Integral Options Cafe

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Speedlinking 12/14/06

This morning's image is called Thor's Helmet, from Space.com:

BODY
~ Breakthrough hailed as study shows circumcision can halve HIV risk.
~ Treating Insomnia With Over-the-counter Sleep Aids, Herbal Supplements: AASM Position Statement. "Sufficient evidence does not exist to support over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids as an effective treatment for insomnia." And, "There is only limited scientific evidence to show that herbal supplements are effective sleep aids."
~ Detailed 3-D Image Catches A Key Regulator Of Neural Stem Cell Differentiation In Action.
~ Putting Perspective On Autism: A Symposium In Honor Of Dr. Isabelle Rapin And Her Numerous Contributions To The Field.
~ Year-round contraception safely ends periods -- But Do Women Need to Have Periods? looks at the evolutionary element.
~ Study Detects Recent Instance of Human Evolution -- the ability to digest lactose is new in East Africa, as in the last 3,000 years.

PSYCHE
~ New Warning for Young Adults Taking Antidepressants. "The [FDA advisory] committee recommended that the "black box" warning on the medications concerning the risks to youngsters be expanded to include people up to age 25."
~ "I'm not a racist, but...", or why automatic stereotyping happens: Part 2.
~ Fear of Intimacy in the Bedroom -- "Familiarity - or too much intimacy - can kill passion, making casual sex more exciting than committed sex for some people."
~ Psychologist Helps Children With ADHD Make Friends.
~ From Mike at Unknowing Mind: Heedlessness is Just Holding Things as Certain.
~ The Heart Sutra goes mash up.

CULTURE
~ U.S. confidence at new low on Iraq war. Other info from this poll includes potential candidates for 2008 -- Hillary leads Obama by almost 20 points and Guiliani leads McCain by four [PDF here].
~ Senator Wants Universal Health Care Plan. I voted for Ron Wyden once upon a time, this is why: "Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden offered a plan he said would provide affordable, private health care coverage for all Americans, except those covered through Medicare or the military."
~ Christopher Hitchens tells us Why Women Aren't Funny in the January 2007 Vanity Fair.
~ A smart guy looks at Satan's perfect food: Tofu!
~ In case you need a laugh: Ann Coulter waxes pathetic on SURRENDER BY ANY OTHER NAME ...
A quote: When did "B.C." (before Christ) and "A.D." (anno Domini, "in the year of the Lord") get replaced with "BCE" (before the common era) and "CE" (common era)? "Withdrawal" is "redeployment," "liberal" is "progressive," and "traitorous" is "patriotic." I think that was in the same memo that included "bimbo" will henceforth (I love that word) be "Coulter," as in, "Check out the coulter at the bar."

HABITATS
~ HIV/AIDS Brought Global Health Into 'Sharp Focus,' Opinion Piece Says.
~ Nobel Prize winner Mohammad Yunus in Stockholm: The Secret of Grameen Bank.
~ plaNYC: A Sustainable New York by 2030.
~ Organic Denim for the Sustainable Fashionista.
~ Greenprint Denver -- "Mayor Hickenlooper [has a] citywide 5-year plan to integrate sustainable development and ecologically-friendly practices into city programs and the community at large, and from all indications on its website, Denver is poised to become a leader in energy efficiency."
~ Why a hydrogen economy doesn't make sense -- From Ray Kurzweil's site.
~ Spare Power Sufficient to Fuel Switch from Gas to Electric Cars.
~ Local, organic, fairtrade: Better for the environment?

MATTERS INTEGRAL
~ From Huy at Integral Institute: Creating a new world together.
~ From Steve Frazee, formerly of I-I, and his last post on his time there: The Wizard and the Shadow.
~ From Joe at Until: When someone's ill, who owns the story? This is inspired by the recent desire among integral bloggers for info on KW's health.
~ Alan Kazlev has created The Integral movement - new page at Integral Wiki.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Kaki King - Goddess of Tap Guitar

In response to my post this morning, ~C4Chaos sent me a link to this oh so amazing video of Kaki King: Playing With Pink Noise.

New Stuff at Elegant Thorn Review

There is a lot of great new stuff at Elegant Thorn Review. I haven't been posting regular updates here, but there is usually three or four new posts (or more) at ETR each week, so please stop by, add the site to your feeds, and send me some work if you feel so inspired.

Among the new stuff you'll find:

~ Two poems by Margaret James, who some of you will know as Metta at Zaadz.
~ An entry on William Meredith, including a poem from his homepage.
~ A look at the National Book Award short list and what it says about contemporary poetry.
~ Two Poems by Kika Dorsey.

Enjoy!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

You Are a Snowflake

You live for the winter - blizzards, cold nights, snowball fights! The holidays are just a bonus!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Personally, not a big fan of the holidays -- other than A Charlie Brown Christmas. But I do like winter, which makes being in Tucson a little rough this time of year. It's hard to feel the seasonal spirit with endlessly sunny skies and 75 degree days.

But I am grateful for the life I have.

Time's Pictures of the Year

Time Magazine's Pictures of the Year are up. These are always worth looking at.

Picture #3 is of Beirut after Israel bombed the hell -- or at least Hizballah -- out of the city. It makes New York City after 9-11 look like a minor mess. Some of the other pictures are equally powerful.

Erik Mongrain: Acoustic Guitar Tapping

This kid is good.

Satire: Bush Refuses to Set Timetable for Reading Study Group Report

[image source]

From the addled mind of Andy Borowitz:

Bush Refuses to Set Timetable for Reading Study Group Report

Finishing Report Would Send ‘Wrong Message’ to Enemies, President Says

In a press conference at the White House today, President George W. Bush flatly refused to set a timetable for reading the Iraq Study Group’s report, telling reporters that doing so “would send the wrong message to our enemies.”

When the Study Group issued its report last week, many in Washington assumed that the president would move the book to the top of his reading list, but today’s press conference left little doubt that Mr. Bush has no intention of being pressured into finishing the 160-page volume.

“If I were to announce that I planned to finish reading this book by summer of ’07, or early ’08, or some other artificial deadline, that would be giving our enemies exactly what they want,” Mr. Bush told reporters. “And so I am going to stay the course and finish the book I am currently reading: ‘Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.’”

According to Professor Davis Logsdon, who teaches a course in the president’s reading habits at the University of Minnesota, anyone who expects Mr. Bush to finish reading the Iraq Study Group’s report any time soon will be “sorely disappointed.”

“When President Bush says he’s going to take his time reading something, he means it,” Dr. Logsdon said. “Remember how long it took him to finish ‘My Pet Goat.’”

Elsewhere, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said he had decided to run for president again in 2008 after being urged to do so by both David Letterman and Jay Leno.

New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2006

And the winners for 2006 are . . .

Best Picture: United 93
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Best Foreign Film: Army of Shadows
Best Screenplay: Peter Morgan, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Cinematographer: Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labyrinth
Best Non-Fiction Film: Deliver Us From Evil
Best First Film: Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson
Best Animated Film: Happy Feet

Wouldn't it be nice if Martin Scorsese actually wins the Best Director Oscar this year for one of his best movies -- not the made-for-Hollywood Aviator stuff?

And wow, United 93 as best film -- haven't seen it, but I wouldn't have guessed it was that good.

Last Words On Integral Institute From Steve Frazee

This is the last post on the whole Ken Wilber thing from Steve Frazee. He has decided that it only serves ego to continue posting on I-I and the behind the scenes reality he experienced. Here is the money quote:

A friend suggested I deeply reflect on exactly what I need to communicate about I-I to have closure. She basically said, "say it and move on." She made a great point. This is my final post relative to anything I-I or Ken Wilber.

...and after much thought, I realize that I've already written most of what I need to say. Giving additional detail around the Multiplex, Salons, etc. isn't really necessary and is more destructive than constructive. It is time for me to move on and have new adventures in this wonderful world!

Personally, even though I can understand his decision, I wanted to see some transparency brought to the situation at I-I. It certainly won' t come from those still inside the organization. Those of us who have supported the organization as members from the beginning feel a little frustrated, I think.

Some of the parting words:

I suggest to the rest of you what I suggest to myself. Take Ken's books, read them, and use the map towards your work in the world. Do it yourself. Do it now. Start your own organization, movement, or whatever. Maybe that is the best way to say thank you to Ken for what he has given us.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Speedlinking 12/13/06

This morning's image is Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, USA, from Live Science:

BODY
~ Exercising May Reduce Lung Cancer Risk. Quitting smoking works even better.
~ Gifts for the fitness buffs on your list -- "Thinking about giving the gift of fitness this year? There are plenty of healthful options at a range of price points."
~ Glycemic index and Glycemic load -- as useful as glycemic index is, glycemic load is a crucial part of the puzzle.
~ Alcohol in moderation may extend life -- as always, the middle way.
~ Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk -- "Postmenopausal women who engage in more vigorous physical activity seem to have a lower risk of breast cancer."
~ Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Affects The Basic Properties Of The Circadian Clock.

PSYCHE
~ From David Jon at Zaadz: The Increasing Commidification of Consciousness Itself.
~ Study links errors by doctors to long hours -- "The marathon hours worked by doctors-in-training in U.S. hospitals are leading to an alarming number of fatigue-related medical errors that often kill patients, researchers said on Tuesday."
~ Solitary Drug, Alcohol And Cigarette Use Puts Adolescents At Higher Risk -- as a one-time teen who did these things, I can tell you they are warning signs and you'd better pay attention.
~ Sleep Problems Hamper Recovery From Alcoholism.
~ Students with Mental Illness Face Unique Challenges on Campus -- "The transitions between adolescence and adulthood, living at home and working toward independence, pose extreme challenges for every incoming college student."
~ Magic mushrooms for OCD -- this post has a collection of good links on research of entheogens for therapeutic use.
~ Brain Wave Changes In Adolescence Signal Reorganization Of The Brain.

CULTURE
~ Obama's Magic: "With his rock star visit to New Hampshire, the highflying senator continues to tantalize Democrats with intimations of a White House run -- and a buzz not felt in American politics since JFK."
~ Early Returns: Handicapping '08.
~ The St. Paul Discovery: Body or Soul? "The Vatican says it has found the long-missing sarcophagus of the first-century saint, but that shouldn't be taken as gospel — at least not yet."
~ On Blogging: To be or not to be...anonymous.
~ Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran. If we were ever going to bomb Iran . . . . Not that I am in favor of killing people or anything, I'm just saying . . . Meanwhile, Iran's leader says Israel 'will be wiped out soon'.
~ Oh, Christmas trees: They're back at Sea-Tac.
~ George Will on The reality of Obama in 2008.

HABITATS
~ How economists measure whether you're happy.
~ The latest idea in fighting global warming -- nuclear war?
~ Squid Power: Propulsion Systems Modeled on Nature.
~ Extreme New Species Discovered by Sea-Life Survey -- Photo Gallery: Surprising Sea Animals Discovered in 2006.
~ Top ten breakthroughs that could help cool the greenhouse.
~ Red Sea Might Save Dead Sea.
~ A Green Chimney.

MATTERS INTEGRAL
~ Newest info on Ken Wilber from the I-I pod at Zaadz -- he's out of ICU and doing well.
~ The Integrative Spirituality Community Sends its Support for Author Ken Wilber’s Recovery.
~ From ebuddha: Following up on 2nd Tier question.
~ From Joe at Until: Towards greater clarity in Integral communications.

When a Little Truth Goes Very Wrong

I don't like soy protein. It tastes like dirt, which is one strike against it, and it has some potentially serious health consequences associated with it. But as much I would like to see soy use limited as much as possible, I have never referred to soy as a "devil food," as does WorldNetDaily "columnist," Jim Rutz.

Check this out:

A devil food is turning our kids into homosexuals

There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture. The ironic part is, it's a "health food," one of our most popular. . . . .
The dangerous food I'm speaking of is soy. Soybean products are feminizing, and they're all over the place. You can hardly escape them anymore.
I have nothing against an occasional soy snack. Soy is nutritious and contains lots of good things. Unfortunately, when you eat or drink a lot of soy stuff, you're also getting substantial quantities of estrogens.
Estrogens are female hormones. If you're a woman, you're flooding your system with a substance it can't handle in surplus. If you're a man, you're suppressing your masculinity and stimulating your "female side," physically and mentally.
In fetal development, the default is being female. All humans (even in old age) tend toward femininity. The main thing that keeps men from diverging into the female pattern is testosterone, and testosterone is suppressed by an excess of estrogen.
If you're a grownup, you're already developed, and you're able to fight off some of the damaging effects of soy. Babies aren't so fortunate. Research is now showing that when you feed your baby soy formula, you're giving him or her the equivalent of five birth control pills a day. A baby's endocrine system just can't cope with that kind of massive assault, so some damage is inevitable. At the extreme, the damage can be fatal.
Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That's why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today's rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products. (Most babies are bottle-fed during some part of their infancy, and one-fourth of them are getting soy milk!) Homosexuals often argue that their homosexuality is inborn because "I can't remember a time when I wasn't homosexual." No, homosexuality is always deviant. But now many of them can truthfully say that they can't remember a time when excess estrogen wasn't influencing them.
Doctors used to hope soy would reduce hot flashes, prevent cancer and heart disease, and save millions in the Third World from starvation. That was before they knew much about long-term soy use. Now we know it's a classic example of a cure that's worse than the disease. For example, if your baby gets colic from cow's milk, do you switch him to soy milk? Don't even think about it. His phytoestrogen level will jump to 20 times normal. If he is a she, brace yourself for watching her reach menarche as young as seven, robbing her of years of childhood. If he is a boy, it's far worse: He may not reach puberty till much later than normal. . . . .
Recent research on rats shows testicular atrophy, infertility and uterus hypertrophy (enlargement). This helps explain the infertility epidemic and the sudden growth in fertility clinics. But alas, by the time a soy-damaged infant has grown to adulthood and wants to marry, it's too late to get fixed by a fertility clinic.

There's more to read, if you feel it necessary. By the way, I added the emphasis on that insane part in the middle.

I'll be the first, most times, to condemn soy (see this post and this post). However, I have never seen any information anywhere that suggests soy will cause homosexuality. If you fed your son soy formula and let him eat school lunch soy burgers as he grows up, you might end up with a smaller, less muscular, more effeminate son, but there nothing indicates that he would be gay.

The moronic author of the above article takes some useful data from rat studies and tries to formulate a blame for homosexuality and his apparently small penis -- it was the soy, really, it's not my fault -- as if penis size has anything to do with masculinity or homosexuality (well, actually, gay men have a slight statistical advantage in penis size, which is actually associated with higher testosterone levels).

I would never support using soy formula with infants, but I would also never blame it for everything Rutz blames on it. The real hazard to all of us, since it isn't a food choice, is environmental estrogen, or xenoestrogen. Compared to these toxic chemicals that are in plastics, air fresheners, auto exhaust, weed killers, paints and thinners, and so many other places, the phytoestrogens in soy are relatively harmless.

The ignorance Rutz displays in trying to blame soy for the presence of homosexuality (which he says is on the rise, despite all official data suggesting the percentage of the population that is homosexual has remained fairly constant over the last 50 or so years), is just plain disproved by the facts. He's another whacked wingnut intent on proving that homosexuality is not the genetically determined behavior that it is.

Rolling Stone's Best 100 Songs of 2006

Rolling Stone has released its list of the Best 100 Songs of 2006. I'm sad to say that my habit of listening to NPR on a regular basis has left me out of touch and unable to recognize many of these songs. However, I do like the #1 song quite a bit -- it's refreshingly different that much of what I hear when I do listen to music stations.

1 "Crazy" [Listen]
Gnarls Barkley
In a perfect world, Al Green could still sing collard-green soul gems like this one, but Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse stepped up with an instant classic, winning this year's "Hey Ya!" award for the song nobody even pretended not to like. Everybody tried to cover it (our personal fave: the Raconteurs') -- but nobody can hit the chorus like Cee-Lo, and nobody ever will.

2 "Steady As She Goes" [Listen]
The Raconteurs
The first single from Brendan Benson and Jack White's garage-glam band was a perfect dirty sundae of fuzz-box stutter, metallic zoom and pop-chorale candy. It is also a good reason to hope the Raconteurs are no one-album project.

3 "Ridin'" [Listen]
Chamillionaire
The song least likely to be played in Drivers' Ed.: Chamillionaire dodges the cops, riding dirty with a car full of thugs who don't care where they're rolling or if they get there in one piece.

4 "What You Know" [Listen]
T.I.
T.I. gets majestic with bass and synth strings booming like your car just flipped the corner. What you know about that? T.I. knows all about that.

5 "Vans" [Listen]
The Pack
Bay Area MCs the Pack broke out with this sleek, bare-bones ode to midpriced sneakers. Words of warning: "Lace 'em past the fourth hole, you some type of sucker."

6 "Thunder on the Mountain" [Listen]
Bob Dylan
So that's how you bring sexy back! Dylan slaps on a cowboy hat and greases up his favorite Chuck Berry guitar riff, one step ahead of the apocalypse and one step behind Alicia Keys.

7 "Smile" [Listen]
Lily Allen
This deceptively named ditty was '06's most gloriously bitter breakup song: Part Mike Skinner, part Gwen Stefani, part Blondie, the young Allen defined her very own bratty, musically adventurous style on "smile," a reggae-lite platter about the joys of an ex's despair.

8 "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" [Listen]
Clipse with Slim Thug
Best line: "So proper/Hammertime gun-cocker." But the lyrics aren't really the point here -- the cuckoo-for-coconuts Neptunes steel-drum beat is.

9 "Dimension" [Listen]
Wolfmother
Aussie guys dig out their big brothers' worn vinyl copy of Master of Reality and let the brain-bludgeon guitars off the chain.

10 "Ooh La La" [Listen]
Goldfrapp
The kind of groovy dance number Kylie used to write, full of steamy, sweaty vocals and a fierce Sixties vamp.

Check out the rest of the top 100.

Hundreds of Proofs that God Exists

[image source]

Here are a few of the hundreds of humorous proofs for God's existence. Most of these are just plain absurd, which is most certainly why I enjoy them.

TRANSCENDENTAL ARGUMENT, a.k.a. PRESUPPOSITIONALIST (I)
(1) If reason exists then God exists.
(2) Reason exists.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (I), a.k.a. DESIGN ARGUMENT
(1) Check out the world/universe/giraffe. Isn't it complex?
(2) Only God could have made them so complex.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM BEAUTY, a.k.a. DESIGN/TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (II)
(1) Isn't that baby/sunset/flower/tree beautiful?
(2) Only God could have made them so beautiful.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM INTELLIGENCE
(1) Look, there's really no point in me trying to explain the whole thing to you stupid Atheists — it's too complicated for you to understand. God exists whether you like it or not.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM UNINTELLIGENCE
(1) Okay, I don't pretend to be as intelligent as you guys — you're obviously very well read. But I read the Bible, and nothing you say can convince me that God does not exist. I feel him in my heart, and you can feel him too, if you'll just ask him into your life. "For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish from the earth." John 3:16.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM INTIMIDATION
(1) See this bonfire?
(2) Therefore, God exists.

PARENTAL ARGUMENT
(1) My mommy and daddy told me that God exists.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM GUITAR MASTERY
(1) Eric Clapton is God.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM MISDEFINITION OF A RELIGION
(1) You don't want to be an evolutionist, do you?
(2) [Atheist explains that evolution is a scientific theory, not a religion]
(3) But you believe in it.
(4) That means you support Social Darwinism.
(5) And that's just yucky.
(6) I don't want to be yucky, so I can't support evolution.
(7) But I need some explanation for the origin of life.
(8) [Atheist: Evolution has nothing to do with—]
(9) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM "AMERICAN BEAUTY" (II)
(1) Thora Birch.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

ARGUMENT FROM ASSUMPTION
(1) God exists.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

Read the others. There are 540 or so of these.

Pages

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Bush Refuses to Set Timetable for Reading Study Group Report

Finishing Report Would Send ‘Wrong Message’ to Enemies, President Says

Tuesday, December 12, 2006