|
|
Blast from the Past: This blog post is from January 1st, 09, when I was still a teacher living in Tucson, Arizona. Now I’m a freelance writer living in Wisconsin… but still love reading about neuroscience.
 Although teachers have two months off each summer, about fifteen paid days off scattered throughout the year, and three combined weeks off for winter and spring breaks, I’ve read that teachers work as many hours in their 9 ½ months of gainful employment as the rest of the working population puts into their 11 ½ months. I haven’t closely analyzed the statistics, because if someone offers me time off, I take it! I spent last winter in lovely Costa Rica, and this year I decided to venture to the cold but beautiful tundra of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Because of the rising cost of airfare, and my boyfriend’s free usage of a company car (not to mention the gas card), we decided to drive. Or rather, he drove. Company policy. Not that I was really dying to drive anyway.
Spending 6 long days in a car with someone is interesting. We braved the bitter cold (putting on coat and gloves to walk two feet inside gas stations), picked up funny postcards, listened to comedy on XM Radio, ate a lot of jerky and only got in one argument (about whether or not Rashad Evans is a boring fighter, if you have to know).
I also did a ton of reading—what else can you do in a moving vehicle for 56 hours? I do not have a science background, but am fascinated by the human brain, so I brought along books… bought and borrowed, old and new. Although I read President-Elect Obama’s Dreams From My Father, the rest of the books were about genes, biology, neuroscience, beliefs, even religion. Here is a short synopsis.
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend by Barbara Oakley
 I had to buy this book as soon as I saw it. The title alone was compelling, and a quick glance through the table of contents sealed the deal. Spurred by wanting to analyze her own sister’s disturbingly selfish inclinations, Barbara Oakley looks into science and history to try to understand why some people are Machiavellian and others are not. Is it found in brain chemistry? Where does free will factor in? And what do the culprits themselves perceive when they engage in evil acts? What are the distinctions? Oakley explores Machiavellianism, psychopathy, antisocial personality disorders, borderline personality disorders, and “evil genes.” She looks at medical imaging, her sister’s love letters and historical bad guys like Slobodan Milosevic and Chairman Mao. She even links to a Machiavellian test online so you can see where you stand. Oakley takes the position that while one’s environment and life experiences can inhibit or exacerbate certain dispositions, this is not always the case depending on the person’s brain chemistry. A fascinating read.
The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles by Bruce Lipton
If Barbara Oakley leans toward the “nature” end of the spectrum, Bruce Lipton would be firmly planted in the “nurture” category. The Biology of Belief begins with a description of the history of science, discussing materialism, dualism, vitalism and so forth. Democritus, Socrates, Aristotle, Magnus, Aquinas, Copernicus and Newton are all mentioned, and Lipton goes into detail about the way the church inhibited scientific discourse.
Lipton, who left a high-paying med school teaching job he felt he could not perform with integrity, believes that it is not genes and DNA that control biology, but that DNA is controlled by signals outside the cell, including messages sent from our thoughts. He states that there are two main parts controlling cells—the proteins (inside the cell) and the signals (from the external environment). Birth defects can hurt cell proteins, and several factors can damage cell signals: trauma (physical damage to the nervous system), chemistry (toxins) and sending the wrong signal at an inappropriate time. Lipton believes that it’s all about the signal; that individual cells have the molecular capacity to hold beliefs and that a cell can “rewrite” a genetic directive. If perception controls behavior, as Lipton indicates, one simply needs to change perception. The subconscious mind as he sees it is just a tape player, programmed from our earliest experiences. It can be rewritten through clinical hypnosis, Buddhist mindfulness or other techniques (not including psychotherapy).
Cell responses are limited to growth (moving toward or taking in stimulus), protection (moving away or closing down in response to stimulus) or neutral responses to innocuous stimuli. He boils it down to love and fear—and even says autism is increased in orphanages due to a lack of love. A cell biologist by training, Bruce Lipton’s work is certainly intriguing. Was this book in the “new age” section because he is challenging the status quo, or because it’s more self-help-y than scientific? The jury’s still out on that one.
The Body Has A Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better by Sandra Blakesly and Matthew Blakesly
 I borrowed this book from my neighbor, a teacher who is vehemently opposed to pseudo-science in all its forms. The book breaks down the different parts of the brain and what they are mostly used for, and explores “body maps” in the brain. Did you know that as far as your brain is concerned, your body includes not only the space around you, but also any tools or equipment you may be using? There are vivid drawings and diagrams and examples of sensory organs: for humans, it is the hands and lips. The Blakeslys also explain the reasons for feeling fat after losing weight, golfers getting the yips and other body illusions. Why would wearing a cat suit help an anorexic? Why can the brain not distinguish between imagining playing basketball and actually doing it? How could the usage of mirrors help people who have lost the ability to use limbs due to strokes? Fading limbs, amputee wannabees, multiple limbs and other experiences and out-of-body experiences are discussed and leave more questions than answers. Why is yawning contagious and what are mirror neurons? A fun and easy read–highly recommended.
The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins
 My boyfriend lent me this book after we saw the movie Religulous. He believed that physicist/geneticist and author Francis S. Collins, well-known for his leadership of the Human Genome Project, had a lot more to offer than was displayed in a short one-sided conversation with Bill Maher. I was intrigued by the book because Collins is unapologetically religious, and yet he is strongly opposed to both creationism and Intelligent Design. His arguments against them are well-written and well-thought-out. However, I felt that his arguments in favor of theism (in the vein of C.S. Lewis) were a bit weak.
Born to Believe: God, Science, and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefsby Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman
 I don’t know if a review of this book can really do it justice. It was SO GOOD: well-written, comprehensive and loaded to the brim with fascinating facts, thoughts and ideas. What are our beliefs, and how do we form them? Newberg and Waldman believe that there are “four interacting spheres of influence”—perception, cognition, emotional value and social consensus. The book really digs deep into each of these spheres, explaining how they work and describing which are most prevalent during the different stages of development. The fine line between perception and illusion is discussed in depth. How does our brain form our reality? The book culminates in an exploration of spiritual beliefs and the brain, discussing some of Newberg’s brain scans of Catholic nuns, Buddhist monks, Pentecostals speaking in tongues, and an atheist who meditated on the image of God. He is continuing to research the neurobiological effects of meditation on the brain, which is why I originally picked up the book. The most fascinating sections for me, though, were the ones on different forms of bias, and and on the gap between belief and moral behavior. The moral dilemmas discussed got my brain all twisted up in knots—in a good way! Heavily researched with tons of footnotes, this book was thoughtful and engaging but not a quick read. I loved it.
CHECK OUT MY LATEST ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS!
I have three pieces up on 8 Count News; interviews with MMA superstars Ryan Bader (thanks to Jason Genet) and Joe Lauzon and a piece on up-and-coming stars Chevelle Hallback and Ryan Beauregard. Check them out and keep an eye on the site as I have more great articles and interviews planned. The rest of the site is pretty cool, too.
I also have a short piece in the December/January issue of Bust magazine titled “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” A part of Bust’s homemade gift section, my little ditty shows you how to make sugar scrubs! If you have a chance, pick up a copy of Bust on the newsstand.
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my newsletter so you can get new articles e-mailed to you about once a month! Thanks for reading, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 This post is my contribution to the Spring Herbs Blog Party hosted by Aquarian Bath.
When trying to come up with a spring herb, I knew that I would need to choose one that was bitter. But I’ll be honest; I still don’t have the faintest clue where to go wildcrafting in my new home. I mean, I had to go to Minneapolis to find gelatin, and had to buy magnesium oil online. And though I’ve made plenty of nettle tea and eaten all sorts of dandelion roots in years past, this year I’ll be buying my bitter herbs (for Passover) in a store.
I never voluntarily ate horseradish growing up. I ate it once a year, during Passover Seder, because I was expected to. The Passover Seder involves a special plate with many symbolic foods, and one of those is maror, or bitter herbs. As someone who’s often flirted with agnosticism, I’ve never really been satisfied with the explanation for eating something on a certain day being that God commanded us to do so. A reminder of the suffering of our ancestors was the other oft-used explanation, something that nobody who understands the tear-stained history of the Jewish tribe (or alltribes, for that matter) could deny. Interestingly enough, the placement of the maror is in the center of the Seder plate, the area that represents mercy. This is explained by the bitterness of spirit causing a manifestation of mercy. The embittered soul pours out its pain and this leads to an abundance of mercy from the Divine, and a resolution. Almost like Hegel’s thesis-antithesis-synthesis. Or perhaps Kahlil Gibran put it best;
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Just as the stone of the fruit must break, so that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain. And if you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy. If you accept the seasons of your heart, as you have always accepted the four seasons, you would watch with serenity the winters of your grief. Much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility. For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen.”
Beautifully put. In the more physical realm, bitter herbs are all excellent for stimulating digestion and clearing the liver, which is often a bit sluggish going into spring from the rich, heavy foods of winter (and often, let’s be honest, alcohol). It’s almost common sense, really, to eat the bitter greens as you see them popping out of the ground.
Horseradish is a perennial in the Brassicaceae family, related to cabbage, broccoli and mustard. It is an ancient plant. The Delphic Oracle told Apollo that it was worth its weight in gold, according to Greek Mythology. Horseradish was painted in a mural in Pompeii, and was used during the middle ages as a medicine and condiment.
As a food, horseradish is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus, as well as mustard oil (we’ll talk mustard packs on a different day) and vitamin C. It is said that a combination of mustard and grated horseradish was mentioned by Shakespeare, though I am still searching for a citation. And though horseradish is used in various food and recipes all over the world, I personally can only stand to use it as a condiment or medicine. Actually harvested in fall, horseradish root can of course be dried and stored.
As expected, horseradish is great for sinus relief. It can be mixed with apple cider vinegar and chewed on until the flavor is gone. When I mix it with vinegar, though, I often make fire cider–infusing it along with ginger, onion, garlic and cayenne pepper in a jar covered with apple cider vinegar. I let it sit for a month in a cool, dark place, strain and use as salad dressing. It can be harsh for those with sensitive stomachs (or who already run dry and hot) but works well to rev up the immunity and beat colds by getting you sweating to flush out colds. And it’s tasty!
Externally, horseradish can often be used successfully as a poultice on torn muscles, bruises or abscesses. I’ve had some luck with it as an ingredient in liniment as well.
My old herbals all speak of horseradish whiskey and horseradish syrup, but I’ve never tried either. Heck, I’ve even read that small centers of horseradish farming were found in my new hometown of Eau Claire. But I wouldn’t know where to find them.
After many phone messages and e-mails, I couldn’t find a Passover Seder to attend, so will be doing my own. When I eat my horseradish this year, I’ll ask for bitterness to be transformed to growth with the dawn of spring. And now we’ve come full circle, and can end with more Kahlil Gibran;
“…Come, my beloved; let us drink the last of Winter’s
Tears from the cupped lilies, and soothe our spirits
With the shower of notes from the birds, and wander
In exhilaration through the intoxicating breeze.
Let us sit by that rock, where violets hide; let us
Pursue their exchange of the sweetness of kisses.”
Yesterday, I turned the scary old age of 31st and started sharing 31 resources that rock my world with you. I didn’t finish, so here’s part two: 16-31. Since I have a wide range of quirks and interests, I’m sure not all will appeal to you but am equally positive that you’ll find something you love. In alphabetical order, here’s the second installment.
16. Fisher Price Theater. I started reading Dork (the best comic book of all time) when I was still in middle school, but these comics, like the reading assignments they re-enact, are classic. Check out Catcher in the Rye (and page 2). Of Mice and Men. The Lottery.
17. Marissa Bracke. Self-described as a “can-do-ologist, perpetually Curious George and daily adventurer,” Marissa writes brilliant and charming posts. Two recent favorites include The Seven Dwarves of Social Media and Bippity Boppity Bullshit: Lessons From Cinderella, Midnight & Moxie.
18. The Onion. I used to pick these up in Chicago and smuggle them back to Waukegan when I was still in college. Now I live in Wisconsin (the Onion’s homebase) but have to get my copies in Minnesota. Go figure. Anyway, unless you’re living under a rock you’ve probably already seen Amerca’s finest (and funniest) news source. Highly recommended for riotous laughter.
19. Productive Flourishing. Charlie Gilkey helps creative people take meaningful action and change the world (or “do epic shit,” as his t-shirt says). In a world cluttered with to-do lists and action items and phones ringing and papers piling up, his free planners are a breath of fresh air… a perfect blend of flexibility and structure. Plus he has excellent blog posts, jam sessions with Johnny B. Truant (audio samples available if you poke around) and a beautiful site design that feels spacious, clean and expansive. (Besides, anybody who taught Philosophy or writes posts with titles such as “How to Blog Like Shakespeare” immediately gets on my A-list.)
20. Robb Wolf. Hands-on the best site on Paleo Nutrition in the world. Includes the Paleolithic Solution: a really long heady podcast that you might actually listen to. A little bird told me Robb is writing a book, too…
21. Rosi Sexton. She’s a fighter, a writer, a mother, a sports therapist, a soon-to-be osteopath, a PhD, and a former classical pianist. And her blog is always thought-provoking.
22. Shea Moisture. Two ladies lived in Liberia when a civil war destroyed most of their family’s personal possessions. They immigrated to the U.S. and, unemployed, started selling soap (using a family recipe) on the sidewalk in Harlem. The company buys ingredients directly from women’s cooperatives and indigenous farmers in Africa, paying above market prices. They work with organizations such as ECOSERVE and AFRICARE to protect the integrity of the ingredients and ensure sustainable harvests. And they partner with organizations such as The Liberian Education Fund and Todee Mission to build schools and provide access to education for impoverished girls in Africa (many of whom supply ingredients used in the products). AND the soap is yummy.
23. Spezzatino. A gorgeous online food magazine that raises money for the Healthy Food Bank, a charity that purchases basic nutritious food for local food banks around North America. The magazine features beautiful photography and fascinating articles, interviews and essays around each food, penetrating beyond the surface level and addressing it from various angles (political, historical, cultural, edible…) Plus you can download a sample issue for free.
24. Stiletto Spy School. OMG. If someone rich wants to give me a present (or I can snag a media pass somehow)… I, too, would like to learn how to mix the perfect martini, get private lessons from a coupier, brush up on hand-to-hand combat followed by exotic dance moves, play with Glocks and Uzis and M16s, and learn how to use my wiles to avoid enemy agents.
25. Stumptuous. Krista Scott-Dixon is the older sister I’d always wished I’d had. She’s brilliant: smart, witty, funny, irreverent… AND she lifts heavy things. Stumptuous is more than a workout and nutrition site. It’s like sitting in on a slumber party with the coolest and smartest people you know.
26. Systems Thinking. This is the one souvenir I’ve retained from my career as a teacher, and it is brilliant. The Waters Foundation has great resources for teachers and non-teachers alike.
27. Usual Error Project: Why We Don’t Understand Each Other and 34 Ways to Make it Better. As someone who wants to improve her communication (but is allergic to NVC), I found this *free* e-book refreshing, interesting and accessible. (Did I mention the e-book version is free?)
28. The Well Stacked Back. Esther Gokhale looked to native people, ancient Greeks and young children to synthesize what kinesthetic principles led to their ease of movement and back health. Her book and website are great. Her seminars are even better.
29. Wendy Cholbi. Bite-sized pieces of hope and safety to help release you from your technology fears and stucknesses. Like a sleuth (or detective), Wendy can solve even the most confounding computer mysteries. In a nice and non-scary way. She even found my disappearing mailing list. Wendy offers Wordpress installations, e-classes, open office hours once a week, a fun newsletter and more.
30. The Weston A. Price Foundation. It’s a nonprofit organization which works hard on disseminating the research of nutrition pioneer Weston A. Price, a dentist who conducted ethnographic nutritional studies across diverse cultures, synthesizing dietary principles held in common by cultures that were not ailed by modern diseases. Tons of information and research, and occasionally recipes for things like broth. Yum!
31. Wild Fermentation Sandor Ellix Katz (aka Sandorkraut) is not only an herbalist, activist, cyclist, author and craftsman, he’s also a fermentation revivalist/fetishist, and his book (Wild Fermentation) is par excellence. Sandor is living with AIDS and considers fermented foods a huge part of his healing… and his recipes are exquisite, easy to follow and fun. I have a friend who went to one of his workshops. I’m jealous.
So that about wraps it up! I hope you found at least one great new resource you’ll enjoy as much as I do! Now I’m gonna go eat more flourless chocolate cake.
In celebration of my 31st birthday (which is ending in about twenty minutes), I wanted to share 31 resources that rock my world with you. Since you, my lovely readers, are quite a diverse crowd… I’m sure everybody will find something they love. So, in alphabetical order…
- The Art of Non-Conformity: Unconventional Strategies for Life, Work and Travel. This site just rocks in so many ways, to the point where, when I initially saw it, I immediately signed up to the mailing list and downloaded the free e-book even though I was saturated with information products and swamped to the point of no return. That’s the kind of reaction I hope to someday get from my own writing, so this site is certainly one I’d like to emulate. Changing the world and living with gratefulness and purpose… what’s not to love?
- Beginning BJJ and Grapplearts. Training in Brazilian jiu jitsu can be tough, especially if you have a coach who likes to teach super fancy moves rather than fundamentals. Kesting offers lots of great products and free information to help you improve your game. He also has a cool technique poster. I made the mistake of trying to give an extra to a BJJ black belt once, and he freaked out and made his blue belt talk to me. You are now forewarned.
- Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I first read Women Who Run With the Wolves in high school and have had a special place in my heart for Estes ever since. And now she has these great audio sessions you can sign up for… Highly recommended for spiritual recharging and listening to amazing stories…
- Engineers Without Borders. An engineer went to India and saw that little girls had to carry water to their village day in and day out and thus could not go to school. He founded this non-profit, which helps address basic human needs (like sanitation, clean water, power and education) while allowing local communities to retain autonomy and say what they need. Mind-blowing.
- Eric Cressey If you’re at all interested in personal training, coaching or even just maximizing your athletic ability… this site rocks. It’s simple enough to understand, complex enough to get you thinking and always thought-provoking. Plus, Cressey has a sense of humor and his newsletters and articles are as fun to read as they are insightful.
- Growing Power. How can you not love a non-profit that supports intensive urban agriculture to combat poverty and malnutrition all over the world?
- Hagar International. These guys support women and children who are victims of devastating violence, abuse and even trafficking in countries such as Cambodia, Afghanistan and Vietnam, and helps them recover and reintegrate into their communities (social rehabilitation and economic empowerment). Amazing work.
- Ittybiz. Naomi Dunford giving non-icky marketing advice…with swear words, wit, compassion and charm. Lovelovelove.
- Jen Higgins is a nutrition genius. She’s also a homeschooling mother, an athlete and a revolutionary. Her blog, Hunt It Gather It Work It, applies “ancestral kitchen wisdom” with “adoration of delicious things.” Yummy!
- Jon Stewart. He’s hot, he’s funny, and his Haiti skit is to die for. Even though he made fun of Rachel Maddow.
- Karen Robinson. If you are at all interested in Heilkunst or German New Medicine, Karen has some fascinating articles. If you just want grain-free recipes or to learn how to make your own chocolate, she’s got you covered, too. And she’s got a new site up!
- Linda Formicelli. I was a bit reticent to set up a phone mentoring session with Linda. After all, it ain’t cheap. But even though Linda charges $125/hour I’ve already scored $600 worth of writing assignments solely using her just one of three key suggestion she gave me. And that’s just the start. Linda also offers classes, and has an excellent blog and a couple books out. Freelance writers, give it a go… you won’t be sorry.
- Michael Pollan’s books are amazing. If you haven’t read the Omnivore’s Dilemma, you’re missing out. He does a great job of addressing complexity in a thought-provoking and non-preachy way.
- Non Toxin. The tagline and description really speak for themselves. “No tech. No gossip. No politics. If you like reading what Brittney Spears did today then please go away. This site is not for you.” Plus, everything that Ankesh writes turns to gold.
- Wishcraft. Download Barbara Sher’s classic for free and change your life. Nuff said.
16-31 coming soon!!!
|
