to unlearn the habit and replace it with a healthier one, such as clearing the mind in the evening.

Allowing Spirit In
Clearing Your Mind

After a full day out in the world, stories, words, images, and songs from any number of sources continue to play in our heads hours after we encounter them. Even as we lie in bed, in the quiet dark, our minds continue noisily processing all the input from our day. This can leave us feeling unsettled and harassed. It also makes it difficult to take in any new information or inspiration. Like a cluttered house that needs to be cleared if it is to have room for movement and new life, our minds need clearing if they are to be open to new information, ideas, and inspiration.

Too often, the activities we choose to help us relax only add to the clutter. Watching television, seeing a movie, reading a book, or talking to a friend all involve taking in more information. In order to really clear our minds, we need a break from mental stimulation. Activities like yoga, dancing, or taking a long walk help to draw our attention to our bodies, slowing our mental activity enough that our minds begin to settle. Deep breathing is an even simpler way to draw attention away from our mental activities. Once we are mentally relaxed, we can begin the process of clearing our minds. Most of us instinctively know what allows our minds to relax and release any unnecessary clutter. It may be meditation or time spent staring at the stars. Whatever it is, these exercises feel like a cool, cleansing bath for the brain and leave our minds feeling clear and open.

Setting aside time to clear our minds once a day creates a ritual that becomes second nature over time. Our minds will begin to settle with less effort the more we practice. Ultimately, the practice of clearing our minds allows us to be increasingly more open so that we can perceive the world as the fresh offering it is, free of yesterday's mental clutter.

Quote of the day:

"A superstition is a premature explanation that overstays its time."
~ Georges Iles

Image of the day:


BODY
~ 4 Days in 15 Minutes: A Summary of the 2007 Health & Fitness Summit by Chris Shugart at T-Nation.
~ How To Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels -- "A recent report linked high blood sugar levels with cancer in women. This highlighted again the problem of high blood sugar levels, even below the level found in diabetes, as they also increase people's chances of getting heart disease and full-blown diabetes."
~ More Muscle, Less Hassle: Build big power with this whole-body, two-dumbbell plan -- These three moves aren't going to make you big, but they're a good basic quick routine when you have no other options.
~ Johns Hopkins Researchers Examine Why People Eat The Foods They Do -- "People purchase foods based on their income level, their belief in a food's health benefit and cost. However, ethnicity and gender also impact people's food choices, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health."
~ A New Walking Study Encourages Overweight Americans To Step Up To Better Health -- "What if someone told you, you could walk your way to better health? With 65 percent of American adults considered to be overweight or obese, walking may be one way to battle the bulge. However, if you lack motivation, a prescription to walk may be just what the doctor ordered."
~ Hormone therapy safe for younger women -- "Younger women may be able to safely take hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms based on a new analysis of a big U.S. study that had raised alarms about health risks and driven down sales of treatment drugs, according to a report released on Tuesday."
~ Drug That Mimics 'good' Cholesterol Has Mixed Effect On Coronary Atherosclerosis -- Diet and exercise are still the best options.
~ Eggs will raise your cholesterol, and other myths -- "Avoid eggs. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. Eating carbs will make you fat. Nutritional advice such as this has been touted for years -- but is it accurate?" This article is a step in the right direction, but still wrong. I agree that eggs are harmless. However, changing and reducing the kinds of carbs we eat willl help us lose weight and keep it off. And the more water you drink, the less your body holds and the easier it flushes toxins. And we do need to supplement with vitamins because the food we eat in nutritionally depleted.
~ 'Functional Foods': Healthy or Hype? -- "The line between the supermarket and drug store keeps getting fuzzier. Television commercials for Danone's "Activia" line of yogurts claim it's just the thing for folks struggling with what gastroenterologists call "slow transit time." Switch the channel, and ads for sterol-enriched Becel margarine trumpet its cholesterol-lowering goodness."


PSYCHE
~ Are Antidepressants Ever Necessary? -- "Interesting how the evidence is growing that antidepressants provide no meaningful benefit, particularly in light of a study released today that argues the incidence of depression may NOT be as common as you have been led to believe." I would seriously disagree with the assessment that antidepressants don't help.
~ Criteria for depression are too broad -- "Up to 25 percent of people in whom psychiatrists would currently diagnose depression may only be reacting normally to stressful events such as a divorce or losing a job, according to a new analysis that reexamined how the standard diagnostic criteria are used." With this, however, I am in full agreement.
~ COMMENT: It's interesting how someone with an agenda (Dr. Mercola) can use a fairly even-handed study to push his point of view.
~ Self-regulation Abilities, Beyond Intelligence, Play Major Role In Early Achievement -- "Although intelligence is generally thought to play a key role in children's early academic achievement, aspects of children's self-regulation abilities-including the ability to alternately shift and focus attention and to inhibit impulsive responding--are uniquely related to early academic success and account for greater variation in early academic progress than do measures of intelligence."
~ One reason the movie's never as good as the book [Cognitive Daily] -- "It makes some sense: if we've gone to the trouble of creating a visual environment, why not use the part of our mind that's designed to handle visual information -- the visual perception system itself? Wouldn't it be more convenient to do it that way instead of clumsily describing visual representations using words?"
~ A Neural FPGA? Dynamic Task-Relevant Code in Prefrontal Cortex [Developing Intelligence] -- "How does the brain exert flexible control over behavior? One idea is that high-level areas of the brain self-organize representations that lead to reward in a certain task, in a sense by "programming" or "executing" a pattern of activity that controls activity in more posterior and domain-specific regions (i.e., sensory or motor cortex)."
~ Exercise boosts mind, brain and mood -- Mind Hacks reviews the info in the new issue of Newsweek on exercise and the brain.
~ School Achievement, Perceptions Of Ability And Interest Change As Children Age -- "Children in early grades may like a subject in which they don't feel very competent, or they may feel competent in a subject in spite of poor grades. But by the end of high school, children generally feel most interested in subjects in which they feel they are the strongest.Those are the findings of a new study published in the March-April 2007 issue of the journal Child Development."
~ How we remember each other -- "Researchers at McGill University`s Douglas Mental Health University Institute, in collaboration with a French team at the University of Paris, have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify the part of the brain that stores our memories of meetings, parties, arguments, fun and the myriad other social interactions that color our daily lives."


CULTURE
~ Bush plays chicken with Congress -- "George W. Bush faces a real predicament over the congressional challenges to the war in Iraq, and it is one entirely of his own making."
~ McCain Lags in Early Money -- "With Rudy and Romney outpacing him in fundraising, the onetime G.O.P. front-runner now faces the first crucial test of his young campaign." The Iraqis don't like him either: McCain Visit Angers Iraqis. But wait, there's more bad news for McCain . . .
~ Kerry: McCain Approached Me About Being on Dem Ticket in 2004 -- "Building on the "McCain approached Tom Daschle to inquire about leaving the GOP" story, John Kerry now says that McCain's people approached his campaign about being the vice president on Kerry's 2004 ticket. If that's true, wow. We still don't have an explanation from McCain on all this, just a simple denial that none of it is true."
~ John Paul II: How Fast to Sainthood? -- "All is relative in the Vatican, and Benedict XVI has actually slowed down the policy on canonization. But the cause of the last pope may mean a (relatively) speedy ascent."
~ Romney Jumps To GOP Fundraising Lead -- With less than 3% support? Strange, that.
~ Where does all that campaign money go? -- "One way to think of the $26 million Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign raised in the first three months of 2007 is as insurance against any mishap that might strike next winter when the presidential contest begins with the Iowa caucuses."
~ ABC News' bizarre "scoop" on Iran's nuclear program -- Glenn Greenwald wonders "How did ABC's hysteria-producing article make it past a single editor?"
~ Gonzales the Cipher -- "Sometimes, as often seems true with Gonzales, the details eluded him. Clearly, those details could have made the difference between life and death -- or, given the realities of the Texas system, death and a remote chance of a reprieve. But since Bush was not likely to temporarily block any execution or even to raise his voice in mild objection to a particularly heinous railroading, Gonzales kept his death penalty memos short and to the point. Almost always, the point was that the execution should proceed."
~ MySpace plans virtual US presidential primary vote -- "MySpace announced Tuesday it will hold the first virtual US presidential primary election at its youth-oriented social networking website."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Forecasters Call For Nasty Hurricane Season -- Again -- "Here's the good news, if you can call it that: This year's hurricane season isn't going to be as bad as 2005, when Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans."
~ What if coal is running out too? -- "Virtually everyone involved in energy discussions takes for granted that there's plenty of coal waiting to be burnt. The typical claim is that the U.S. has "200 years" worth of domestic energy in its coal reserves."
~ How did life on Earth originate? -- "Did life arrive from space? Rather than developing here, could the first life forms have been catapulted to Earth on a chunk of rock from outer space? Investigations show that microbes are capable of surviving just such a journey."
~ Weighing the financial risks of nuclear power -- "Enticed by the gleam of government subsidies, many companies are rushing to invest in nuclear power, expecting that new technology and safer reactors will make them as good an investment as other types of power plants." Dumbasses.
~ Controversial Seal Hunt Delayed 2nd Year Due to Ice Breakup -- "Thin ice has again pushed back the start of Canada's annual harp seal hunt while causing thousands of seal pups to drown." Looks like global warming is good for seals.
~ Hubble Captures Dazzling Galaxy -- "The barred spiral galaxy features clusters of young blue stars."


~ NASA: Arctic Meltdown Threatens Ice Cap's Stability -- "Perennial sea ice in the Arctic is melting faster each summer than it can be replaced during winter, a new study confirms."
~ Power and Sexual Harassment: Men and Women See Things Differently -- "In the hands of the wrong person, power can be dangerous. That's especially the case in the workplace, where the abuse of power can lead to sexual harassment."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHISM
~ John Craig, of Craig Photography, has opened an online retail site for his fine photos. Check it out.
~ The Wilderness vs The City = Sacred vs Profane? -- "The bastardization and idealization of the wilderness is invisible to most people, I think. It certainly was invisible to me until recently, and this excerpt really crystallized it."
~ Relationship Intelligence from Gary at Integral in Seattle. See also: 3 Stages of Sexual Relationship.
~ Altitude revisited from Ed at Open Integral.
~ ebuddha posts a link to a discussion of integral relationship over at the I-I: An Integral Institute Thread on Integral Relationships.
~ Getting Hooked on the Present Moment -- Buddhist Geeks interview urchinTracker ('/outbound/article/leighbrasington.com');">Leigh Brasington.
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For those who haven't noticed, April is National Poetry Month. The Academy of American Poets is sending a poem a day to your email box if you sign up.

This was yesterday's poem:

Mottled Tuesday
by John Ashbery

Something was about to go laughably wrong,
whether directly at home or here,
on this random shoal pleading with its eyes
till it too breaks loose, caught in a hail of references.
I’ll add one more scoop
to the pile of retail.

Hey, you’re doing it, like I didn’t tell you
to, my sinking laundry boat, point of departure,
my white pomegranate, my swizzle stick.
We’re leaving again of our own volition
for bogus patterned plains streaked by canals,
maybe. Amorous ghosts will pursue us
for a time, but sometimes they get, you know, confused and
forget to stop when we do, as they continue to populate this
fertile land with their own bizarre self-imaginings.
Here’s hoping the referral goes tidily, O brother.
Chime authoritatively with the pop-ups and extras.
Keep your units pliable and folded,
the recourse a mere specter, like you have it coming to you,
awash with the new day and its abominable antithesis,
OK? Don’t be able to make that distinction.

Quote of the day:

"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity."
~ Christopher Morley

Image of the day:


BODY
~ My Fat-Loss Interview For CB Athletics -- Charles Staley interviewed by Craig Ballantyne.
~ PSA May Be Poor Predictor of Lethal Prostate Cancer (HealthDay) -- "The standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is not helpful in predicting lethal prostate cancers in men who are not treated but are placed under "watchful waiting" by their doctors, Swedish researchers say."
~ Get your belly beach ready -- "Admit it. Feeling self-conscious about the size of your stomach, you've been tempted to look into one of the countless products out there touting washboard abs in 30 seconds or less. But instead of buying into a quick fix this year, why not follow some of the experts' advice for kicking that spare tire for good?"
~ Combined treatment ups breast cancer survival -- "Adding chemotherapy to the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen improves the survival of early breast cancer, according to the results of two studies."
~ Activity level correlates with body size in boys -- "Boys spend nearly twice as much time in vigorous-to-hard physical activity compared with girls, Irish researchers report. And while normal-size boys were more active than overweight or obese boys, no association between activity levels and body size was seen in girls."
~ Arthritis Pain, The Brain And The Role Of Emotions -- "How does the brain process the experience of pain? Thanks to advances in neuroimaging, we now know the answer lies in a network of brain structures called the pain matrix. This matrix contains two parallel systems."
~ 3 WAYS TO REV UP WEIGHT LOSS -- "Do you already exercise and watch what you eat, but seem to be stuck in a weight-loss rut? You’re not alone! Plenty of people hit a plateau before reaching their goals. To boost your odds of slim-down success, try these fitness strategies."

 

~ Fiber - Why is it so Important to A Healthy Diet? -- "What is fiber? Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods. They are usually the walls of the plant cells, skins and seeds."
~ Can green tea save your soul? -- "It turns out that there is indeed an essence that ensures health, spiritual harmony, and moral merit. It is called green tea."


PSYCHE
~ Kids With Asperger's Syndrome: 'Bullied on a Daily Basis' -- "High-Functioning Form of Autism Causes Social Awkwardness and Angst."
~ Are humans hard-wired to believe in a higher power? -- "Accounts of intense religious and spiritual experiences are topics of fascination for people around the world. Most people would agree the experience of faith is immeasurable. Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," wants to change all that. He's working on ways to track how the human brain processes religion and spirituality. It's all part of new field called neurotheology."
~ New Study Looks At Peer Pressure And Implications For Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse -- "Why do young people smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or drugs? What skills do they need to avoid starting these habits? A new study by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College shows that competence skills can reduce adolescent substance use over the long term, even when friends smoke or use alcohol."
~ Emotional Responses That Helped Our Ancestors May Promote Xenophobia, Sexual Prejudices And A Range Of Other Irrational Reactions -- "Behind every wave of disgust that comes your way may be a biological imperative much greater than the urge to lose your lunch, according to a growing body of research by a UCLA anthropologist." Hmmm. . . sounds familiar.
~ Startle reflex following subliminal images of fear and sex -- "What happens if you are presented with subliminal stimuli that are normally associated with fear or sexual arousal? In a study published in Biological Psychiatry two Spanish researchers now document that both negative positive biologically relevant stimuli can be nonconsciously processed."
~ Event perceptions -- "So how do we really experience the world around us, and events as they occur? As discrete units of experiences or as one flow of experience."
~ New Yorker on child bipolar controversy -- "April 9th's New Yorker has a cracking article on the current controversy on whether it's possible (or even valid) to diagnose bipolar disorder in children."
~ Power is Corrupting [The Frontal Cortex] -- "Does power corrupt? And is absolute power absolutely corrupting? Here's some suggestive evidence . . . ."
~ Getting Serious About Happiness -- "An expert on well-being establishes the world's first Ph.D program that focuses on positive psychology."


CULTURE
~ Tom DeLay rises again -- "Few are buying what Tom DeLay is selling."
~ Gitmo Justice -- "David Hicks pleads guilty and goes free, while the Supreme Court denies 400 other terror suspects their day in court. Aziz Huq asks: This is justice?"
~ Obama Raises $25M, Rivaling Clinton -- "Democrat Barack Obama raked in $25 million for his presidential bid in the first three months of 2007, placing him on a par with front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton."
~ Iran: Do Sailor Releases Signal a Nuke Thaw? -- "As the British captives come home, Iran's negotiator signals that he may be willing to talk about his country's enrichment program."
~ Humor: Scientists Study Politicians' Memory Loss -- "Scientists say near-amnesia is reaching epidemic proportions among U.S. politicians." Satire by Andy Borowitz.
~ Raising Pagans -- "When Daddy is Catholic and Mommy is a Witch, what's a couple to teach their children?"
~ Burning question answered: Bones aren't Joan's -- "What had been claimed to be the charred remains of 15th-century heroine Joan of Arc turn out to be just tres faux. They're bones from an Egyptian mummy and a cat, the science journal Nature reports . . . ."
~ Faith, science: An 'evolving' relationship -- "Religion and science have clashed forever, but in America, the biggest showdown came in 1925, when evolution and creationism did battle in the Scopes Monkey Trial, and evolution won. Now, nearly a hundred years later, the scientific community is convinced human beings evolved from a common ancestor over millions of years. But guess what? The rest of the public isn't on board. In fact, polls show nearly half of us believe we were created by God, just as we are."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Income and food cost concerns affect diet: study -- "Income and education level, and the perceived price of certain foods, impact what Americans eat and the overall diet of the US adult population, according to survey data from a nationally representative group of more than 4300 Americans 20 to 65 years old."
~ Drugs in Your Drinking Water May Be Affecting Your Health -- "Finally, the news media is getting around to looking at one of the little-discussed problems with the drug-addicted health care paradigm plaguing America: How residues of drugs and personal care products are finding their way into the nation's water supplies, ending up as just one more environmental toxin."
~ How to Start a Business ... When You're 22 -- "Many people would rather be their own boss than a wage slave. Fresh grads in particular might find it tempting to take the entrepreneurial plunge, rather than start at the bottom of a steep corporate ladder."
~ The iPhone wannabes -- "Whatever you think about Steve Jobs, you must admit the guy knows how to steal a show. Of the hundreds of gadgets on display at last week's CTIA Wireless trade show—the year's big cell-phone confab—the only one with real buzz was Apple's iPhone, a product that won't be available for months."
~ Mining Companies Strip Land from Indigenous Peoples -- "Indigenous people are being forced off their lands as multinational mining corporations exploit South America's natural resources."
~ Greek Archaeologists Unearth Rich Tomb -- "Archaeologists on a Greek island have discovered a large Roman-era tomb containing gold jewelry, pottery and bronze offerings, officials said Wednesday. The building, near the village of Fiscardo on Kefalonia, contained five burials including a large vaulted grave and a stone coffin, a Culture Ministry announcement said."
~ Fascinating Spider Silk -- "Stronger than steel and more elastic than rubber: spider silk is unsurpassed in its expandability, resistance to tearing, and toughness. Spider silk would be an ideal material for a large variety of medical and technical applications, and researchers are thus interested in learning the spiders' secrets and imitating their technique."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ The human self not trusting it can function well without being identified with -- "When the Ground of emptiness awakens to itself, it can be very odd for our human self. It is used to being identified with, and no it is suddenly not identified with anymore."
~ Why haven’t we awakened yet? -- "It seems that lots of folks on the spiritual circuit wonder why they haven’t awakened yet. There is a resistance to what is (which happens to be what holds it, the appearance of non-awakening, in place.) So why haven’t we awakened yet
~ Progressivism is the unquestioned assumption in today's America from Matthew at the Daily Goose.
~ Philosophy: Dali (a lama?) -- Cool post from American Buddhist.
~ Sex, God, and Terrorism -- "Here is a wonderful essay written by Toby Mitchell for The Michigan Daily, focusing on the massive divide that exists between traditional religion and modernity, in which he references some of Ken's ideas from Integral Spirituality. Enjoy!"
~ Bowing -- From ordinary extraordinary.
~ And Now, Something Really Different: Parallel Universes -- From Gary at Integral Seattle.
~ Performative contradiction? from Ed Berge at Open Integral.
~ Blog roundup reflections. Rommel (aka C4Chaos) is... from Jean at the Human Bean -- and congrats to ~C4Chaos!
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Gretchen Rubin, for those who don't know, is the blogger behind the Happiness Project. She has been on a mission to find out what makes people happy:

I'm working on a book, THE HAPPINESS PROJECT--a memoir about the year I spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT will gather these rules for living and report on what works and what doesn’t. On this daily blog, I recount some of my adventures and insights as I grapple with the challenge of being happier.

Every Wednesday is tip day. Yesterday's tips were seven ways to be happier right now. Seemed like good advice to me.

You can make yourself happier – and this doesn’t have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now. In the next hour, check off as many of the following items as possible. Each of these accomplishments will lift your mood, as will the mere fact that you’ve tackled and achieved some concrete goals.

1. Boost your energy: stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information. Plus, because of “emotional contagion,” if you act energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too.

2. Reach out to friends: make a lunch date or send an email to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Having warm, close bonds with other people is one of the keys to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, it turns out that socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.

3. Rid yourself of a nagging task: answer a difficult email, purchase something you need, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and cheer, and you’ll be surprised that you procrastinated for so long.

4. Create a calmer environment: clear some physical and mental space around your desk by sorting papers, pitching junk, stowing supplies, sending out quick responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizeable dent. Try to get in the habit of using the “one minute rule”—i.e., never postpone any task that can be completed in less than one minute. An uncluttered environment will contribute to a more serene mood.

5. Lay the groundwork for some future fun: order a book you’ve been wanting to read (not something you think you should read) or plan a weekend excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater—whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.

6. Do a good deed: make an email introduction of two people who could help each other, or set up a blind date, or shoot someone a piece of useful information or gratifying praise. Do good, feel good—this really works. Also, although we often believe that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. When you act in a friendly way, you’ll strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.

7. Act happy: put a smile on your face right now, and keep smiling. Research shows that even an artificially induced smile has a positive influence on your emotions—turns out that just going through the motion of happiness brightens your mood. And if you’re smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal. To the contrary. Studies show that happier people are more sociable, likeable, healthy, and productive—and they’re more inclined to help other people. So in working to boost your own happiness, you’re benefiting others as well.

Feel happier yet?

 

I found this at Dark Roasted Blend -- very strange and intriguing art.

Dreamlike Art like you've never seen before

One of the most imaginative and unpredictable artists of our time, Vladimir Kush is following in the steps of Salvador Dali (and perhaps J. G. Ballard), creating glowing, wildly original landscapes. His site offers most recent prints; make sure you visit and support this artist's unique creativity.

There are a lot more images at the Dark Roasted Blend site, or at the artist's page.

Today's Daily Dharma from Tricycle features wisdom from Pema Chodron, one of my favorite teachers.

The Ground of Practice

When people start to mediate or to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, the often think that somehow they're going to improve, which is a sort of subtle aggression against who they really are. It's a bit like saying, "If I jog, I'll be a much better person." "If I could only get a nicer house, I'd be a better person." If I could meditate and calm down, I'd be a better person."... But loving-kindness--maitri--toward ourselves doesn't mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy after all these years. We can still be angry after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. The point is not to try to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That's the ground, that's what we study, that's what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.

~ Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness

 

The lesson in this quote is one of the most profound things I have ever learned in my Buddhist studies. I am a perfectionist, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything as perfectly as possible. So naturally, when I began a serious Buddhist practice, I wanted to be perfect -- I wanted to always be kind and compassionate, to always be honest, and so on.

But damn -- I am a flawed human being. I am not perfect. And putting all that pressure on myself was just plain crazy-making. I was trying, without really being aware of it, to discard all the things I didn't like about myself through my practice. But as Chodron points out, that isn't the point of practice, of maitri.

When I read this passage in her very fine book, a little light went on in my head. At about the same time, my therapist was asking me annoying questions, such as, "Isn't it exhausting having to be perfect all the time?" Or, "So, if you reject all the things about yourself you do not like, who will be left?"

She used to really piss me off.

But she was right. We can't just surgically remove our faults or our shadows. We can befriend them however, and learn whatever lessons they might have to teach us. I believe that human beings are inherently good and that most of our negative qualities and behaviors are the result of self-protection on the part of our psyches, wounds we have endured, or faulty teaching from family and peers.

But if we can learn about why we adopted those qualities we so dislike, we can go a long way toward healing the wounds. And it takes an attitude of loving-kindness and acceptance to do this. We have to befriend ourselves and not treat the parts of us we dislike as the enemy.

Quote of the day:

"Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality."
~ George Santayana

Image of the day:


BODY
~ Why Periodization Doesn't Work -- "Unfortunately, your old "what do ya wanna work today?" spur of the moment type training works a whole lot better than anything the Soviet Ministry Of Sport managed to cook up behind the Iron Curtain back in the 50's and 60's. Charles Staley explains why."
~ The Power of Doubles -- "I become a marathoner in my post-collegiate running. Once my mileage reaches over 80 miles/week, I typically start incorporating doubles between 1-3 days/week. Here’s why . . . ."
~ Foundation Pledges 500 Million Dollars To Reverse Obesity In US Chidren -- "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has pledged 500 million dollars over the next five years to reversing childhood obesity in the United States. 25 million of America's 74 million children are overweight or obese; that is more than one third of the nation's youngsters."
~ Studies: Exercise can make your brain larger -- "With aging, your brain becomes smaller. This study showed that 60 to 79-year-old men who exercised regularly actually had their brains grow larger. Study participants who did only a stretching and toning program had their brains shrink."
~ Reduced Calorie Intake Can Increase Health And Longevity -- "Professor Stephen Spindler (University of California) and his collaborators* have discovered that reducing calorie intake later in life can still induce many of the health and longevity benefits of life-long calorie reduction. Importantly, this also includes anti-cancer effects."
~ Most Americans don't eat smart and exercise: CDC -- "Only one in seven Americans exercises enough and eats enough fruits and vegetables, and men are worse than women, federal health officials said on Thursday."
~ Exercise and frequent eating may keep kids slim -- "Kids who are frequent nibblers may pack on fewer pounds than those less frequent eaters, if they stay physically active, a study shows." Works for adults, too.
~ Another Myth Exploded -- Dieting Does Not Work -- I agree, which is why I advocate a lifelong eating strategy rather than a short-term diet approach.
~ Vitamin pills prevent low-weight babies -- "Extra vitamin supplements can reduce the risk of having an underweight or undersized baby, and all pregnant women in developing countries should get them, researchers said on Wednesday."


PSYCHE
~ On PsyBlog Careers: Work, Stress, Burnout and Emotional Dissonance -- "The words 'job' and 'stress' go together like doctors and nurses. So PsyBlog Careers opens its doors for business with a series examining what psychologists can tell us about how they're related and what we can do about it. What is it specifically about work that makes it stressful?"
~ Psychology and Neuroscience [The Frontal Cortex] -- "You have to be a pretty staunch reductionist to believe that neuroscience makes psychology obsolete. After all, according to scientific materialism, neuroscience is ultimately just a subset of quantum mechanics. So should we all become physicists? Of course not. While our different levels of inquiry are obviously interconnected, they are also autonomous. As Dave points out, neuroscience and psychology really study separate phenomenon . . . ."
~ A Brief Sex Survey, Kinsey-style -- Inspired the movie Kinsey, a brief survey for both men and women.
~ Platform-Independent Intelligence: Octopus Consciousness [Developing Intelligence] -- "A new article by Jennifer Mather suggests that octopi may also possess consciousness, despite the vastly different architecture of their brain. If two very different neural architectures can both support forms of advanced cognition, then the similarities between them may help clarify the computational requirements for intelligent behavior."
~ Stress precedes volume reductions in the hippocampus in PTSD -- "There was a debate in the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for some time about whether the shrinkage observed in the hippocampus -- a structure involved in learning and memory -- was the result of the stress or was a vulnerability factor for the disease."
~ Multiple Intelligences and Mindsets: Positive Approaches to Education -- "[Gardner's] Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) resonated with all sorts of people who now saw themselves as having areas of relative intellectual strength rather than being some point on a bell-shaped curve where only a few people could be called 'very superior.' While not necessarily a 'positive psychologist” per se, Gardner is surely a “strengths psychologist.'"
~ Neurophysiologist Explores The Mysteries Of The Human Brain In New Book -- "New book provides a crash course on how the brain works from a leading researcher on the forefront of brain studies - The Evolving Brain The Known and the Unknown by R. Grant Steen.The human brain is arguably the most complex object in the universe."
~ Bacteria Found In The Soil Activated A Group Of Neurons That Produce The Brain Chemical Serotonin -- "Treatment of mice with a 'friendly' bacteria, normally found in the soil, altered their behavior in a way similar to that produced by antidepressant drugs, reports research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience.These findings, identified by researchers at the University of Bristol and colleagues at University College London, aid the understanding of why an imbalance in the immune system leaves some individuals vulnerable to mood disorders like depression."


CULTURE
~ Where are the safest drivers in U.S.? -- Not in Tucson -- "Quick. Where are the safest drivers in the country? A new magazine ranking says Des Moines, Iowa."
~ Wanted in Next President: Honesty, Strong Leadership -- From Gallup -- "In addition to honesty and leadership, Americans attach a good deal of importance to managerial competence. A majority also say it is essential that the next president focuses on uniting the country. Americans assign far less importance to the candidates' experience, including whether they have served in Washington."
~ American Society Creates Unhealthy Population -- "Our destructive lifestyles are ensured and reinforced by the very structure of our society, leading to a "toxic environment" centered on material security at the expense of social and physical well-being."
~ Silence is Propaganda! [Dispatches from the Culture Wars] -- "Daniel T. Zanoza, director of a group called Republicans for Fair Media, has written a breathlessly overwrought column about the upcoming Day of Silence to protest anti-gay discrimination. The absurdity begins from the very first sentence: On April 18th, a number of public schools across the country will hold a so-called "Day of Silence." Bzzzt. False. Public schools do not hold or sponsor the Day of Silence; students in public schools do."
~ GOP Worries Over Dems' Fundraising Prowess -- "What most concerns senior Republican strategists as they assess the latest reports on presidential fundraising is the big collective advantage enjoyed by the Democratic candidates versus the Republicans."
~ $4.5B Cash Offered for Chrysler -- "Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, who lost out in Chrysler's 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz, wants to buy the troubled automaker back from its German owners."
~ Giuliani Defends Pro-Choice Beliefs -- "Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Thursday defended his record favoring the use of public money for abortions, saying he wouldn't try to undo a Supreme Court ruling allowing the procedures."
~ What Message Was Iran Sending? -- "The release of the British captives was a victory for Iranian pragmatists over hardliners - and a sign that Western pressure on the regime may be bearing fruit."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Dust Bowl 2.0: Is the Southwest Drying Up? -- "New research shows that the current drought plaguing the American West is likely the beginning of a new trend brought on by global warming." var bool_dhtmlPOPup = true; //restarting dhtml popup exclusively. /*var mathRandom = Math.random(); if( mathRandom < .5 ) { var bool_dhtmlPOPup = true; } else { var bool_dhtmlPOPup = false; } */ ~ Famous Feud Caused by Disease? -- "The infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud may be partly explained by a rare, inherited disease."
~ Good new blog on climate science and communication -- "Climate scientist Michael Tobis has started a blog, not so much about climate science itself as about the challenges of communicating about it and the bizarre notions about it that remain puzzlingly persistent. Off to a good start."
~ Disease can be our ally, not just our enemy, says evolutionary biologist -- "In a time when we worry about bird flu and contaminated spinach, Marlene Zuk, an evolutionary biologist at UC Riverside, offers a fresh perspective on disease and the role it plays in our lives. Her new book, Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites that Make Us Who We Are (Harcourt, 2007), argues that disease is not always our foe; it can be a vital partner and friend."
~ Slow Food nation -- "Yale University students, staff, and other community members crowded a university conference room yesterday to watch Erika Lesser, director of Slow Food USA, give a talk on the Slow Food movement in America. Lesser spoke pretty generally about Slow Food USA's goals, philosophy, and achievements."
~ It's Hip to Live Past 100 -- "What's the secret of those who survive into the triple-digits? It might be that they are keen on keeping up the latest trends, including iPods, current events and even MTV, a new survey finds."
~ Mystery of Greek Amphitheater's Amazing Sound Finally Solved -- "The trick is in the seats, and even the ancient architects didn't know what they had accomplished."
~ Biofuels: More than just ethanol -- "Farmers have begun planting corn in the hopes that its potential new use for corn will be a new income source. What many don't realize, is the potential for other crops, besides corn, to provide an alternate energy source to fossil fuels."
~ Odd Body, Great Legs, Running Like the Wind -- "Ostriches look strange from head to toe, but challenging lab work (get out of the way!) reveals these birds have mastered running as no human can."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ Essential Bohemian Development -- From Victoria -- "About 6 weeks ago, I had a profound epiphany of life changing proportions all beginning with the color red. I was sitting on a red velvet settee in a huge red room with red lanterns and red beaded lampshades, and a multitude of other Victorian bordello turned shabby passionate funky accessories while swaying slightly to the strains of old and new tango music and wondering if I should dance with the guy next to me, who was obviously working up the courage to ask me."
~ The Inferno of the Living -- From Will at Think Buddha -- "A couple of years ago, I read The Unexpected Way by Paul Williams, an account of the author’s conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism. Williams, for those who have not come across him, is one of the UK’s most well-known Buddhist scholars, and his introduction to Mahayana Buddhism is probably the best book on the subject available. In The Unexpected Way, he is writing in a more confessional vein, explaining how it is he came to reject the Buddhism to which he had previously assented, and to embrace Catholicism."
~ The concept of Nirvana from a psychological point of view -- "The word Nirvana comes from the root meaning 'to blow out' and refers to the extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion. When these emotional and psychological defilements are destroyed by wisdom, the mind becomes free, radiant and joyful and at death one is no longer subject to rebirth. Nirvana is the ultimate happiness."
~ Buddha Break 2007.04.05 -- Cool links from Sentient Development.
~ Buddhism and Buddhists -- not so non-violent -- Matthew Dallman posts a National Review article on the history of force in Tibetan Buddhism (more Tibet than Buddhist, but still interesting). The article is essentially rejecting the PoMo adoption of the Dalai Lama as a peace symbol. Buddhism rejects the notion of violence under most circumstances, but recognizes the need to protect the dharma and its followers from tyranny. My sense is that the article is attempting to justify the US war on terror by saying, "if Buddhists do it, then it must be OK." Faulty logic since much of the US military efforts abroad have little or nothing to do with al Qaeda.
~ Ten Commandments for a Simpler Way of Life -- Not really Buddhist or integral, but cool.
~ Another steal from Integral Options Cafe - America... -- "Is the nature of the big We that it's always going to be somewhat parasitic? Do you suppose there's always a little bit of unconscious sabotage going on in the way we set up our businesses and nonprofits and governments? After all, the first rule of any organism is survival, be it a single cell, individual person, or group. So I think it's important to consider this deep seated motivation whenever "we" form some sort of organization."
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I found these photos at Dark Roasted Blend. The styrofoam packing material in the cubicle must have been a nightmare to clean up.









There's more workplace humor at the site.

In the ongoing culture wars between science and faith, Albert Einstein has been claimed by both sides. The science side holds him up as the paragon of the quest for scientific truth, even using him (much to Einstein's regret) as a support for atheist ideals. The faith side point to his statements about God and the universe as proof that scientists can still be people of faith.

One of the frequently cited quotes from the faith side is this: "God does not play dice with the universe." This quote is often taken to mean that Einstein believed in a creator God and a created universe. However, there is little support for this view other than that quote (which was actually meant to suggest that the universe operates on specific, non-random laws, not that there is a personal God who is concerned with human fate).

Time magazine has an exclusive excerpt from Walter Isaacson's new biography of Einstein, Einstein: His Life and Universe. They've chosen to highlight a section that deals with Einstein and his faith.

Einstein did, however, retain from his childhood religious phase a profound faith in, and reverence for, the harmony and beauty of what he called the mind of God as it was expressed in the creation of the universe and its laws. Around the time he turned 50, he began to articulate more clearly--in various essays, interviews and letters--his deepening appreciation of his belief in God, although a rather impersonal version of one. One particular evening in 1929, the year he turned 50, captures Einstein's middle-age deistic faith. He and his wife were at a dinner party in Berlin when a guest expressed a belief in astrology. Einstein ridiculed the notion as pure superstition. Another guest stepped in and similarly disparaged religion. Belief in God, he insisted, was likewise a superstition.

At this point the host tried to silence him by invoking the fact that even Einstein harbored religious beliefs. "It isn't possible!" the skeptical guest said, turning to Einstein to ask if he was, in fact, religious. "Yes, you can call it that," Einstein replied calmly. "Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible laws and connections, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in fact, religious."

Shortly after his 50th birthday, Einstein also gave a remarkable interview in which he was more revealing than he had ever been about his religious sensibility. It was with George Sylvester Viereck, who had been born in Germany, moved to America as a child and then spent his life writing gaudily erotic poetry, interviewing great men and expressing his complex love for his fatherland. Einstein assumed Viereck was Jewish. In fact, Viereck proudly traced his lineage to the family of the Kaiser, and he would later become a Nazi sympathizer who was jailed in America during World War II for being a German propagandist.

Viereck began by asking Einstein whether he considered himself a German or a Jew. "It's possible to be both," replied Einstein. "Nationalism is an infantile disease, the measles of mankind."

Should Jews try to assimilate? "We Jews have been too eager to sacrifice our idiosyncrasies in order to conform."

To what extent are you influenced by Christianity? "As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene."

You accept the historical existence of Jesus? "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

Do you believe in God? "I'm not an atheist. I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws."

Is this a Jewish concept of God? "I am a determinist. I do not believe in free will. Jews believe in free will. They believe that man shapes his own life. I reject that doctrine. In that respect I am not a Jew."

Is this Spinoza's God? "I am fascinated by Spinoza's pantheism, but I admire even more his contribution to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal with the soul and body as one, and not two separate things."

Do you believe in immortality? "No. And one life is enough for me."

Einstein tried to express these feelings clearly, both for himself and all of those who wanted a simple answer from him about his faith. So in the summer of 1930, amid his sailing and ruminations in Caputh, he composed a credo, "What I Believe," that he recorded for a human-rights group and later published. It concluded with an explanation of what he meant when he called himself religious: "The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man."

 

Here is one more quote that I think summarizes Einstein's position most clearly, while at the same addressing the current interest in the atheist movements spearheaded by Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins.

Einstein was consistent in rejecting the charge that he was an atheist. "There are people who say there is no God," he told a friend. "But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views." And unlike Sigmund Freud or Bertrand Russell or George Bernard Shaw, Einstein never felt the urge to denigrate those who believed in God; instead, he tended to denigrate atheists. "What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos," he explained.

In fact, Einstein tended to be more critical of debunkers, who seemed to lack humility or a sense of awe, than of the faithful. "The fanatical atheists," he wrote in a letter, "are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who--in their grudge against traditional religion as the 'opium of the masses'-- cannot hear the music of the spheres."

 

The whole article is quite interesting, and I highly recommend it. The book is going on my list of things to read.

I am most drawn to Big Al's statements about awe, what the historian of religion Mircea Eliade has termed (following Rudolf Otto), the mysterium tremendum -- the awe-inspiring mystery.

The atheists claim there is no proof for God, so therefore belief is irrational. Certainly, I do not believe in the God of mainstream religion -- especially not an anthropomorphized deity. And yet I do not agree with Einstein on the absence of free will.

But I do believe in the mysterium tremendum. I feel awed by the vast mystery of a universe that, at present, we can not fully grasp. Is that a belief in God? I don't know. Somehow, I can't buy into the belief that the universe -- and all life -- is the result of random chance and random mutations.

I have no idea what to call it, but there is some kind of hidden intelligence at work that animates the material universe. Does it care about human beings? Not in the slightest. Can it answer prayers? No. But it does, it seems to me, have a purpose.

Whatever it is that lies behind the veil of flesh and stone and light has one discernible purpose -- its own evolution toward awareness.

The woman I love is hurting very badly right now. Part of it is situational, a present-tense thing that will get better in time. But part of it is old wounding from her childhood, something that she has been working to bring to awareness so that it can heal -- but there is still work to do.

I knew all of this when we started seeing each other. I knew that for a while, she would be dealing with the fallout from recent events in her life -- and with the childhood stuff. I'm OK with all of that.

And I also knew that she is A LOT like me -- when she is hurting she withdraws, even from those who love her and want to comfort her.

I have done the same thing in my life. Perhaps there is some karmic justice that I have fallen in love with someone who reflects back to me some of my own shadow stuff.

What I didn't realize until now is how much it hurts to be on the outside looking in when someone I love is suffering. My instinct is to provide comfort. It's really hard not to be able to do that.

Even knowing that, I respect her right to ask for what she needs, even if it means that I feel helpless. I have to allow her to handle her life -- and her pain -- in the way that she feels is best for her. Credit where credit is due: She told me what is going on and asked for what she needed -- that's a hell of lot better than I have done in my life at times.

But what I also realize is how much I have hurt those who have loved me and wanted to comfort me in my pain when I didn't allow them to be there for me. I sincerely regret causing that pain.

I have spent a lot of energy in my life being the "strong one," some idiotic macho thing I learned in my family (and from the culture) about men not showing pain. When I have been in pain, I have kept it hidden or pushed away those close to me. That isn't strength -- it's fear.

For me, one of the toughest things in my life has been allowing myself to be vulnerable. I fear being seen as weak by others or feeling weak to myself. I know that this isn't strength.

I think that is what she is struggling with as well. Her family was even worse than mine in condemning any signs of vulnerability or difficult emotions.

For both of us, there is an inner softness and vulnerability that we hide from the world -- and often from ourselves. I have known in some ways that this is a part of my shadow "stuff" for quite some time. It's a whole other thing to see that disowned self reflected in the woman I love.

My hope is that together we can work on this issue. Maybe as we build trust and intimacy we can begin to share with each other those hurt and sad places within us that we keep buried. Isn't that one of the beautiful things about relationships, that we can help each other heal?
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[NOTE: Due to a severe lack of sleep, today's speedlinks will be abbreviated. I'll be back as usual tomorrow.]

Quote of the day:

"I loathe the expression "What makes him tick." It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm."
~ James Thurber

Image of the day (Tristan Campbell):


BODY
~ Herbal Extract, Forskolin, May Help Combat Bladder Infections -- "An herbal extract, forskolin, which is currently sold as an aid for allergy or fat loss treatment, may be beneficial for patients with bladder infections when taken in combination with antibiotics, say researchers from Duke, University, USA. You can read about this new researcher in the journal Nature Medicine."
~ Mediterranean Diet Protects Kids From Allergies: Study -- "A Mediterranean-style diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and nuts may help prevent allergic rhinitis and asthma symptoms in youngsters, a British study suggests."
~ Why raiding the fridge at night is a bad idea -- "A common diet belief is that eating after 7 p.m. will make you put on weight, that those evening calories somehow add more pounds than ones consumed earlier in the day. Is that accurate?"
~ Combination Treatment For Migraine More Effective Than Single Medications -- "Combining two different types of treatment for migraine results in better symptom relief than taking either one of the medications, according to a study in the April 4 issue of JAMA."
~ Want to gain weight? Focus on muscle-building, not calories -- Good advice from Zen Habits.


PSYCHE
~ Create Connections and Spice up Sex -- "There are many techniques to help, one of which is increasing the feelings of connection. Research shows that for most couples, the more they feel "connected" the better the sex."
~ A 'traffic Light' For Neurons Means 'go' For Improving Brain Research -- "Every thought, feeling and action originates from the electrical signals emitted by diverse brain cells enmeshed in a tangle of circuits. At this fundamental level, scientists struggle to explain the mind. Worse yet, they have lacked tools to understand what's going wrong in patients with ailments such as depression or Parkinson's disease."
~ Is IQ actually AQ? (Mistaking Achievement for "Intelligence") -- "Have we been mistaking achievement for "intelligence"?"
~ Self-talk: A positive intervention under construction -- "Making self-talk constructive is a great place to put positive psychology to work. We talk to ourselves all the time. We argue. We judge. We praise. We catastrophize. We label. We cast ourselves as victims or actors. Some sorts of self-talk are more helpful than others. What we practice with ourselves we can then use when we talk to others."


CULTURE
~ An Army of Christian Right Lawyers Is Waging War on the Constitution -- " A look at the Christian Right's legal muscle leading the fight to end the separation of church and state."
~ Barbara Ehrenreich on the Importance of Collective Joy -- "In her new book, "Dancing in the Streets," Barbara Ehrenreich links the current epidemic of depression with our lack of group bonding rituals and explores how festive gatherings can be vehicles for social change." She's missing the ego-transcending element in group ritual in focusing too much on the political, but still interesting.
~ Working Flat Out And Feeling Fed Up -- "Millions of UK workers are likely to be suffering from depression and panic attacks because they are so stressed out by their jobs. This is one of the key findings of the latest 24-7 survey - a national research project conducted by the Work Life Balance Centre, Leicestershire, UK, and the universities of Keele, Coventry and Wolverhampton." Americans too.
~ Keeping the Faith -- "Pope Benedict XVI says he believes that the Roman Catholic Church in Europe faces a dire threat in secularism and that re-Christianizing the Continent is critical not only to the fate of the church but to the fate of Europe itself."
~ The Coulter Hoax: How Ann Coulter Exposed the Intelligent Design Movement -- "Coulter's treatment of evolutionary biology in her book Godless is best interpreted as a hoax, providing a scathing satire of the antievolution community."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ In New Contract, Newt Goes Green -- "Former House Speaker and possible Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich will be in Washington this week to debate Sen. John Kerry on global climate change and the environment. But don't expect Newt to be in denial mode. A source close to Gingrich says the debate will give him a chance to unveil the market- and technology-based environmental solutions that form the basis of his forthcoming book A Contract With the Earth."
~ Species Total Tops 1 Million -- "A worldwide scientific effort to catalog every living species has topped the 1 million milestone. Six years into the program the total has reached 1,009,000."
~ Bleakest Climate Report Approved -- "As the world gets hotter by degrees, millions of poor people will suffer from hunger, thirst, floods and disease unless drastic action is taken, scientists and diplomats warned Friday in their bleakest report ever on global warming."
~ Portable Refinery Makes Fuel from Food Scraps and Trash -- "The tactical biorefinery converts food waste and inorganic trash into electricity and is designed for the U.S. Army."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ Empty of what? -- An excellent post from Justin at Ordinary Extraordinary on the Western misunderstanding of the concept of emptiness in Buddhism.
~ BLOG: You're Going to Be a Star: Post Your AQAL Essays on This Site -- The Ken Wilber blog is seeking submissions of AQAL articles, so that you too can be an integral star.
~ What do the colors mean? -- Joe Perez at Until explains the use of colors in his Kosmology.
~ Very concise post on metta, Buddism, and other faiths -- From Tiny Thinker at Peaceful Turmoil, a bunch of links to info on Nichiren Buddhism.
~ HHDL on Anger -- A good post from Tom at Thoughts Chase Thoughts.
~ Two ways of losing a belief: friction and investigation -- A nice post at Mystery of Existence.
.

Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks. You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next. And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!

No legendary travels yet, but I'm working on it.
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Today's Daily Om, comments below.

One Of A Kind
The Black Sheep

Many of us have had an experience in which we felt like the lone black sheep in a vast sea of white sheep. For some of us, however, this sense of not belonging runs more deeply and spans a period of many years. It is possible to feel like the black sheep in families and peer groups that are supportive, as well as in those that are not. Even if we receive no overt criticism regarding our values, there will likely be times when it seems that relatives and friends are humoring us or waiting for us to grow out of a phase. Sometimes we may even think we have been adopted because we are so different from our family members. These feelings are not a sign that we have failed in some way to connect with others. Rather, they should be perceived as the natural result of our willingness to articulate our individuality.

Many black sheep respond to the separateness they feel by pulling back from the very people to whom they might otherwise feel closest and embracing a different group with whom they enjoy a greater degree of commonality. But if you feel that your very nature has set you apart from your peers and relatives, consider that you chose long ago to be raised by a specific family and to come together with specific people so that you could have certain experiences that would contribute to your ongoing evolution. You may be much more sensitive than the people around you or more artistic, aware, spiritual, or imaginative. The disparate temperament of your values and those of your family or peers need not be a catalyst for interpersonal conflict. If you can move beyond comparisons and accept these differences, you will come to appreciate the significant role your upbringing and socialization have played in your life's unique journey.

In time, most black sheep learn to embrace their differences and be thankful for those aspects of their individuality that set them apart from others. We cannot expect that our peers and relatives will suddenly choose to embrace our values and offer us the precise form of support we need. But we can acknowledge the importance of these individuals by devoting a portion of our energy to keeping these relationships healthy while continuing to define our own identities apart from them.

I don't buy into the New Age crap about choosing our families before we are born so that we can learn life lessons. That belief, to me, is in the same category of nonsense as The Secret. Aside from that, I think this is a useful post.

There's no need to resort to to hocus pocus about how we ended up in a family where we feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Most people feel that way at some time or another. What it generally comes down to is expectations -- those we hold and those held by the people around us. There are other factors as well, but this is often the thing that causes problems.

No matter how we ended where we did, we can use the situation to learn and grow. All of us had parents who are in some way wounded. Sometimes it can be pretty harmless, for the most part, but still leave us feeling alienated. Sometimes, however, the wounding is severe and results in abuse, neglect, manipulation, or worse. This is not to excuse abuse, because there is no excusing that -- simply to say that there is nearly always a causation for these breeches of trust and compassion.

The important point in the article is that we learn to accept and value the ways that we are different. I have struggled with this at various times in my life.

I grew up in a very traditional family: Military service was expected; Hippies should be deported; Men should be stoic and reserved; Women should be in the kitchen.

I knew as a young child that this was not the kind of world I wanted to live in. I rebelled in a thousand different ways as I sought to find a place for myself. Even when I was able escape that situation, I was still living in a culture in Southern Oregon that was not supportive of people like me. So I tried to fit in as best I could.

As I grew older, I discovered that I didn't really fit into American culture too well, either. This was when I began to seek out friends who also felt like outsiders. It took me a long time to accept that, for whatever reason, my expectations generally did not match those of my culture. And the culture's expectations for who I should be had nothing to do with who I am really am.

The article suggests that we can try to maintain a relationship with our families by "devoting a portion of our energy to keeping these relationships healthy while continuing to define our own identities apart from them." This isn't always the case, however. Sometimes we need to sever all ties, at least for a while, to establish ourselves apart from our families of origin. When we are more centered in our awareness and able to maintain our boundaries, then we can re-establish a connection if that feels right.

I went through this in my family, and I've seen many of my friends have to do the same thing.

Our culture places a tremendous value on family ties. We are made to feel guilty and that we are bad people if we reject this notion. But when we are not a good match with our families -- or worse, when there was abuse -- there may be no other choice, if we are to be happy and healthy, than to distance from them until we are in a place where we can set and maintain boundaries around what is acceptable to us and what is not.

Few people will ever do this. But as we continue to evolve, more and more of us will come to see that our families of origin may not be the most supportive environment for us. We must build our own family -- what some people are calling our spiritual tribe -- so that we can surround ourselves with people who are like us in values and purpose. And along the way, we must learn to accept ourselves for who we are, and not for who others expect us to be.

Quote of the day:

"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted."
~ Aldous Huxley

Image of the day:


BODY
~ 7 Exercises From Thib's Toolbox -- "Throw on your favourite wife beater and lace up your Chucks before reading this article because you're going to want to run straight to the gym to try these movements!" Very cool -- I'll be inflicting some of these on my clients.
~ Interesterified Oil: Why you should watch out for this trans fat substitute! -- The food companies have found a way to bypass the trans fats bans.
~ Coffee Lovers, Smokers at Lower Parkinson's Risk (HealthDay) -- Coffee good, smoking bad.
~ Severely obese fastest-growing U.S. overweight group -- "People who are 100 pounds (45 kg) or more overweight are the fastest-growing group of overweight people in the United States, researchers reported on Monday."
~ Diabetics found more prone to mild memory problems -- "Diabetics are at higher risk of getting a type of mild memory impairment that may later develop into Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday."
~ Study: Cocoa calms blood pressure -- "Some may see a cup of tea as soothing, but chocolate is more likely to lower one’s blood pressure, German researchers reported."
~ Menopause tied to sexual dysfunction -- "Women who have particularly low levels of the hormone DHEA during menopause may be more likely to have sexual dysfunction, a new study suggests."
~ The Facts About Fats -- The WaPo column points to a cool online tool for figuring daily calorie and fat needs.
~ Milk beats soy for muscle gain -- "Got milk? Weightlifters will want to raise a glass after a new study found that milk protein is significantly better than soy at building muscle mass." As if there was any doubt.

PSYCHE
~ Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Linked with Increased Pain Tolerance [Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)] -- "A recent study by Dutch scientists has found that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be less sensitive to physical pain than those who don't suffer from the condition. PTSD patients experience panic attacks, flashbacks, anxiety and depression following a traumatic event. Scans reveals that the PTSD subjects' brains were less active than those of their unaffected counterparts."
~ Twin studies show high heritability of brain volume for certain regions -- "I just thought this paper was kind of cool. It reviews the evidence from twin studies that shows that certain regions of the brain show very high levels of genetic heritability. Heritability, as I discussed in an earlier post, is a gross measure of the genetic as opposed to the environmental contribution to a particular trait."
~ Sexuality at Hand -- "Are left-handers more likely to be gay?"
~ Queer IQ: The Gay Couple's Advantage -- "Gay relationships are less mired in deception and friction."
~ Is Success a Secret Or Is “The Secret” Just Positive Snake Oil? -- Even the Positive Psychology folks think The Secret is a scam.
~ 17 Inspirational Quotes on People Skills -- "I hope you can get a bit of wisdom and inspiration out of these quotes and from the people who have walked before us."
~ Sex Energy -- From Steve Pavlina, so take it for what it's worth -- "In this article I’ll explain how to use sex energy to set goals that align with your natural biochemical arousal triggers, such that you find yourself taking action towards your goals more easily."
~ Relevancy and Spirituality -- "One of the primary tasks that I see for those of us who wish for our spirituality to have an impact on the world is to identify its relevancy for other people. Obviously, if you embark down a spiritual path, you find it fulfilling and relevant (or at least you hope that you do…). You study, you practice (or whatever), and go about your life."
~ Birds Do It. Bees Do It. People Seek the Keys to It -- "The definitions of sexual desire can be as quirky and personalized as the very chromosomal combinations that sexual reproduction will yield." See also: Pas de Deux of Sexuality Is Written in the Genes.


CULTURE
~ Religious bias colors doctors' views: survey -- "Few topics are more likely to cause argument among doctors than the influence of religion on healing, but a survey suggests most physicians bring their ideas about religion into their practice, U.S. researchers reported on Monday."
~ Matrixism: Religion Based on the Matrix Movies? -- "I suppose it was only a matter of time until a "real religion" emerged based on the tenets of the Matrix story: Matrixism. What are the tenets of Matrixism, you might ask?"
~ Study Demonstrates Remarkable Power Of Social Norms -- "Most people want to be normal. So, when we are given information that underscores our deviancy, the natural impulse is to get ourselves as quickly as we can back toward the center. Marketers know about this impulse, and a lot of marketing makes use of social norms. This is especially true of campaigns targeting some kind of public good: reducing smoking or binge drinking, for example, or encouraging recycling. The problem with these campaigns is that they often do not work."
~ Christians being persecuted in Oregon [Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee Refuge] -- "In a nutshell, the law would offer gays the same protection as any other minority group. The bill specifically allows churches to go on discriminating in accordance with their merry traditions, but this isn't good enough for conservative Christians, who, thanks to the inorganic brain damage resulting from indoctrination by Bible, believe that no one should think it's okay to treat faggots, dykes and bis equitably."
~ Two new proposals for exiting Iraq -- "Two new essays on how to disengage from Iraq are making the rounds, and though they hail from very different quarters (one, by Steven Simon, is published by the Council on Foreign Relations; the other, by Juan Cole, appears in the Nation), their conclusions are strikingly similar."
~ The critical buzz on the Conceptual master -- "Sol LeWitt, R.I.P. The pioneering contemporary artist died Sunday at age 78 at his home in Connecticut. Many of LeWitt's most famous works were installation pieces, painted directly onto gallery walls—and had to be destroyed when the shows were over. The Associated Press recalls that "LeWitt's first wall drawing, part of a 1968 display in New York, was so striking that the gallery owner couldn't bear to paint over it. She insisted the LeWitt come and do it himself, which he did without hesitation." LeWitt was a leading figure in the Conceptual and Minimalist movements."
~ John McCain's Iraq problem -- "His rosy statements about Iraq were aimed at GOP primary voters, but they suggest the would-be president doesn't understand the war he'd be fighting."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Just How Smart Are Ravens? [Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)] -- "Some of you know that Bernd Heinrich has spent many winters studying ravens and their behavior. This month, Heinrich and his colleague, Thomas Bugnyar, published an article in Scientific American that explores the intelligence of ravens. In this article, they investigate the question; do the birds consciously contemplate alternative behaviors and choose the most appropriate ones, or are they merely relying on instinct or learning to perform specific actions by rote?" Ravens are smarter than a lot people I know.
~ The Ethanol Hoax -- "Nicholas von Hoffman writes that corn is the magic cure of the moment, which Bush and the global-warming naysayers contend will save the planet. Don't buy it."
~ Deforestation May Add to Climate Changes -- "The effect of deforestation on climate depends on three things - location, location and location."
~ Space Tourist Docks at Station -- "Microsoft mogul Charles Simonyi becomes the third tourist in space."
~ Giant Crystal Cave's Mystery Solved -- "The "Sistine Chapel of crystals" gained its nearly bus-length gems over millions of years of volcanic cooking in a rich watery mixture, a new study says."
~ Cavemen Chose Caves on Five Criteria -- "Cavemen "shopped" for caves much like modern house hunters choose their homes."
~ Apple hails 100 millionth iPod -- "Apple Inc. said Monday that it had now sold 100 million iPods, describing the iconic device as the fastest-selling music player ever"


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ Buddhist Geeks 14: A Crisis of Curiosity -- "In this episode Gwen Bell interviews Anne McQuade, a current student of Genpo Roshi and regular reader of our site. A large part of their conversation focuses on a controversial article that Brad Warner—who will be one of our future guests—urchinTracker ('/outbound/article/suicidegirls.com');">published on suicidegirls.com (an alt porn site), criticizing Genpo Roshi and the Big Mind process."
~ TinyThinker at Peaceful Turmoil takes a look at The fundamentalist atheist flap.
~ Matthew Dallman is intent on Battling "postmodernism" down -- I'm with him on this one.
~ A Methodology for Complex Problems (version 3) from How to Save the World.
~ Sam Harris: Orange Meanie or Teal Secular Humanist? -- An interesting discussion at the Zaadz I-I pod.
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This came to my in-box this weekend, but I didn't really read it until this morning. From Snow Lion Publications:

Dalai Lama Quote of the Week

Actually, we are all part of the community of humanity. If humanity is happy, has a successful life, a happy future, automatically, I will benefit. If humanity suffers, I too will suffer. Humanity is like one body, and we are part of that body. Once you realize this, once you cultivate this kind of attitude, you can bring about a change in your way of thinking. A sense of caring, commitment, discipline, oneness with humanity -- these are very relevant in today's world. I call this secular ethics, and this is the first level to counter negative emotions.

The second level in this connection is taught by all major religious traditions, whether Christian or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu. They all carry the message of love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and discipline. These are countermeasures for negative emotions. When anger is about to surface, when hatred is about to flare up, think of tolerance. It is important to stop any mental dissatisfaction when we feel it because it leads to anger and hatred.

Patience is the countermeasure for mental dissatisfaction. Greed and its self-centeredness bring unhappiness, and also destruction of the environment, exploitation of others, and increases the gap between the rich and the poor. The countermeasure is contentment. So practicing contentment is useful in our daily lives.

. . . All religious traditions talk about methods of compassion and forgiveness. If we accept religion, we should take the religious methods seriously and sincerely and use them in our daily lives. Then, a meaningful life can develop.

~ From Many Ways to Nirvana: Reflections and Advice on Right Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, edited by Renuka Singh.

Yesterday's poem The Academy of American Poets:

 

Oil & Steel
by Henri Cole

My father lived in a dirty dish mausoleum,
watching a portable black-and-white television,
reading the Encyclopedia Britannica,
which he preferred to Modern Fiction.
One by one, his schnauzers died of liver disease,
except the one that guarded his corpse
holding a tumbler of Bushmills.
"Dead is dead," he would say, an anti-preacher.
I took a plaid shirt from the bedroom closet
and some motor oil—my inheritance.
Once, I saw him weep in a courtroom—
neglected, needing nursing—this man who never showed
me much affection but gave me a knack
for solitude, which has been mostly useful.

Quote of the day:

"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot."
~ Steven Wright

Image of the day:


BODY
~ Body Weight Associated With Portion Sizes In Young Adults -- "In a survey of 51 students, the researchers found 'when allowed to select their own portion sizes, participant BMI is a very strong predictor of larger than recommended amounts of food.'"
~ Question of Strength: April 2007 -- Charles Poliquin "explains the right way to do step ups, how to develop a powerful neck, and the correct rep range for building up the hamstrings, in addition to introducing wild and woolly 'shock effect' training."
~ Scientists Say Dieting Does Not Work -- "US scientists conducting a comprehensive review of dieting research have concluded that dieting does not work.The study is published in the April edition of American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association." That's why I emphasize healthy eating over dieting.
~ Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind And Other Tips For Eating Less -- "Here's a diet tip that doesn't involve counting calories or fat. Research shows that changing how foods are served and stored can help with weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight."
~ Stem cell experiment lets diabetics forgo insulin -- "Thirteen young diabetics in Brazil have ditched their insulin shots and need no other medication thanks to a risky, but promising treatment with their own stem cells — apparently the first time such a feat has been accomplished."
~ UCLA Identifies New Molecule Involved In The Body's Processing Of Dietary Fat -- "UCLA investigators have identified a new molecule that may help regulate the delivery of fats to cells for energy and storage.Published in the April issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, the finding could lead to a better understanding of how we utilize fats from the foods we eat."
~ The Natural Way to Break Your Smoking Habit -- "Scientists at the Duke University Medical Center have discovered a safer, non-drug approach to stop smoking that is far better for your health: Consuming a diet richer in fruits, vegetables, water and dairy products."


PSYCHE
~ Forgetfulness key to a good memory -- "Too many long-term memories make it hard to properly filter new information and process short-term memories, according to a study last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."
~ Agreeing on what to call things -- do we value cooperation or just consistency? [Cognitive Daily] -- A very interesting discussion.
~ Sex, Love, and SSRIs -- "Can Prozac keep you from falling—and staying—in love? How SSRIs are wreaking havoc on courtship."
~ Long-Term Therapy More Effective for Bipolar Patients -- "While many employers and insurers have taken to the idea of affordably short-term cognitive behavioral therapy or "collaborative care" for mental illness, recent studies strongly suggest that intensive, open-ended psychotherapy, in combination with the appropriate medications, is the best treatment plan for those struggling with bipolar disorder."
~ Ejaculation turns off men's brains -- As if there was any doubt?
~ Loving More Than One -- "Is polyamory just groovy bohemian love?"
~ Refusing To Face The Facts -- Denial And Health -- "Denial is a common response to a stressful situation. It can be an important coping and defense mechanism. But it also can delay the appropriate response to circumstances that require action and change. The April issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource discusses how denial can help and how it can be a roadblock to good health."
~ Hypnotism Gaining A Legitimate Role In Health Care Treatments -- "Hypnotism has expanded its realm from magic shows to health care. As a potential component of care, hypnotism is gaining legitimacy for a number of conditions, particularly for managing pain, according to the April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter."


CULTURE
~ Abstinence groups try to maintain funds (AP) -- "Abstinence-only educators say there's more to their programs than the "just say no" mantra of the anti-drug movement."
~ Bush would veto stem cell research bill (AP) -- "President Bush will again veto a bill to subsidize stem cell research using human embryos, but would sign an alternative that permits public funding for studies on embryos incapable of developing into fetuses, the White House said Tuesday."
~ Positive Effects Of Family Dinner Are Undone By TV Viewing -- "Low-income families with pre-school children tend to eat better when dining together as a family, but less nutritiously when the television is on during dinner, according to researchers at the New York State Department of Health."
~ Restoring Voting Rights for Felons -- "Florida is the latest state to see the light—recognizing that eventually, felons come out of jail, and rejoin society. Everyone wins if they become productive citizens."
~ The Next Bush Scandal? -- "The slowly-unfolding disclosure that some White House aides use non-government e-mail servers to conduct official business may soon be reaching scandal proportions."
~ Girls Gone Wild founder in federal custody -- "The founder of the “Girls Gone Wild” video empire was taken into custody by federal marshals early Tuesday to face a contempt of court citation after initially defying a federal judge." Couldn't happen to a more deserving man.
~ Culture Flows Through English Channels, but Not for Long -- "Changing demographics and emerging market forces could spell an end to Anglo domination of arts and entertainment. Commentary by Momus."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ The allure of Twitter, the latest Web sensation -- "Twitter is the newest assault on your attention span. Once you've signed in, the Twitter site immediately prompts you with a question in bold type: "What are you doing?" Below, there's a blinking cursor and a blank white space where you have 140 characters with which to answer. That's basically it."
~ Whales migrate more than 5,100 miles -- "U.S. scientists have found humpback whales migrate more than 5,100 miles from Central America to Antarctica -- a record mammalian migration."
~ Drought, development killing Australia's koalas -- "Extreme drought, ferocious bushfires and urban development are killing Australia's koalas and could push the species towards extinction within a decade, environmentalists are warning."
~ Computer scientists develop P2P system that promises faster music, movie downloads -- "A Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist says transferring large data files, such as movies and music, over the Internet could be sped up significantly if peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing services were configured to share not only identical files, but also similar files."
~ China's Purple Army Made for Magic -- "Were the purple hues of China's Terracotta Army made by Taoist monks?"
~ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers fate of two beloved critters -- "The proposal to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act inspired more than 500,000 emails and oodles of snail mail before yesterday's public-input deadline."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ On performative contradictions and altitude -- "Please be careful (everyone) in characterizing Wilber's claims to a post-metaphysical philosophy. In Integral Spirituality, Wilber makes clear that he does not assert NO metaphysical postulates, only the minimum necessary baggage (specifically, that there is an Eros to evolution)." From Joe Perez.
~ Contemplating death gives gratitude for life -- "The contemplation of death is vital for the clarity and enthusiasm for living fully. In particular, reflection on death can be a source of a virtue that helps greatly improve one's peace of mind and quality of life, namely gratitude."
~ Is postmodernism a weed? -- "As a term which refers to a broad current or movement with both an intellectual component (i.e., scholars write books about it!) and a pop cultural component (e.g., contemporary camp humor), it's obviously a very inclusive term (much like the terms classical and modern, terms which I've noticed you continue to use). Or, if I may add, the word Humanities. It's a shallow (umbrella) term, not a deep (precise) one." From Joe Perez.
~ Aspects of emptiness -- "Emptiness (shunyata) can be used in several different, although relatively closely related, ways…" From Mystery of Existence, inspired by Tiny Thinker. See also: Reversals and the Middle Way.
~ Disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, classical -- A great post from Matthew Dallman on Classical Artistry. See also: The classical artist is the integral artist.
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Today's Daily Dharma from Tricycle:

Holding It All In

I think a lot about the fact that the Buddha made a separate category for Right Speech. He could have been more efficient and included it in Right Action, since speaking is a form of action. For a while I thought it was separate because we speak so much. But then I changed my mind--some people don't speak a lot. Now, I think it's a separate category because speech is so potent. During the 1960s, when the social ethos was "letting it all hang out," I had recurrent fantasies about writing a book called Holding It All In. I think I was alarmed that people had overlooked how vulnerable each of us is. In recent years, I've revised my book title to Holding It All In Until We've Figured Out How to Say It in a Useful Way. I believe we are obliged to tell the truth. Telling the truth is a way we take care of people. The Buddha taught complete honesty, with the extra instruction that everything a person says should be truthful and helpful.

~ Sylvia Boorstein, It's Easier Than You Think

Over the years, I've become a lot more sensitive to this notion of Right Speech. When I was young, I was very insensitive to the possibility of being able to hurt someone by how one speaks. I thought that the truth was the truth, and it needed to be spoken. I was also more than a little critical and mean-spirited sometimes.

But the notion of Right Speech as the Buddha taught it includes both the truth and being helpful. Sometimes it is not helpful to flatly state the truth without regard for someone's feelings. Choosing our words wisely can make a huge difference.

There is nowhere that this is more true than in intimate relationships. It can be very important to pause and consider if we what we are about to say -- especially when angry -- is both true and helpful. Ken Wilber likes to mention the old Quaker injunction to let the next thing from your mouth be from your best self. I think the Buddha could groove with that.

Too many times we allow ourselves to speak harshly to our partners -- or allow them to speak harshly to us. I have been guilty of this far too often in my life. It can be very hurtful, whether the hurt is acknowledged or not. What it comes down to is a breech of trust -- when we are in an intimate relationship we trust that our partners will treat us with respect, and s/he trusts that we will be respectful.

Obviously, we are going to make mistakes in this area. And when that happens it is important that we (1) acknowledge the hurt that occurred, (2) make an effort to re-establish trust, and (3) work to become more mindful of our speech so that it does not happen again.

As with most things, it comes down to being more mindful of how we think and what comes out of our mouths.
.

Quote of the day:

"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."
~ John Cage

Image of the day:


BODY
~ The Hierarchy of Fat Loss -- "A Cosgrove article with references? Oh no, Alwyn must have eaten a bad batch of haggis! Oh well, just remember, when it comes to fat loss, if it's not Cosgrove, it's shite!"
~ Junior Needs a Nutrition Lesson -- "In our April issue, we ran a story on how to Build a Better Breakfast. Essentially, it said to lower the carbs, and increase the protein and fat, and then gave a few recipes on how to do that. This prompted a personal trainer to write in and give me a lecture on proper diet. I won't use his real name, since it's not really important. Instead, I'll just call him Junior, as in, 'Listen up, Junior, you have a lot to learn.'"
~ The “Fastest Thing on No Legs” Gets Even Faster -- "He has now smashed World Records that he established since competing in the Paralympic Games in Athens 26 times. His 10.91 second time in the 100m on Wednesday, April 4, 2007, makes Pistorius the first amputee to officially break the 11-second mark." Amazing -- freaking amazing!
~ Apple Consumption During Pregnancy Reduces Risk For Childhood Wheezing And Asthma -- "Eating apples while pregnant may give new meaning to an apple a day keeping the doctor away. Compelling new research has concluded that mothers who eat apples during pregnancy may protect their children from developing asthma later in life."
~ Scientists identify cancer genes, drugs to block them (AFP) -- "Researchers in the United States have isolated a set of four genes closely linked to the growth of breast cancer cells and their spread to the lungs, according to a study released Wednesday."
~ Can't Stop Eating When You've Had Enough? It's All in Your Genes -- "Overeating, and a Host of Other Detrimental Behaviors, Can All Be Traced to Our Evolutionary Past, Experts Say."


PSYCHE
~ Exercise linked to less anxiety, depression -- "A regular run through the park may improve not only heart health but also mental health, a study suggests."
~ Gay men seen prone to have eating disorders -- "Gay and bisexual men may be at far higher risk for eating disorders than heterosexual men, while women seem to be equally affected regardless of their sexual orientation, a new study suggests."
~ Self-Awareness: The PopEye Strength -- "Self-awareness, or self-knowledge, is our ability to know ourselves. To borrow from Jon Haidt, self-awareness is our ability to be in touch with both our “elephant” and our “rider,” or both our thoughts and our feelings (Haidt, 2006). Self-awareness measures our ability to know our presence in the world and how we use it to operate."
~ The impact of failing vision on artists - and other altered perceptions -- "Many famous artists and musicians have had the perception of their own art altered by abnormal physical or mental changes. Critics and historians have often credited these changes as major sources of creativity. Insanity and Drugs seem to usually be the most cited and obvious candidates but very often something a lot more vanilla, like hearing or vision loss, can have the greatest impact on an artists art."
~ This Wednesday: One big tip for changing the way you think -- "Every Wednesday is Tip Day. This Wednesday: One big tip for changing the way you think."
~ The Blues: Can't Get Out of Bed? -- "When you'd rather stay in bed."
~ Why We Dream -- "How dreams protect and distract the brain."
~ Links between insomnia and mood -- "Data indicate that insomnia is just as common among people with anxiety disorders as people with depressive disorders. It is an equally strong link."


CULTURE
~ Talent: Does it always shine through? [Cognitive Daily] -- "This story in the Washington Post has been getting a lot of attention. The reporter convinced world-famous violin virtuoso Joshua Bell to play for 45 minutes in a busy Washington subway station, as an experiment to see if passersby would recognize his amazing talents and reward him appropriately. His take was a lowly $32, not counting $20 from a disgusted fan who recognized Bell and couldn't believe others weren't being more generous."
~ McCain takes on the Democrats on the war -- "Today, John McCain did the full Cheney. In his speech at the Virginia Military Institute in which he laid out his extensive support for the war in Iraq, the Arizona senator matched the vice president's scorn for his political opponents."
~ Creationism: A Museum For Middle America -- "A former teacher is opening an anti-evolution Creation Museum in Kentucky. Will its appeal extend beyond the believers?"
~ Campaign Matters: Edwards' Post-Veto Plan -- "Former Veep nominee says that Congress should keep sending Bush the same Iraq bill, over and over again."
~ Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples Meets in Guatemala -- "Thousands of Indigenous peoples from 24 countries gathered in Guatemala on March 26 for the Third Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala."
~ Academimic -- A New Criterion review of Craig Raine's new book: T. S. Eliot (Lives and Legacies Series).
~ The Changing (Inter)Face of Religion -- "Cluttered as it is with distractions, the internet seems an unlikely conduit for the spiritual. Yet many are turning to the web for religious direction."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Apple Adds MGM Movies to ITunes -- "MGM has become the latest major film studio to offer downloadable movies on Apple's iTunes Store."
~ Astronomers improve cosmic distance scale with Hubble -- "An international team of astronomers led by Fritz Benedict and Barbara McArthur of The University of Texas at Austin has used Hubble Space Telescope to solve one of the biggest problems in measuring the universe's expansion."
~ Trash to energy -- "The Boston Globe has a nice article on a source of renewable electricity that doesn't get nearly the attention it ought to: methane generated by landfills. This, like so many cogen opportunities, is a no-brainer."
~ Perception, Status and Bottled Water -- "In a new study, University of Arkansas researchers argue that consumers buy bottled water because they perceive it to be purer, safer and healthier than municipal water. Further findings suggest that young and high-income people, guided by the perception of higher quality, are more likely to purchase bottled water and home-filtration systems. Purchasing bottled water also carries a degree of status, or "snob appeal," the researchers found."
~ Invasive Bugs, Plants Prefer Summer Plane Flights, Study Finds -- "Like many humans, insects and plants are more likely to hitch flights to foreign destinations in June, July, and August, scientists say."
~ Photo Gallery: Quake Lifts Island Ten Feet Out of Ocean -- "The earthquake that blasted the Solomon Islands with a deadly tsunami has devastated local fishing and tourism by exposing vulnerable coral."
~ New Solar Panel Design Traps More Light -- "Sunlight has never really caught fire as a power source, mostly because generating electricity with solar cells is more expensive and less efficient than some conventional sources."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ Buddhist Geeks Book Review: Sit Down & Shut Up by Brad Warner -- "I call myself a student of Zen (and, briefly, a student of Warner’s) but had not heard about the Shobogenzo until I read Warner’s upcoming release. Although this is ancient wisdom, Warner’s done a fantastic job of getting to the meat of Dogen’s work with generous use of his trademark humor (my most frequent margin note? Ha, ha. Oh Shit!), reminiscences on the punk scene he was brought up on and nuggets of wisdom rarely seen in an author this plugged in to youth-counter-modern-hipster-culture."
~ Right Speech, Again -- From the Buddha Diaries.
~ Miscommunication? -- From Ed Berge at Open Integral -- "Ken [Wilber] has made much of the complaint that his critics don’t understand what he’s saying, that they twist his meanings to often contrary purposes. He explains this as them not being of a high enough level of consciousness to understand because they don’t yet have the developmental signified to apprehend the referent. I think there is some validity to this but it doesn’t seem like the whole story."
~ New Paglia column -- MD pulls some cool quotes from the article.
~ UG KRISHNAMURTI, THE SOTO SECT, AND COOL HAIRCUTS - From Brad Warner at Hardcore Zen (as an aside, I listened to his band's music [Dimentia 13] long before I knew who the hell Warner was or gave a rip about Buddhism -- strange, that.)
~ The Shamanic Breathwork Process 8-day Intensive -- From Gary at Integral in Seattle.
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Today's poem from the Academy of American Poets in honor of National Poetry Month:

Bedside
by William Olsen

Because it turns out the world really is a hospital,
Because we had to have had before us a giant pair of scissors
Before four bold wings can have newly ascended,
Before new doors can revolve, before new elevators
Rise and fall empty and full, new numbers light,
New floors with new doors both open and closed
Because there are nurses to sail in and out of need,
Because need walks the doctors somewhere or another,
Because of elaborately adaptable need the bed . . .
The bed could be wheeled right into traffic and snow
Because so far there is only inside and outside
And more of both than even creation could have concocted,
Because the bed that bore us all and our desires
And our exhaustions has become a contraption,
Because the bed that keeps us coming back to it,
The bed that once sailed to the ends of the earth—
Now tied to trees dripping blood and sugar and sleep,
Anchored where overhead a TV persists, such news
As snows poor reception—because the reliable bed
Is something even a family understands, the family
Is how the world goes—a fool's dream of awareness—
Grouped around this steel altar at its least and lowered
Because the bed is a helpless, blameless invention,
All the same to it if it is made or not, empty or not,
Same fatiguing last probabilities, because there are
As many ways to die as people to find these ways
Because there surely are, because the tried is ever new,
Who can't lose their way anew among so many alive?
Because who hasn't made their own bed, because
Who hasn't slept who hasn't been led by night there,
My mother's hands playing the fabric of the spread
As if it were a piano, tongue-tied, isolate fingers,
She's ghost-smoking, working on an invisible crochet
"Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate . . .  I want to die"—
"Wake up!" Machado said the Gospels reduced to
But not now, not until you have what you want—
Any belief in love itself is what I'd have you want—
Look me in the eye with that sort of love that looks
Through me as if grief were so much tissue paper,
With a love that doesn't stop with me or you, that
Doesn't stop when there's no more world to fear
Because there is no need to wheel the bed outside,
Because a hospital melts like a snowflake, because
The walls and windows and even the bed liquify,
Even the things she's seen that aren't there vanish
Because how much energy there is in emptiness,
Take everything away, there's still something there.

~ From Avenue of Vanishing by William Olsen. Copyright © 2007 by William Olsen. Published 2007 by TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press. Used with permission.

Rather than die the expected death of a lifelong smoker, Kurt Vonnegut succumbed to head injuries from a fall in his NY apartment. He was 84. [Commentary below.]

Voice of America has a nice profile:

American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., has died at age 84. VOA'S Chris Martin prepared this profile.

 

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. with wife, photographer Jill Krementz (2004 file photo)

Kurt Vonnegut emerged as one of the most influential and provocative writers in the United States, during the 1960's. His writing was an ongoing protest against what he felt were the horrors of the 20th Century. He wrote of an unending sequence of disastrous wars, the destruction of the environment and the dehumanization of the individual, in a society dominated by science and technology.

Vonnegut's themes were by no means unique to contemporary literature. It was rather the way he expressed his protest that made his works so forceful and popular. Fantasy, science fiction, humor, a keen sense of the absurd, and despair were the ingredients of his satires. In his fantastic tales, he would show the frustrations of average people with their burdens and boredom.

Kurt Vonnegut was a self-proclaimed pessimist. He believed the egalitarianism of American society was not the result of individuals realizing their opportunities in a "land of opportunity," but more the result of a decrease in opportunities. An example is his novel, "Breakfast of Champions," about a middle-aged American car salesman. The book's message is that hard work, intelligence, and perseverance do not guarantee anything in a changing America. Vonnegut believed the individual was not the controller of his own destiny, but the subject to many uncertainties.

Kurt Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Midwestern United States. His schooling at Cornell University was interrupted when the United States entered World War II. As a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany, he witnessed the firebombing of that city. This catastrophe later became the subject of his most powerful novel, "Slaughterhouse Five."

Kurt Vonnegut became a free-lance (independent) writer in 1950 and, two years later, published his first novel, "Player Piano." This futuristic story takes place in a city where the industry has been fully mechanized. The people of the city - aware they are being phased out - revolt and destroy all the machinery. They soon realize they have destroyed the technological devices they depend upon for their existence. Another of Kurt Vonnegut's well-known works is "Cat's Cradle," the story of two families - one black, one white - who struggle to live in an icy, empty environment. Separation and war are the two themes of his novel "Mother Night."

In his novels, Vonnegut's heroes are unexceptional characters. The author's popularity can be linked to his use of ordinary people whose frustrations force them to work together to correct the ills of their society. He saw personal satisfaction as inconceivable in a fragmented world. Vonnegut pleaded, in his surreal way, for an end to the hierarchies of religion, status, money and intelligence that he said divide people and make them adversaries.

Author Kurt Vonnegut became a hero of his culture, because he celebrated human vulnerabilities - something we all can understand. Kurt Vonnegut died Wednesday, at age 84.

 

The Washington Post, Time, The Boston Globe, the BBC, the New York Times, among others, all have articles up about Vonnegut's life and work.

When Slaughterhouse Five (probably Vonnegut's best and most famous work) was published, some reviewers thought that it signaled the death of the American novel. Actual history (the bombing of Dresden) was mixed with science fiction (the hero, Billy Pilgrim, has "come unstuck in time"), and a large dose of social commentary, making many people very uncomfortable. The book is still among the most-banned books in American schools, and a district in North Dakota once burned all copies of the book -- and fired the teacher who taught it.

However, rather than signaling the death of the novel, Vonnegut's work expanded the possibilities. There were many precedents for a non-linear narrative already (mostly European), but Vonnegut's books brought non-linearity into the mainstream, allowing younger authors to explore similar possibilities in their own work. I think it's fair to say that his books, especially the first seven or so (up through Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye, Blue Monday [1973]), revolutionized the popular novel format in America.

This is from Wikipedia:

These structural experiments were continued in Breakfast of Champions (1973), which included many rough illustrations, lengthy non-sequiturs and an appearance by the author himself, as a deus ex machina.

"This is a very bad book you're writing," I said to myself.

"I know," I said.

"You're afraid you'll kill yourself the way your mother did," I said.

"I know," I said.

Vonnegut attempted suicide in 1985 and later wrote about this in several essays.

Breakfast of Champions became one of his best sellers. It includes, beyond the author himself, several of Vonnegut's recurring characters. One of them, Kilgore Trout, plays a major role and interacts with the author's character.

 

More than narrative structure, however, what made Vonnegut extremely popular was the use of humor to deal with horrific ideas and painful observations. He was depressed most of his life, and tried to suicide as mentioned above, but he still found the humor, albeit cynical, in human existence.

Politics also played an important role in his books and life. He wrote many anti-Bush articles for In These Times (a quote posted in his Wikipedia article, referencing his writings on Iraq: "By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East?" he wrote. "Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas in December" ^[18]).

He was generally a humanist (he was Honorary President of the American Humanist Association, replacing the author Isaac Asimov in what Vonnegut called "that totally functionless capacity"). But he also held sympathies with some elements of socialism. He made no friends among conservatives with such views.

My first exposure to Vonnegut came in high school when we read Harrison Bergeron, an anti-egalitarian short story that argues against the notion that all people should be equal in abilities and privileges. In the story, those who are stronger are forced to wear weights to keep them equal with others, while those who are smarter have their thoughts disrupted to make them more "normal." The story is a powerful argument against the notion that all people are created equal and should be treated as such. It's also wonderfully anti-authoritarian, which appealed to a young social misfit such as myself.

In college, I began reading all of his novels from Player Piano forward. Vonnegut will always rank as one of my favorite novelists -- and favorite authors. His sharp mind and cynical wit will be sorely missed.
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