Integral Options Cafe

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Newt Gingrich: Freedom of Speech? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Freedom of Speech

Newt Gingrich advocates that we roll up the Constitution with a few grams of purple-hair indica and ditch our right to free speech in a big cloud of smoke.

Well, not quite. But close enough.

MANCHESTER – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.

GINGRICH
Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.

"We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade," said Gingrich, a Republican who helped engineer the GOP's takeover of Congress in 1994.

Read the whole article.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" Top Pop Song

England's Q Magazine has voted Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" the number one pop song from the last two decades. Some of the list is a bit iffy, though I'm down with the Guns N' Roses song (I'd rather see "Welcome to the Jungle," but this one will do) and with Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" making the cut.

Here's the winner, in their classic video:

And here is Gnarls Barkley:

The whole list:

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana, 1991
2. "Hey Ya!" OutKast, 2003
3. "Sweet Child O' Mine" Guns N' Roses, 1987
4. "Unfinished Symphony" Massive Attack, 1991
5. "One" U2, 1991
6. "Live Forever" Oasis, 1994
7. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" The Verve, 1997
8. "Common People" Pulp, 1995
9. "There She Goes" The LA's, 1990
10. "7 Nation Army" The White Stripes, 2003
11. "Song 2" Blur, 1997
12. "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley, 2006
13. "Angels" Robbie Williams, 1997
14. " … Baby One More Time" Britney Spears, 1999
15. "Personal Jesus" Depeche Mode, 1990
16. "Like A Prayer" Madonna, 1989
17. "Firestarter" The Prodigy, 1997
18. "Brimful of Asha" Cornershop, 1997
19. "Stan" Eminem, 2000
20. "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" Arctic Monkeys, 2006

REM - Drive

One of my favorite REM songs from the past.

Poem: Eavan Boland

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Outside History

These are outsiders, always. These stars—
these iron inklings of an Irish January,
whose light happened
thousands of years before
our pain did; they are, they have always been
outside history.
They keep their distance. Under them remains
a place where you found
you were human, and
a landscape in which you know you are mortal.
And a time to choose between them.
I have chosen:
out of myth in history I move to be
part of that ordeal
who darkness is
only now reaching me from those fields,
those rivers, those roads clotted as
firmaments with the dead.
How slowly they die
as we kneel beside them, whisper in their ear.
And we are too late. We are always too late.

The Race for 2008

John Kerry is off to rough start, ranking last in a recent likability poll of 20 top political figures. While it isn't the final nail in his coffin, not being likable is a hard thing to overcome for a politician who has been on the national scene as long as Kerry.

The Top of the list?

[F]ormer New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican, ranked first with a mean score of 64.2, followed by Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, 58.8, and McCain, 57.7. All three are potential presidential candidates.
While Obama received a high score, 41 percent said they had not heard enough about the first-term senator to offer an opinion.

George Bush finished in 15th place, just behind Al Gore.

In the new likeability survey, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ranked fourth with 56.1, followed by former President Bill Clinton, 55.8, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who won re-election this month as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, 52.7.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, was seventh at 51.1, followed by two other potential presidential contenders, former Democratic Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, 49.9, and Hillary Clinton, 49.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, another possible White House contender, ranked 10th, at 47.7. Two in three respondents said they did not know enough about him to form an opinion.

It's funny that Bill Clinton still finished in the top five after being out of office for six years and having been impeached. They used to call Reagan the teflon president, but I think that title belongs to Clinton.

Greatest TV Catchphrases Named

Speaking of culture studies, TV Land is honoring the top 100 TV catch phrases of all time. This leans a little more toward the silly than the serious, but that's okay. As I read through the list, I was amazed that some of the current stuff might be considered alongside the all-time greats.

Here are a few of my favorites:

—“D’oh!” (Homer Simpson, “The Simpsons”)
—“Good grief” (Charlie Brown, “Peanuts” specials)
—“Heh heh” (Beavis and Butt-head, “Beavis and Butthead”)
—“Homey don’t play that!” (Homey the Clown, “In Living Color”)
—“I love it when a plan comes together” (Hannibal, “The A-Team”)
—“I’m Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl.” (Larry, “Newhart”)
—“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV” (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
—“I’m Rick James, bitch!” (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, “Chappelle’s Show”)
—“Jane, you ignorant slut” (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, “Saturday Night Live”)
—“Resistance is futile” (Picard as Borg, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”)
—“Well, isn’t that special?” (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, “Saturday Night Live”)
—“You rang?” (Lurch, “The Addams Family”)

I clearly watch too much TV.

I have to say, though, that I'm surprised the classic Bugs Bunny line, '"What's up, Doc?" wasn't on the list. Or Bart Simpson's "Eat my shorts."

Cool Site: Reconstruction

Another cool site I found while browsing some of the social bookmarking pages was Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture. This is definitely post-modern in its approach, but I found some of the topics interesting. They tend toward theme issues, so the current issue is on blogging.

Here are some past issues:

Volume 6, number 1 (2006): The Play's the Thing: Games, Gamers and Gaming Cultures

Volume 5, number 3 (2005): Rhetorics of Place

Volume 5, number 2 (2005): Reconstructing Media

Volume 4, number 3 (2004): Posthumanous

Volume 2, number 3 (2002): Autobiogeography

That should give you a feel for the geek factor of these articles. Unfortunately, there is no RSS feed so you'll just have to check back from time to time to look at new issues, which seem to be about four a year.

Top 20 Trends In Health And Fitness Industry

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This article appeared at Medical News Today. It bodes well for me that they see personal trainers increasing in recognition as professionals. I can't count the number of clients who bring me test results to explain for them, or ask me about research on medications that their doctors don't or won't bother to discuss with them.

Survey Results Name Top 20 Trends In Health And Fitness Industry
Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness News
Article Date: 27 Nov 2006 - 2:00am (PST)

Programs to address and combat the childhood obesity epidemic ranked number one in a survey of top health and fitness trends released today by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The survey, administered to health and fitness professionals worldwide, is published in the November/December issue of ACSM's Health & Fitness® Journal.

The survey was designed to reveal trends in commercial, corporate, clinical, and community fitness program environments. The 20 trends included in the survey were ranked from highest to lowest based on the expert opinions of nearly 500 respondents around the world.

"These trends are expectations of the front-line fitness professionals, not the latest infomercial spokesperson, so there's a lot of credibility and accuracy here as we look forward into the new year," said lead author Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM. "It's also a fascinating peek at what to hope for as we seek health and fitness solutions for our overweight and inactive citizens. Hopefully, by this time next year we will have addressed and even accomplished some of our own predictions."

The Top 10 predictions for 2007 health and fitness trends are:

1. Children and Obesity. Program development to reduce obesity among children was the number-one trend identified in the survey. Health and fitness professionals predict schools are unlikely to increase time devoted to physical education or nutrition education, and providing physical activity for kids may fall in the hands of the health/fitness industry along with fitness professionals.

2. Special Fitness Programs for Older Adults. Fitness clubs and retirement communities stand to benefit from health and fitness programs that cater to the older adult. The number-two prediction notes the baby boom generation is growing older and living longer, and their physicians are recommending they remain active.

3. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals. Fully accredited education and certification programs for health/fitness professionals are on the rise. The importance of obtaining certification through academic accreditation is highly recognized by the fitness industry.

4. Functional Fitness. Functional fitness training, using strength training to improve performance for activities of daily living, will become more prominent in 2007. Exercises that mimic actual job tasks or other activities will help improve balance, coordination, strength, and endurance.

5. Core Training. A greater emphasis on and understanding of core training will occur, focused on forming the foundation for training the upper and lower extremities, including sport skill development. Core exercises, which strengthen, condition, and stabilize the abdominal and back muscles, often use props such as stability balls, BOSU balance balls, wobble boards, and foam rollers to provide support for the spine.

6. Strength Training. The health benefits of incorporating strength training into a fitness regimen will receive continued emphasis. Women and older adults are credited with keeping this long-lasting trend popular.

7. Personal Training. Personal trainers will continue to gain recognition and credibility among other health care professionals for higher professional standards and accreditation. Also, now more than ever, the personal trainer is more accessible to potential clients.

8. Mind/Body Exercise. Variations of yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and other mind/body exercises will be introduced and remain popular next year. Research supports that the mind benefits from these programs as much as the physical improvements in muscular strength, aerobic capacity, flexibility and balance.

9. Exercise and Weight Loss. Weight-loss programs will include an exercise component. Most diet programs already incorporate some exercise/physical activity recommendations, but professionals expect more visibility to be placed on energy balance in the weight-loss equation.

10. Outcome Measurements. Defining and tracking outcomes of a fitness program will have a higher profile in the future. Professionals expect advances in technology to help determine success in disease management or changes in negative lifestyle behaviors.

The full list (Top 20 trends) can be found in the article, Worldwide Survey Reveals Fitness Trends for 2007. This list is based on the findings from an international survey sent to more than 4,000 fitness professionals. Surveys were received from all over the world, including countries within Asia and Europe.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.

American College of Sports Medicine

Speedlinking 11/28/06

This morning's image is our very own Milky Way:

BODY
~ 76% Of Workers Older Than 60 Years Of Age Are Overweight Or Obese.
~ Supervised Exercise Improves Mental Wellbeing Of Obese Teenagers.
~ Study Identifies Genes And Mutations Associated With Exercise Traits.
~ Health Tip: Seniors Need Exercise. This falls into the "keen sense of the obvious" category.
~ Creatine: Will it prevent muscle loss with aging? Ignore the scare info in this ignorant article -- creatine is actually needed in older men for weight training to have any benefit -- about 5 grams a day.

PSYCHE
~ The Myth of Thomas Szasz. A look at the influence -- and lack thereof -- of this critic of the mental health field.
~ "Six Views of Embodied Cognition".
~ Improving Psychological Well-being In Schools. A New Preventive Strategy.
~ Using the Mind to Cure the Body.
~ From Dashh: Mindfulness-Based Approaches.
~ Ego is just a word.

CULTURE
~ Survey Results Name Top 20 Trends In Health And Fitness Industry.
~ Native Americans Have Health Disparity.
~ Scientism, huh? A harsh critique of Dawkins and other fundamentalist scientists.
~ Ecosexuals. "Ecosexuals are an evolving breed of city dweller for whom keeping green is every bit as important in their romantic life as in their choice of household cleanser, dinner food, or wall paint."
~ Portrait of an Open Marriage. Good luck with that.
~ Unspooling 'Unschooling'. Where was "unschooling when I was a kid?

HABITATS
~ Deep-Sea Eruption Detected in Progress.
~ The brain of the humpback whale contains “human” neurons.
~ Scientists: Climate Change Clues in Sky.
~ Can foreign aid work?
~ High court to hear global warming case.
~ Energy Firms Come to Terms With Climate Change.

MATTERS INTEGRAL
~ This isn't really integral, but check out Beliefnet's Most Inspiring Person of 2006 and vote. No one really stands out this year, but I'm leaning toward the Amish.
~ More on I-I hiring a "new" CEO: Integral Institute–CEO Drama?
~ ebuddha offers a link: Using Integral in Helping the Homeless.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Two Online Encyclopedias

I discovered two online encyclopedias over the weekend that I thought I'd share.

~ The Encyclopedia of Psychology seems like a good reference site as long as you don't stray too far from current trends in psychology. I searched for Roberto Assagioli and came up blank, but got several entries for a search on Jung.

~ The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy seems like a much better site. Got a wide variety of entries on the few searches that I tried.

Enjoy.

The Progressive: Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest

Fun news bits from The Progressive:

November 27, 2006

DUMB: Using your car as a deer hunting weapon is dumb... and apparently illegal. A Vermont man allegedly plowed his car into a deer decoy believing it was a real deer as a warden and two deputies watched from hiding places nearby. "The three were monitoring the stuffed deer as part of a routine sting operation to deter illegal hunting when they saw the Chevy stop and shine a light on the fake deer. They saw the vehicle drive onto the field and accelerate into the decoy, sending it flying about 30 feet, Danville game warden Dennis Amsden said." The hunter/driver's girlfriend and 4-month-old daughter were in the car at the time.

DUMBER: You know, somebody in law enforcement should really look into this whole terrorsism thing. Five years after 9/11, the CIA and FBI only have a few agents with even a limited proficiency in Arabic. None of 33 FBI agents with Arabic skills works in sections of the bureau related to international terrorism.

DUMBEST: Not sure which is worse, banning a Christmas wreath shaped like a peace symbol is dumb or not knowing the difference a peace symbol and a satanic symbol. The Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs, CO, is fining Lisa Jensen $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath in the shape of a peace sign. The residents who complained interpreted the peace sign as anti-Iraq war protest or thought it was satanic symbol.

David Aronofsky's The Fountain

The Fountain has been getting some good press. Sean at Deep Surface gave it a mixed review, however, feeling that despite the fantastic visuals it just didn't suck him in. Reviewer Kim Voyner wanted to love it and didn't -- maybe because of high expectations.

I loved Pi many years back, and I also enjoyed Requiem for a Dream.

The trailer for The Fountain is visually stunning -- and this is the kind of movie I'm drawn to -- so I am still hoping that I will like this film more than those who have only been moderately satisfied with it.

Here is the trailer:

Here is part of an interview with Aronofsky from The Nerve Film Lounge:

While making this film, you lost two stars [Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett] and had to slash your budget. How did that change your concept?
The old conception of the film is captured forever as the graphic novel that we released through Vertigo Comics. That shows you where the story is different, and you can see, it really hasn't changed that much. The part that changed wasn't the movie itself but how to execute the movie — how to bring it to life. It was the first time my collaborators and I were really playing the studio game. The film was conceived as a studio picture. But we didn't know what we were doing; we had to learn that whole process. When we had to change things around, we were able to figure out how to make it more streamlined and pure. Having an extra couple of years in pre-production allowed us to figure out what the core story was — just what it was exactly we wanted to tell. And, of course, how to tell it in a way that was financially smarter as well.

I was surprised to hear that you initially resisted casting [Aronofsky's fiancée] Rachel Weisz in the film. The whole film feels like a love song to her.
Well, for starters, the script and the film existed in a pretty strong form before she ended up with me. But life and art do end up coming together in a strange way. I became conscious of these connections after the film was done, when I looked at it and started to think, "Uh oh, people are gonna read things into this." That said, I would have shot any actress as beautifully as we shot Rachel — although Rachel is pretty easy to shoot well.

I was also surprised by how consistent The Fountain seemed to be with your other films. All your characters seem to exist in these obsessive loops — they do the same things over and over again, in different ways, rather than progressing in conventional narrative ways.
Some writers I've talked to say they don't see any connections between my films, but I personally think there are a lot. There's certainly nothing conscious about it — that's just the way it happens for me. I write my characters the way I think they would act, and they come out in this pretty distinct way. I think all my films have something pretty simple at their heart.

Read the rest.

Bad Sex in Fiction Prize

The Independent (UK) presents this year's nominees for the Bad Sex in Fiction Prize, with the winner to be announced Wednesday. The goal of the award is to embarrass authors to the point that they will quit writing such dreadful scenes -- so far to no avail. Here are the finalists:

We were not entirely surprised to see the great Tim Willocks there, with his novel of the Crusades, The Religion (Cape), "a book that never lets the beacon of the hero's gigantic todger slip below the horizon for more than a few pages", according to our reviewer, Tim Martin. "That's the Bad Sex Award in the bag," he concluded, after quoting passages involving "fast-engorging privities" and "the folds of her matrix". In the bit that wowed the Literary Review, the hero "bent her across the the cold steel face of the anvil... she called out to God and convulsed with each slow stroke, her head thrown back and her eyelids aflutter, and her cries filled the forge..."

But Willocks faces a tough challenge from Thomas Pynchon, with a sex scene between a man and a spaniel ("Ruperta had trained her toy spaniel to provide intimate 'French' caresses of the tongue for the pleasure of its mistress... Reef followed, taking out his penis, breathing heavily through his mouth. 'Here Mouffie, nice big dog bone for you right here...'"

Then there's Irvine Welsh in Bedroom Secrets of the Masterchefs (Cape), in which a character uses spit as a sexual lubricant: "Skinner took his thick green slime and spread it like a chef might glaze some pastry... A ludicrously distended clitoris popped out from nowhere like a jack-in-the-box..." Oh, yuck.
It was rather mischievous to nominate David Mitchell's Black Swan Green (Sceptre), yet the judges were won over by "Now she made a noise like a tortured Moomintroll..." together with the image of "cressy" pubic hair.

Water imagery is to the Bad Sex prize what post-colonialism is to the Man Booker. This year Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother (Cape) qualified handsomely. "And it swept over her like surf sweeping over sand then falling back and sweeping up over the sand again and falling back. Images went off in her head like little fireworks. The smell of coconut. Brass firedogs." Genius!

But lest you think the big boys (fnur fnur) have it sewn up, the little-known Julia Glass mounts a strong challenge in The Whole World Over (Hutchinson): "all the words this time not a crowding but a heavenly train, an ostrich fan, a vision as much as an orgasm, a release in something deep in the core of her altered brain..." and so on, on, yes, on!

Honourable mentions also go to Iain Hollingshead's Twentysomething (Duckworth) - "her crotch taut against my bulging trousers" - and Michael Cannon's Lachlan's War, published by Cape, in which a woman climaxes "with surprise". Perhaps it was the firedogs.

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Survey Results Name Top 20 Trends In Health And Fitness Industry

Monday, November 27, 2006