Monday, May 21, 2007

Speedlinking 5/21/07

Quote of the day:

"If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things."
~ Rene Descartes

Image of the day:


BODY
~ Eating Apples, Fish During Pregnancy Protects Kids From Allergies, Asthma (HealthDay) -- "Filling up on apples and fish during pregnancy might protect your child from developing asthma and allergic diseases, a new study shows."
~ Diabetes drug linked to heart deaths -- "A new analysis links the widely prescribed diabetes drug Avandia to greater risk of heart attack and possibly death."
~ Chromium no help in controlling diabetes -- "People with type 2 diabetes often take chromium supplements to help keep their blood sugar levels under control, but new findings from a Dutch study raise doubts about the value of this approach."
~ The Top Five Things to Consider When Starting a Workout Program -- "Increase Your Chances of Success Through a Realistic Approach."
~ The Shoulder Training Bible -- "This is it, the most comprehensive shoulder-training article ever! Movements, routines, loading parameters, frequency, it's all here. Christian provides the perfect recipe for adding shoulder mass and strength. The only ingredient you need to add is good ol' fashioned sweat."
~ Low Glycemic May Be Better Than Low Fat Diet For High Insulin Secreters -- "A new US study on obese young adults showed that the ones who secreted a high level of insulin shed more pounds on a low glycemic diet than on a low fat diet. The results also suggest that a low glycemic diet is more beneficial to HDL (good) cholesterol and triglyceride levels in this group."
~ Yoga and elevated brain GABA levels -- "Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and McLean Hospital have found that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. The findings, which appear in the May issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, suggest that the practice of yoga be explored as a possible treatment for depression and anxiety, disorders associated with low GABA levels."


PSYCHE
~ Self-Compassion Helps You Deal Better With Negative Events -- "When a multitude of disasters arise, as they tend to do from time to time, why do some patients focus on the negative -- exaggerating their problems and their part in them -- while others deal with their problems more constructively? A new study reveals that it all depends on the amount of compassion a person has for himself or herself."
~ Laughter Yoga -- From Mumbai to the World -- "Stretching and Laughing Therapy Helps People Forget Hardships of Life."
~ The influence of thinking style on happiness—it really does matter -- "In my research about happiness, I frequently come across discussions of how people's happiness is affected by their ideas and assumptions about themselves and how the world works."
~ Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out … Get Well? -- "In the 1950s, research using hallucinogens could be broadly divided into two camps: psycholytic and psychedelic therapy."
~ Move to Boost Mood -- "Physical activity works well against depression."
~ The Key to Dying Happy -- "There are a million jokes that could be made with the above headline, half of them dirty. But this post isn’t one of them — it’s about what’s important in life, how you want to live, and how you want to die. It’s about living a life of purpose, and being remembered well after you move on from this life."


CULTURE/POLITICS
~ Michael Moore's New Diagnosis -- "With Sicko, the filmmaker takes on health care. He talks to TIME about HMOs, getting booed and loving France." See also: The critical buzz on Michael Moore.
~ Bush Stands by Gonzales -- "President Bush on Monday called an upcoming Senate vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "pure political theater" and stood by his embattled friend."
~ Jerry Brown Slams Bush on Environment -- "He's already filed one lawsuit against the Bush administration over its environmental policies. As California's colorful attorney general arrives in Washington, he's threatening another."
~ Who's Afraid of Ron Paul? -- "The presence of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) in the Republican Party debates between presidential contenders this year has been treated as, at various time, a curiosity, a nuisance, and a springboard for scoring patriotic points—as when Rudy Giuliani accused him of blaming America for the September 11 attack."
~ SCOTT HORTON—Green Republicans and Bush Spar Over Global Warming -- "Arguably the two best-known Republican governors, California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Connecticut’s Jodi Rell, offer fighting words against the Bush administration’s policies on global warming."
~ The marriage industrial complex -- "Rebecca Mead, author of a new book on the out-of-control American wedding, discusses Disney brides, formalwear for pets, and whether hiring a wedding planner is ever a feminist act."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Smithsonian Accused of Altering Exhibit -- "The Smithsonian Institution toned down an exhibit on climate change in the Arctic for fear of angering Congress and the Bush administration, says a former administrator at the museum."
~ Spirit Unearths Surprise Evidence of Wetter Past (on Mars) -- "A patch of Martian soil analyzed by NASA's rover Spirit is so rich in silica that it may provide some of the strongest evidence yet that ancient Mars was much wetter than it is now. The processes that could have produced such a concentrated deposit of silica require the presence of water."
~ Cicadas Swarm Over Midwest -- "Brood XIII has arrived in the United States."
~ City Use Seen As Key to Wi-Fi Projects -- "Utility workers armed with the latest wireless gadgets will be able to read electric meters remotely using Wi-Fi networks many cities are contemplating. Police and building inspectors can file and retrieve reports on the go. City employees carrying Wi-Fi phones can also reduce cellular phone bills."
~ In a first, scientists develop tiny implantable biocomputers -- "Researchers at Harvard University and Princeton University have made a crucial step toward building biological computers, tiny implantable devices that can monitor the activities and characteristics of human cells. The information provided by these "molecular doctors," constructed entirely of DNA, RNA, and proteins, could eventually revolutionize medicine by directing therapies only to diseased cells or tissues."
~ Polar Bears at Risk as Warming Thaws Icy Home -- "Time may be running out for polar bears as global warming melts the ice beneath their paws. Restrictions or bans on hunting in recent decades have helped protect many populations of the iconic Arctic carnivore, but many experts say the long-term outlook is bleak."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~
Subscribe to The Woodshed Podcast -- "You can do so, through iTunes, if you click here. Definitely a great way to keep abreast of where our staff discussions explore."
~ Integral Metaphysics book update -- M. Alan Kazlev -- "Well, the first few chapters of my book Integral Metaphysics are finally almost ready, at least in rough manuscript form. If I keep going at this rate, the whole book will hopefully be ready in a few months! It's exciting to be making progress!"
~ Left or Right, You’re Partial -- Apollo at Frozen Truth looks at Wilber's Integral Politics—A Summary of Its Essential Ingredients.
~ Integral Politics: A Summary of Its Essential Ingredients -- So does ebuddha, and check this from him, too: To the Integral Color-Coders - What Color Is Al Gore? -- I'll be reading the new Gore book.
~ Buddha and the World (Part 2) -- Deepak Chopra -- "Buddha stood for peace, and one would think that he would praise us if we ended the present war (and all wars.) We are told that the American people have now woken up to the folly of the invasion of Iraq. Since wars are where illusions die the fastest, Buddha would also want us to end a war because we became more awake."
~ Buddhist Geeks 20: Leave the Pot on the Stove -- "In this final episode with Vince Horn, he continues to share his reflections and experiences of a two-month meditation retreat he recently completed. In this podcast, he discusses the relationship between dharma study and mindfulness practice."


No comments: