the world is ending

the world is ending so i made a playlist. i went ahead and shared it because why do i care what you think if the world is about to end?

i didn't make this a my top 10 of all time list because my attitude isn't i'll never hear these songs again but rather what do i want my last thoughts feelings and emotions to be in my last moments of life as i knew it.

i chose a barely pre-meditated list combining nostalgia experiental and/or other interesting feelings, i want to feel several, a feeling music moment a thon.  go ahead and judge.

so i open with #1 because of the memories of hearing it the first time and so any varied times after.  besides it's an ironically apropos opening.

#2 ok so it's in my all time top 10 but it puts me square in a place and time i'll never experience in colombia and venezuela.  i'm going to project myself there.

#3 is just awesome 80s r&b throwback. and if i let myself go a little bit i can feel like a giddy in love black teenage girl.

#4 is just a cheesy song i love to hear when i go out.  by this time i'll be fully crunk no alcohol or other drugs necessary at all.

#5 is another funky out in the club song that just puts a smile on my face reminds me of nights at j.d.'s welcome to atlanta wednesday night spot.

#6 reminds me of madonna who i'll dance with for a song while dancing a flashback of this song when i heard in italy and i'm dancing with my ex-wife mother of my children too.  all in italy at the same time. i might not live to tell but it'll be hot.

#7 i knew i'd need to rock out some more and the old hiphop is keeping the mood upbeat.  one last time i can sing it like it was me singing it on the original recording. no one will know the difference. i'm run-james.m.c. i'm LL cool james. i'm fly.

#8 i took a shine to this song pretty recently. it had never struck a chord with me before never gave it a good listen or how the hell am i going to figure why? it's such an elegantly simple wonderful song. i'm going to disappear into so many wonderful eyes of every color that i've adored during the years. eyes are my favorite feature on a person followed by lips. many many people should expect me in their retinas; i will be there.

#9 an apropos band name and song with many recent memories like dancing to it at mjq and the woman who brought that and tons of other brilliant music to my house on a thumb drive.  y'all don't forget about the gift of music.  sorry the world's ending, just look inside yourself and rejoice.

#10 an experiental piece. it just allows me to transport to another place time and experience for a moment.

#11 allows me to feel like i'm being loved by someone else. i'm going to accept as much of that love as i can take.  there will be serious goose bumps and tingly flushed face and skin. i'm going to feel just like only the perfect other person for that moment can make me feel. i will be feeling it.

#12 zaps me off to somewhere selacious to enjoy the funky side of life. i'm gettin funky to a T. fo sho

#13 gonna get sappy and group hug my kids my parents my closest people in my life. all at once.

it's time to awaken.

2012 (r)evolution - we revolve around the earth

astronomy changed drastically and made so much more sense when we calculated things based on the sun being the center of the solar system instead of the earth. 

economics will make much more sense when the earth and nature is the central calculation and not population or artificial currencies. 

we (r)evolve around the planet not it around us. we depend on the planet not it on us. 

this is essential to the awakening that is happening now not necessarily because it's 2012 but just because it's time. 

thank you for entertaining this idea.

peace.

hipsters aren't ironic

hipsters aren't ironic
hear me out

irony is a theme
but not an essence

to be or not to be ironic
is style not substance
this substance is a
reaction

to authenticity, faith, judgment
stereotypes, roles, society

mockery is flattery, unless it's
unflattering

what has a hipster ever done
2 u?

-jameselgringo

Facts beliefs and myths (oh my!)

[This blog entry is for me to reference from other blogs to outline my philosophy and approach to discussion and debate. You may find it quite boring. You've been warned.]

I intend to use these terms often. If you are reading this, you probably know these definitions. I've created this blog to explain how I use them below so I don’t have to explain in detail in other blog entries.

A fact is:

• An honest observation.
• Something actual as opposed to invented.
• Something concrete used as a basis for further interpretation.
• An objective consensus on a fundamental reality that has been agreed upon by a substantial number of people.
• Information about a particular subject.

A belief is:
Mental acceptance of a claim as truth regardless of supporting or contrary empirical evidence.

A myth is:
A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality.

I hope there isn’t any confusion over the word fact.  It would make conversations difficult.  But whether something is a fact or not, can be subject to opinion (when people disagree).  Facts aren’t opinions but we can opine over facts (happens a lot, especially in politics).  When something can’t be proven absolutely true or false, be it due to gray area or difficulty to prove, I prefer to call this a belief.  This can be difficult for black and white thinkers (but so can rational/intellectual discussion-- just sayin’).  Everyone has a right to have beliefs, but calling them facts will naturally inspire challenge from (other) thinking people.

A belief becomes a myth if it is indeed false.  Calling something a myth is essentially calling it false.  In a discussion, this is tantamount to an accusation of lying.  With a lack of sufficient proof to disprove a belief, calling it a myth is unfair in intellectual discussion unless the argument is intended to be antagonistic.  There can be healthy and unhealthy levels of this, and I prefer to keep things open-minded yet respectful.  Ideas can be battles without being fights.  Calling something a myth is a challenge of its veracity and can be accepted as such as well.  I prefer to use this type of challenge sparingly (calling beliefs myths) when I’m at least pretty convinced of such.

I personally don’t like telling people what to think.  For the sake of discussion, I might of course ask someone to accept a premise for purposes of discussion.  If you can’t see the difference in that, please consider refraining from these discussions.  

I do however like telling people what I think. I'm doing so in hopes of hearing peoples opinions and critiques. I don't expect everyone to think the same!  That said, I feel like the word belief isn't used very often in discussions but is valuable for accepting someone's position or conjecture with less judgement or a more open mind.

I know all of this is a little pedantic.  If you wish you hadn't wasted your time getting to this point of this blog, please accept my apologies.  Be well.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle

A blog, "10 myths about beliefs".

Do we need more germs?

Do we clean and sanitize ourselves and our living environment too much? Are there unintended consequences from doing so? Just a little over-cooked food for thought.

George Carlin on his immune system (vulgar language, as expected)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29lF43mUlo

Should we eat dirt?

http://chriskresser.com/dirt-a-paleo-superfood

Notes on Spirit Air and Ft Lauderdale

This is more of a note to myself of things to expect next time I fly Spirit Air, but I'm putting it out there in case it helps anyone else as well.

Spirit charges for bags. You probably already know this. If you don't and you fly them, you'll find out.  Personally I accepted the challenge to pack with just a "personal" sized bag 16 x 14 x 12 inches (as opposed to carry-on size).  The main take away is to factor baggage charges into the flight cost before booking, if it's going to be an issue.  Another unusual thing-- I do like that the seats on the aircraft don't recline. While I would have liked to recline my own chair, it really nice that the person in front of me couldn't recline and crush my long legs.

FLL has a pretty inadequate capacity. Terminal 4 /Concourse H has a restaurant/bar, a Dunkin Donuts, and a newsstand. In the main concourse if you have time to leave and come back there's Sbarro and a burger joint. 

The bathrooms' capacity on Concourse H is also limited, so it's actually a consideration to do business on the plane if you're connecting there from a domestic flight.  You may have to wait in line to do your business at times.

If you're returning from a trip abroad, they are limited too in immigration/customs capacity. It took me two hours to get through, though I did have a bonus customs search.

It's easy to complain when flying, but it's amazing how easily we can just pop over to a foreign country.  My experience with Spirit was fine;  The little things here are just a reminder to myself to help maximize creature comforts next time, and there will be a next time!

The myth of burning fat with cardio

Wanna burn that excess fat on your waist line? Diet and exercise! Wanna buy some ocean front property in Arizona?

Sadly, diet and exercise aren't the answer. Diet is the answer. And sadly, fad/commercial diets focused on macronutrients aren't the answer, especially in the long term.

If you've seen something on TV, someone's selling you something. If you've listened to the American government's recommendations, someone's selling you something. (The food industry is regulated by people coming from the same food industry. Just don't believe everything you hear.)

What should you believe? Verify everything you can until you are satisfied with the knowledge you have. This process isn't ever complete-- think of it as a journey. But to use more cliches (like "diet and exercise"), if you aren't moving forward you are moving backward.

What do I believe?

1. The thermo-dynamic model of calories in versus calories out/burned is tragically flawed.

It sounds logical and sells gym memberships, but it just isn't really right. Sure, if you eat 5000 calories of high-carb food, you'll likely gain weight (fat), and if you eat 400 calories a day, you'll probably lose weight (fat and perhaps muscle too). Getting on a treadmill just doesn't cause your hormones to release energy from fat cells.

Here's an example of the misinformation. I don't believe it's their intention to mislead people, but the advice is based on this flawed assumption.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/360566-how-much-weight-can-i-lose-walking-one-hour-per-day-five-days-per-week/

The following talk gives a good explanation for why this model is flawed. I also think the macronutrient centered advice is good for short-term weight loss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6vpFV6Wkl4

2. Cardio doesn't really burn any fat

This article speaks more to the issue that cardio hardly burns any fat (too little to consider significant). It also addresses the issue that you could be hurting yourself with too much cardio.

http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-8

3. You should do the exercises and activities you enjoy

I'm not encouraging anyone to stop exercising or being active. There are still many benefits. Actually, some argue "burning calories" is the main way people experience pleasure.

In conclusion, please don't be afraid to challenge your existing beliefs, *especially* if what you think/believe now isn't working. Take your health and well-being into your own hands.

The Orange: Healthy Snack AND Air Freshener

Orange Aroma

Oranges are wonderful and healthy. I doubt you could find someone to dispute that claim. Their aroma is also wonderful. If you haven't already after eating an orange, try leaving your orange peel out for a day as air freshener. It can really freshen up your home or office. After it's been out for a day or two, the rind can be composted or used as mulch in the garden or on house plants as well. Enjoy!

P.S. I plan to bring a plate to my office instead of using paper towels for this

Parents please don't give your infants fluoride!

It seems extreme to say fluoride is a toxin, unless of course you've actually researched it and know this to be absolutely true.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/

There is no proof that systemic fluoride (ingested as opposed to topical) has any positive health benefits whatsoever. There are some correlative statistics suggesting this, but they ignore other relevant data. Check out the graph showing the decline in dental caries in a number of countries that don't fluoridate next to the US and a couple other that do:

http://www.cottonwoodheightsutahdentist.com/fluoride.htm

Fluoride in water has no benefit for anyone at all, but it hurts some populations disproportionately: infants (especially low income), those with kidney-disease, and the people who are actually allergic to fluoride!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fluoride-Toxicity-Allergy---Is-Fluoride-Making-You-Sick?&id=1515127

If you just follow the conventional wisdom or choose to believe what the corporate dollars tell the policy makers to have you believe, then just keep on drinking fluoride (that otherwise would be treated as toxic waste!) in your water. If you are concerned about health, please do your own research.

The damage to infants is the worst part of this if you ask me. Parents of infants, please don't let your little ones drink fluoridated water or eat fluoride contaminated food!

The ADA says it's OK:

http://www.ada.org/4052.aspx

The CDC too!

http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm

Here's a place that recommends against it:

http://www.naturalnews.com/033919_fluoride_infant_health.html

Who do you believe? And why?

Orphans by deportation

This is just disgusting. If parents are deported, they should have the option to bring their children along at least! I don't know what the solution(s) would be, but the current state of affairs is just plain cruel...

http://reason.com/blog/2012/02/15/the-most-vile-and-inhumane-immigration-s

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/11/thousands_of_kids_lost_in_foster_homes_after_parents_deportation.html

tight leg muscles are normal?

Many of us suffer from tight leg muscles. We're told to stretch and become limber at almost any cost. It's true that tight hamstrings for example can cause back pain or other muscular-skeletal issues, but is it unhealthy to have tight muscles?

I'm in the third group, as described in this article:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Tight-Hamstrings---Why-Stretching-May-Not-Work&id=2783079

One interesting thing is that some elite athletes have a more limited range of motion in their legs than others, but it's claimed that this leads to more efficient form and motion!

My strategy now, for dealing with my very tight leg muscles, is to just make sure I'm active relatively frequently, but I have no intentions of doing much strenuous activity. I don't think distance running or anything else hard on the body is worthwhile for me (or anyone else) unless it brings joy.

(Side note: There's lots of evidence that cardio burns virtually no fat (very insignificant amounts). Please don't think you need to be tearing yourself up to maintain your figure. Focus on your diet for your figure and exercise/activities for stress relief and pleasure.

http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-7-move-like-your-ancestors

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/how-1-minute-intervals-can-improve-our-health/

)

Some say tight leg muscles is at least in part neurological. I've heard that when someone is "put under" for surgery they are totally flexible. There are some folks that claim to have strategies to address tight muscles more from this perspective.

This guy has an interesting theory about tight hamstrings:

http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/do-you-really-have-tight-hamstrings/

Upshot is, as with most everything else, don't believe everything you hear and read. Lots of conventional wisdom is outdated, unproven, or at best over-simplified. In this particular case, unless something extreme is going on, I hope people aren't getting surgery for tight muscles or trying so hard to stretch that they get injured. If it doesn't feel right, question it!

5 health misconceptions

There are lots of misconceptions and pervasive pieces of misinformation around about living a healthy life. Here are some of my favorites, in a count down in no particular order.

Misconception #5: Gluten-free is a weight-loss diet

Because gluten-free is a “something”-free diet, some folks think it’s about weight loss. Many people actually gain weight going gluten-free. Often that’s a good thing. For many who cannot digest gluten (wheat, barley, and rye proteins) properly, ditching gluten allows them to absorb nutrients properly when they couldn't before.

Anecdotally, some folks do lose weight going gluten-free but for possibly unexpected reasons. When eating gluten-free, it’s quite difficult to eat garbage foods like restaurant and processed foods. The diet often leads to less snacking and eating out.

We don’t know how many people are sensitive to gluten. I’ve seen estimates as low as 5% and as high as 30% of people in the US have some sort of sensitivity.

http://www.rodale.com/gluten-free-diets
http://www.livestrong.com/article/519171-is-gluten-sensitivity-real/
http://www.free-from.com/blog/is-gluten-making-you-depressed/ (I went off gluten because of brain fog.)
http://www.drkaslow.com/html/gluten-brain_connection_.html
http://www.celiac.com/

Misconception #4: FDA’s recommended daily allowance of protein

If it can add one pound of muscle in one week, let’s recommend that amount as a daily allowance. Research it yourself folks. Grown adults don’t need tons of protein. (We don’t need the FDA’s dietary recommendations, either.)

Misconception #3: Adding fluoride to water is healthy

Water fluoridation is the greatest medical achievement of the 20th century (they claim). And no one seems to question it. It’s interesting when we’re shown graphs of the decrease of cavities in the population since adding fluoride to water. The graph looks the same for the first world countries that didn’t add fluoride, by the way.

It’s bad to ingest excess fluoride. It’s worse to ingest the industrial waste they use for municipal fluoridation. It’s the worst to lie to people and say it’s a good idea.

Actually, the worst part is that too few people question the notion. People won’t waste the effort and time to think about it because it just sounds radical. They don’t know about the millions of people in China and India who are paralyzed by skeletal fluorosis (from naturally occurring in high levels in their water.)

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-20-fluoride-news-stories-of-2011-138488989.html
http://www.fluoridealert.org/
http://www.friendsofwater.com/No_Fluoride.html

Misconception #2: Second hand smoke causes cancer

Smoking is stupid and gross. However, the studies that have linked second hand smoke and cancer have been refuted repeatedly.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2554/does-second-hand-smoke-really-cause-cancer



Misconception #1: Cardio “burns calories” (cardio leads to fat loss)

It seems so logical. Yet it doesn’t work. OK, cardio does burn calories, a little bit. “A study following women over a one-year period found that in order to lose one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fat, they had to exercise for an average of 77 hours. That’s a lot of time on the treadmill just to lose 2 pounds!”

I can try to support my claim until I’m blue in the face, but people won’t question the notion (again). You could give the idea a chance, however, and look at some of the sources I learned from.

http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-7-move-like-your-ancestors (Where I got the quote.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6vpFV6Wkl4 (the first almost an hour explains the flaw in the “thermodynamic model” of calories (calories in versus calories burned)).