'Health' Rules You Can Break - 1 - MSN Health - Nutrition Slide Show: OK, so I typically find most of these MSN articles to be pretty shallow and obvious. But a lot of the info in this one really makes a point that many of us have forgotten in our society. We are so obsessed with what Dr. Whoever says we're supposed to be doing, that we have forgotten to do what's really good for us, which is to listen to our bodies. We're obsessed with experts around here. We always think there is some brilliant, super-educated person who can give us the definitive answer that will make us look and feel terrific. But there is no one-size-fits-all health and fitness protocol. Every body is different. What we need most is to stop and listen to our bodies; something we are never encouraged to do. But it would solve a lot of problems. It's amazing how different you can feel just by asking yourself, "Am I going to the pantry because I'm hungry, or because I'm bored or upset?" or "Do I feel better after doing yoga for an hour or after doing circuit training for 20 minutes?" or, "How do I feel after eating this much bread?" Yes, there's lots of good expert advice out there that shouldn't be ignored, but don't follow the prevailing health dogma at the expense of what an equally important expert, your own body, has to say.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Problem With Anti-Capitalist Propaganda
So, the image that seems to have gone viral today, at least in my Facebook news feed, is this:
I can't really comment on whether or not capitalism is or isn't working for any given person or group of people, because as another friend pointed out, "I might agree if we actually had a capitalist system in place instead of a corrupt corporatist one." Not to mention, I daily become more convinced that there can be no pure, uncorrupted economic or political systems outside the realm of theory. But I do feel that there are some logical problems with this poster that do stuff it neatly into the "propaganda" box (where it can hang out with other anti-capitalist propaganda, pro-capitalist propaganda, and all sorts of other propaganda).
1) Emotional appeals aren't very well-respected in the realm of persuasion. They work by playing on the audience's fears, hopes, and sympathies rather than building a rational, logically-sound argument based on facts. Emotional appeal is ALL this poster offers us. "There are starving children somewhere. There are obese children somewhere. Therefore, capitalism isn't working," is not a valid argument. Of course, we are to infer that the starving folks are in a non-capitalist country, which appears to be somewhere in Africa. And we are supposed to infer that the obese children are in a capitalist country, which I suppose is the U.S., where childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem. Unfortunately, "There are starving children in Africa. There are obese children in the United States. Therefore, capitalism isn't working," is also a logically invalid argument.
2) A country's economic systems do not exist to support people in other countries. A country's economic systems develop in order to meet the commercial needs of the culture in which they exist. Though we are more and more heading toward becoming a truly global economy, it simply isn't true that a free market in one country is the cause of starvation in another country.
3) Obese children are not the product of capitalism. They are the product of parents who don't say, "Turn off the video games and go outside," or, "No, we're not going to eat fast food 15 times a week." Or parents who do say, "You're never allowed to leave the table unless you eat everything on your plate, regardless of whether you're actually hungry."
4) If you really want to pick on the thing, the images in this poster say, "People in non-capitalist societies are starving, and people in capitalist societies are not starving," which actually would imply that capitalism IS working (though I would have to pick nits with a poster to that effect as well, because it's also logically invalid).
Doesn't matter what side of the argument you're on, but at least have an argument, and not just a bunch of propaganda posters. Which brings me to my other beef:
Social networking sort of lends itself to spreading propaganda. For hours and hours every day, we can sit around seeing pics like the one above, making snap emotional judgments, and before any further thought enters our minds, we've shared it with our hundreds of friends, many of whom will then share it with theirs, thus perpetuating the process. The folks who create this tripe must be tickled that it's easier than ever to get people mindlessly fired up. When you can share everything with the merest click of a button, thus laying open to hundreds of people the brilliant cleverness of your social viewpoints (which you have copied from other people), there is no incentive to think through the over-simplified junk you're staring at before re-posting. No one is forced to ask themselves, "Who made this? What do they want? Is it true? Does it make any sense? IS IT WORTH KEEPING IN THE UNIVERSE BY RE-POSTING?"
I can't really comment on whether or not capitalism is or isn't working for any given person or group of people, because as another friend pointed out, "I might agree if we actually had a capitalist system in place instead of a corrupt corporatist one." Not to mention, I daily become more convinced that there can be no pure, uncorrupted economic or political systems outside the realm of theory. But I do feel that there are some logical problems with this poster that do stuff it neatly into the "propaganda" box (where it can hang out with other anti-capitalist propaganda, pro-capitalist propaganda, and all sorts of other propaganda).
1) Emotional appeals aren't very well-respected in the realm of persuasion. They work by playing on the audience's fears, hopes, and sympathies rather than building a rational, logically-sound argument based on facts. Emotional appeal is ALL this poster offers us. "There are starving children somewhere. There are obese children somewhere. Therefore, capitalism isn't working," is not a valid argument. Of course, we are to infer that the starving folks are in a non-capitalist country, which appears to be somewhere in Africa. And we are supposed to infer that the obese children are in a capitalist country, which I suppose is the U.S., where childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem. Unfortunately, "There are starving children in Africa. There are obese children in the United States. Therefore, capitalism isn't working," is also a logically invalid argument.
2) A country's economic systems do not exist to support people in other countries. A country's economic systems develop in order to meet the commercial needs of the culture in which they exist. Though we are more and more heading toward becoming a truly global economy, it simply isn't true that a free market in one country is the cause of starvation in another country.
3) Obese children are not the product of capitalism. They are the product of parents who don't say, "Turn off the video games and go outside," or, "No, we're not going to eat fast food 15 times a week." Or parents who do say, "You're never allowed to leave the table unless you eat everything on your plate, regardless of whether you're actually hungry."
4) If you really want to pick on the thing, the images in this poster say, "People in non-capitalist societies are starving, and people in capitalist societies are not starving," which actually would imply that capitalism IS working (though I would have to pick nits with a poster to that effect as well, because it's also logically invalid).
Doesn't matter what side of the argument you're on, but at least have an argument, and not just a bunch of propaganda posters. Which brings me to my other beef:
Social networking sort of lends itself to spreading propaganda. For hours and hours every day, we can sit around seeing pics like the one above, making snap emotional judgments, and before any further thought enters our minds, we've shared it with our hundreds of friends, many of whom will then share it with theirs, thus perpetuating the process. The folks who create this tripe must be tickled that it's easier than ever to get people mindlessly fired up. When you can share everything with the merest click of a button, thus laying open to hundreds of people the brilliant cleverness of your social viewpoints (which you have copied from other people), there is no incentive to think through the over-simplified junk you're staring at before re-posting. No one is forced to ask themselves, "Who made this? What do they want? Is it true? Does it make any sense? IS IT WORTH KEEPING IN THE UNIVERSE BY RE-POSTING?"
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Mmmm, Pumpkin Beer
The History of Pumpkin Beer in America | KegWorks: I've rarely met a beer I didn't like, and I'm not sure I've ever met a pumpkin product I didn't like. It certainly is getting to be that time of year again (though you wouldn't know it here in central Texas, where it's still close to 100 degrees most days). Break out the pumpkin beer and raise your glass to autumn and an American tradition!
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Mists of Avalon Sucks... Or Does It?
So, after many years of other people talking about how much they just loooove The Mists of Avalon
, I finally picked up a copy at Half Price Books last year. I had never felt the slightest urge to read it before, but after reading Stephen R. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle
over the winter of 2009, I found myself wanting to compare and contrast how the authors had chosen to weave the mythology together. So. Cheap copy of "Mists" procured, I settled in for what I expected to be an epic read.
Except that it sort of sucked.
1) The character development seemed half-assed. The behavior and motivations of the characters wouldn't always follow from circumstances, or would seem contrived.
2) The pacing... dear god, the pacing. I've noticed that this tends to be a problem in stories that cover decades and decades in a single volume, but the last 150 pages of this book just dragged. By the time I got through them, I felt like the story had ended ages ago and Bradley had just kept rambling for the heck of it.
3) There were some chronological inconsistencies that kept my brow furrowed through much of the book. I felt like Bradley had gotten confused by the length and complexity of her own story and couldn't get it worked out in the editing process. I really don't think she had any clear idea of her own timeline.
4) Much of the dialogue seemed to make no point, and do nothing to further the plot. It was as if it was there just to be there.
Anyway, by the end of the book, I couldn't wait to sell it back to Half Price Books and forget this whole incident ever happened. I left it at that for another year. But one day, I will become self-aware enough to know that if I start a series, I can't be satisfied until I've read the whole thing. So, library card in hand, I came back for more.
The Forest House
was tolerable; the underlying story was good but the relatively shallow, unrealistic character development got me again. And I almost could not manage to force my way through Lady of Avalon
. It took me eight weeks to read the book. I didn't think I could continue with this series. I was sure I had to quit. And then I found out something I hadn't been aware of before... Marion Zimmer Bradley died before the fourth volume was finished, and the book was completed by Diana L. Paxson.
And guess what? It was good. Paxson was able to do with Bradley's ideas what Bradley herself had not been able to do, which was to make a good story out of them. Paxson brings to the table all of the things Bradley lacked in writing style. Yes, I know there are some rabid Marion Zimmer Bradley fans out there, but as far as I can see, the woman was filled with great philosophical and metaphysical thoughts, but couldn't write worth a crap. Now that I'm into the volumes penned by Paxson instead, though, this series has taken on new life for me. I'm actually enjoying it. My advice to folks is to just skip the early volumes and start with Priestess of Avalon
and go from there. While a couple of the books do overlap each other in timeline and characters, all of the stories stand alone. If you pick up "Mists" and find you can't stomach it, just skip ahead and read the good ones. If, on the other hand, Bradley's writing doesn't bother you... well, then, don't listen to me.
, I finally picked up a copy at Half Price Books last year. I had never felt the slightest urge to read it before, but after reading Stephen R. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle over the winter of 2009, I found myself wanting to compare and contrast how the authors had chosen to weave the mythology together. So. Cheap copy of "Mists" procured, I settled in for what I expected to be an epic read.Except that it sort of sucked.
1) The character development seemed half-assed. The behavior and motivations of the characters wouldn't always follow from circumstances, or would seem contrived.
2) The pacing... dear god, the pacing. I've noticed that this tends to be a problem in stories that cover decades and decades in a single volume, but the last 150 pages of this book just dragged. By the time I got through them, I felt like the story had ended ages ago and Bradley had just kept rambling for the heck of it.
3) There were some chronological inconsistencies that kept my brow furrowed through much of the book. I felt like Bradley had gotten confused by the length and complexity of her own story and couldn't get it worked out in the editing process. I really don't think she had any clear idea of her own timeline.
4) Much of the dialogue seemed to make no point, and do nothing to further the plot. It was as if it was there just to be there.
Anyway, by the end of the book, I couldn't wait to sell it back to Half Price Books and forget this whole incident ever happened. I left it at that for another year. But one day, I will become self-aware enough to know that if I start a series, I can't be satisfied until I've read the whole thing. So, library card in hand, I came back for more.
The Forest House
was tolerable; the underlying story was good but the relatively shallow, unrealistic character development got me again. And I almost could not manage to force my way through Lady of Avalon. It took me eight weeks to read the book. I didn't think I could continue with this series. I was sure I had to quit. And then I found out something I hadn't been aware of before... Marion Zimmer Bradley died before the fourth volume was finished, and the book was completed by Diana L. Paxson. And guess what? It was good. Paxson was able to do with Bradley's ideas what Bradley herself had not been able to do, which was to make a good story out of them. Paxson brings to the table all of the things Bradley lacked in writing style. Yes, I know there are some rabid Marion Zimmer Bradley fans out there, but as far as I can see, the woman was filled with great philosophical and metaphysical thoughts, but couldn't write worth a crap. Now that I'm into the volumes penned by Paxson instead, though, this series has taken on new life for me. I'm actually enjoying it. My advice to folks is to just skip the early volumes and start with Priestess of Avalon
and go from there. While a couple of the books do overlap each other in timeline and characters, all of the stories stand alone. If you pick up "Mists" and find you can't stomach it, just skip ahead and read the good ones. If, on the other hand, Bradley's writing doesn't bother you... well, then, don't listen to me.
Google+ Business Pages
According to Technorati, the Google+ Business Pages are coming soon. And it's about damn time! I guess it's impatient of me to say so, since Google+ only recently went into open beta, but I feel like I've been waiting forever for the one feature that will finally allow me to ween myself off of Facebook.
While I of course will have to continue using Facebook at least a little bit for business purposes, I continue to grow more and more uncomfortable with the direction Facebook is going. I understand why they're going the way they're going; what was once no more than a social network has now been around long enough to be a major business with a big-time paying clientele. Facebook isn't there to be a social network anymore, but to perform market research for that paying clientele. While privacy may be a myth on the internet, I for one at least want to be able to harbor my delusions of privacy controls.
While I expect Google+ to add more features and functionality over time, I currently enjoy the simplicity of the interface and the user-friendly privacy controls. The very last thing stopping me from making the leap is that I follow a wide range of business fan pages on Facebook. As Google+ makes the business pages available, and as business start trickling in (mine included), I look forward to much less time on the old social network and much more time on the new one.
As the Google+ population grows and diversifies, I think I'll mourn the loss of the techie/nerd community from the field testing days, but I guess that's a price that has to be paid for Google+ to truly be competitive. Honestly, I would love to see the day when Google+ is to Facebook as Facebook was to MySpace.
While I of course will have to continue using Facebook at least a little bit for business purposes, I continue to grow more and more uncomfortable with the direction Facebook is going. I understand why they're going the way they're going; what was once no more than a social network has now been around long enough to be a major business with a big-time paying clientele. Facebook isn't there to be a social network anymore, but to perform market research for that paying clientele. While privacy may be a myth on the internet, I for one at least want to be able to harbor my delusions of privacy controls.
While I expect Google+ to add more features and functionality over time, I currently enjoy the simplicity of the interface and the user-friendly privacy controls. The very last thing stopping me from making the leap is that I follow a wide range of business fan pages on Facebook. As Google+ makes the business pages available, and as business start trickling in (mine included), I look forward to much less time on the old social network and much more time on the new one.
As the Google+ population grows and diversifies, I think I'll mourn the loss of the techie/nerd community from the field testing days, but I guess that's a price that has to be paid for Google+ to truly be competitive. Honestly, I would love to see the day when Google+ is to Facebook as Facebook was to MySpace.
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