Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Speedlinking 6/13/07

Quote of the day:

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
~ Soren Kierkegaard

Image of the day:


BODY
~ How To Stimulate Maximal Fat Loss -- "Everything you wanted to know about how to bring those abs to the surface, and, given that it's Dave Barr, even some stuff you didn't want to know."
~ My one year re-birthday -- "At 10am one year ago I was on the tenth floor of the UCLA hospital having just finished a week of intensive chemotherapy that brought my blood count close to zero. At 10am the medical team performed a stem cell transplant. They call it "Day Zero" - the day you are literally "reborn" from a cellular level."
~ Studies may link athletes and hypothyroidism -- "My mood was great, my weight was fine, and my running times had never been better – I was in the best shape of my life. So why was I in my doctor’s office, being told I had hypothyroidism? How does a 21-year-old, daily runner with energy to spare wind up on medication to treat a condition commonly associated with middle age, lethargy and weight gain?"
~ Diet And Exercise Key To Surviving Breast Cancer, Regardless Of Obesity, New UCSD Study Says -- "Breast cancer survivors who eat a healthy diet and exercise moderately can reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by half, regardless of their weight, suggests a new longitudinal study from the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)."
~ Fun Ways to Get Fit -- "We've got activities for every interest and every location. Get outside and get in shape."
~ Personal Trainers Beneficial In Or Out Of The Gym - Study Finds In-Home Personal Training Also Effective -- "Personal fitness training doesn't have to take place in a gym to have worthwhile health benefits or increase motivation, according to a study presented at the 54th American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in New Orleans." I could have told them that -- I have several in-home clients.
~ Study: Cereal Aids Recovery After Exercise - Breakfast Cereal And Milk May Be Better Than Sports Drink -- "Whole-wheat flake cereal and nonfat milk may facilitate recovery after exercise at least as well as a specialized sports drink, according to research presented in New Orleans at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Researchers hope the findings will help home exercisers who may find it convenient to grab a post-workout snack from their kitchen." I can see the Wheaties commercial now . . .
~ Dietary Preferences And Patterns May Be Linked To Genes -- "The relative amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat that people choose to eat may be influenced by genetics, according to new research." This is why cookie-cutter diet approaches don't work. I thrive on very carbs, while others I need need lots of carbs to feel good.
~ Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Drug Approved -- DON'T DO IT -- this drug sucks.


PSYCHE
~ Yoga Improves Concentration, Motivation - Benefits Beyond Strength And Flexibility -- "Practicing yoga can lessen anxiety, heighten concentration and improve motivation in as little as eight weeks, according to research presented in New Orleans at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Researchers sought to quantify benefits that go beyond the strength and flexibility typically associated with yoga in the western world."
~ Women like guys who look like dear old dad -- "Women who got along well with their dads as kids are attracted to men who resemble their fathers, whereas women who had a bad father-daughter relationship do not."
~ Slow brain function linked with solo knee injuries -- "In a new study, researchers found measurable decrements in the brain function of intercollegiate athletes who sustained anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries that were not associated with a collision with another athlete or object." Interesting research, especially since I blew out my knee in a non-contact injury. It seems it was my brain's fault.
~ When Forgetting Is Good: Control Reductions at Retrieval [Developing Intelligence] -- "What was your 6th birthday party like? If you successfully retrieved that memory, you may now be ever so slightly less able to remember your other childhood birthdays. A variety of behavioral evidence has shown that such "retrieval induced forgetting" of strongly competing memories is fundamental to memory retrieval. In a new article in Nature Neuroscience, Kuhl et al. provide neuroimaging evidence which ties retrieval-induced forgetting to activity in prefrontal cortex."
~ Guide to Psychology Blogs - Part 4 -- "Here is part four of the most accessible psychology blogs on the internet. Read part 1, part 2 and part 3."
~ The First Instinct Fallacy -- "Test-takers: Your gut response isn't always right."
~ Judgment Under Fire -- "Decision-making when you're under pressure."
~ Codependency – When Caring Becomes Self-Destructive -- "Many of the characteristics of codependency sound like good qualities – caring, nurturing, unselfish and devoted. Some codependent behaviors are well-intentioned. But people in codependent relationships can quickly spiral into destructive, dysfunctional patterns of behavior."


CULTURE/POLITICS
~ Americans More Likely to Believe in God Than the Devil, Heaven More Than Hell -- "Roughly 9 in 10 Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, while fewer than 10% are firm in their belief that there is no God. Eighty-one percent of Americans believe in heaven. At the same time, 7 in 10 profess belief in the Devil and in hell. These updates of Americans' beliefs were measured in a May 10-13, 2007, Gallup poll survey."
~ Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution -- "The majority of Republicans in the United States do not believe the theory of evolution is true and do not believe that humans evolved over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. This suggests that when three Republican presidential candidates at a May debate stated they did not believe in evolution, they were generally in sync with the bulk of the rank-and-file Republicans whose nomination they are seeking to obtain."
~ New "Cheese Heroin" Threatens Youths -- "Cheese is a mix of derivatives from over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol PM and adulterated heroin, two sedatives that can combine to stop the heart."
~ Is Wis.dm Your Next Web Obsession? -- "Answer yes or no. This new social-networking site is based upon your responses to all kinds of questions."
~ Anti-War Marine Gets General Discharge -- "Marine Who Was Caught in Uniform at War Protest Gets Discharge 1 Notch Below Honorable."
~ House Passes Post-Virginia Tech Gun Bill -- "The House passed what could become the first major federal gun control law in more than a decade. The bill was spurred by the Virginia Tech killings and buttressed by help from the NRA. The bill would improve state reporting in background checks."
~ Twinkies Go Bananas: Hostess Turns Back Time for the Spongy Sweet -- "Company Returns Twinkie Filling to WWII-Era Flavor [banana cream]; Vanilla Creme No Longer Available."


HABITATS/TECHNOLOGY
~ Bacteria ferry nanoparticles into cells for early diagnosis, treatment -- "Researchers at Purdue University have shown that common bacteria can deliver a valuable cargo of "smart nanoparticles" into a cell to precisely position sensors, drugs or DNA for the early diagnosis and treatment of various diseases."
~ Human activities increasing carbon sequestration in forests -- "Human-caused nitrogen deposition has been indirectly “fertilizing” forests, increasing their growth and sequestering major amounts of carbon, a new study in the journal Nature suggests."
~ Plants recognize their siblings, biologists discover -- "The next time you venture into your garden armed with plants, consider who you place next to whom. It turns out that the docile garden plant isn`t as passive as widely assumed, at least not with strangers. Researchers at McMaster University have found that plants get fiercely competitive when forced to share their pot with strangers of the same species, but they`re accommodating when potted with their siblings."
~ Top fossil hunter finds giant bird-like dinosaur -- "One of the world's top fossil hunters unveiled a previously unknown gigantic, chicken-like dinosaur Wednesday that may change evolutionary theory on prehistoric animals."
~ Next Generation Bulb: Aluminum Foil? -- "Thin panels made from aluminum foil, sapphire and gas offer efficient light."
~ Century-Old Weapon Found in Whale -- "A 130-year-old whale took a hit a century ago, but wasn't killed until last month."
~ Tibet To Ban Gold Mining To Protect the Environment -- "Local officials in Tibet plan to ban the mining of gold, mercury, arsenic and peat to preserve mineral resources and protect the environment, state media reported Wednesday."


INTEGRAL/BUDDHIST
~ PODCAST: The Joshua Bell Experiment, part III -- "World-class musicians aren’t supposed to be street performers. But that is just what violinist Joshua Bell was in a recent impromptu performance in a subway stop in the American capital city. The reactions of the commuters were … interesting, as documented by the Washington Post."
~ Selfishness is "Heaven and Hell" -- "Now I don't believe in a physical, separate "Hell" or "Heaven" from the ones that we create and live in right here, right now. However, I agree with this parable in the sense that it points out the problems that come from being selfish, dualistic and trying to fight the Universal Law of inter-dependency and co-arising."
~ 5 Question Interview Series with Mike Weir -- "Michael Weir is the owner of Heritage Hypnotherapy Center located in Pittsburgh PA. Michael is a certified hypnotherapist with a personal mission to “empower each and every client to reach their highest goals”. His motto is “the answers are within”. Michael has graciously agreed to take part in my on going “5 Question Interview Series”."
~ As the family goeth, so goeth the character of God -- "This is a provocative article in Policy Review, that challenges the common notion that the so-called “modern age” or “modernity” leads to secularization and thus reduced religious and theological awareness and participation."
~ SCENE: Hurts More, Bothers You Less -- "A new video has been uploaded to YouTube, entitled Hurts More, Bothers You Less. When we taste the infinite Absolute of consciousness, the world is seen just as it is--radiant, perfect, and whole. The relative, however, does not cease to be. Quite the contrary, the pains and pleasures of our relative lives are intensified to an unimaginable degree."
~ Strength program -- "As mentioned in another post, I see this very clearly in the form of bodywork I am doing, where both the terminology and practices are great at the centaur and soul level (and allows for a continuing deepening here), but also create a ceiling for anything beyond - for unraveling beliefs and patterns which reveals what we are as Ground. It is fully possible to have a system that focuses on the centaur and soul levels, yet is transparent to and aligned with what is beyond."


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