13 January 2010
Derailing for Dummies
Click on the title
02 January 2010
Deep Thought
— Joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness)
01 January 2010
Eat to Live
Sounds good.
Eat to sustain a healthy body composition.
I say composition instead of weight because weight is pretty relative. Despite what the charts say, Ideal body weight is different for everyone. There's a calculator that says you should weigh 115 if you're 5'3". I know that when I was 120 pounds people were worried about me, thinking I lost too much weight.
I'm not a big fan of BMI either because it still doesn't account for the ratio of fat to lean body mass.
I used to say that these were a waste of time; but now, I figure these tools could be used to alert you to potential problems. I wouldn't weigh myself then go out and diet based on the numbers; but I would schedule an appointment with my doctor and a nutritionist. It also gives you cause to reevaluate your exercise program.
What's more important than weight is percent body fat.
General Body Fat Percentage Categories From American Council on Exercise:
| Classification | Women (% fat) | Men (% fat) |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Fat | 10-12% | 2-4% |
| Athletes | 14-20% | 6-13% |
| Fitness | 21-24% | 14-17% |
| Acceptable | 25-31% | 18-25% |
| Obese | 32% plus | 25% plus |
If my scale or BMI told me I was overweight or obese, I would test my body fat to verify.
One of the best tests is a DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry). Fancy x-ray machine that shows how much body fat you have and where it is. It takes about 20 minutes and 100 dollars (insurance may pay for it, it may not.).
The next is hydrostatic weighing that cost about half as much.
My point is that it's less about weight and more about health. It's more beneficial to eat in order to stay healthy rather than eat in order to lose weight.
Fact of the matter: when you just focus on losing weight, you're not just losing fat, you're potentially losing valuable muscle.
What does eating to stay healthy look like?
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean meats. Things that are rich in nutrients, low in calories, low in fat, rich in nutrients. Why nutrients twice? The whole point of eating is to fuel your body with the vitamins, minerals, fiber, unsaturated fats, and energy.
I do think body weight is important for figuring out how much you should eat.
Once you find out what your ideal body weight (I'm talking about your lean body mass), you should eat to sustain that weight.
Most scientist say that 0.8 grams of protein per pound daily is enough to sustain an athletic male. Most people only need 0.4 grams per pound.
Most active people need 2 to 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound daily.
0.45 grams of unsaturated fat per pound is also needed.
Regardless of weight, most people need 35 grams of fiber a day.
Translate that into calories. One gram of carbohydrate equals 4 calories, as does a gram of protein. A gram of fat, meanwhile, equals 9 calories, and the same amount of alcohol equals 7 calories
I've also heard about shopping the outer perimeter of the grocery store. This is where all the fresh foods are. Foods low in additives or preservatives. Usually, more processed foods lose their nutrients and are essentially worthless.
This reminds me that healthy eating includes a thorough sweep of your kitchen. Just get rid of all the crap so it doesn't tempt you.
I want to touch on something I hear frequently that actually angers me. "I don't eat fruit. Fruit makes you fat." Ugh. A pound of fat is 3500 calories. Let's think this out. How much fruit would you have to eat in order to gain 3500 calories? Secondly, fruits are nutrient dense foods; meaning the nutrients you get from the fruit offset the calories you get from it.
I am weary of canned or other packaged fruit, and fruit juices. They usually add ridiculous amounts of sugar to the fruit. 100% fruit juice is the way to go.
30 December 2009
Schrödinger’s Rapist
Guest Blogger Starling: Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced
Sad but true. One in six women have/will be assaulted at least once in their lifetimes. To one in six women, you (random guy) are a potential threat. This might seem unfair or illogical; but to a woman who has been assaulted, it's not about reason or fairness, it's about surviving.26 December 2009
Deep Thought
Democrat is greek for 'full of shit'. Republican is latin for 'full of shit'.
Democrats have too much faith in the government
Republicans have too much faith in private industry
The real difference is the target audience
Democrats tell the lies that liberals want to hear
Republicans tell the lies conservatives want to hear
Politicians end up doing what economic leaders tell them to do.
Even if it is harming people
25 December 2009
Deep Thought
-Don't remember
20 December 2009
Zen precepts
The Three Treasures
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the Dharma
I take refuge in the Sangha
I take refuge in the Buddha
The incomparably honored one
I take refuge in the Dharma, honorable for its purity
I take refuge in the Sangha, honorable for its harmony
I have taken refuge in the Buddha
I have taken refuge in the Dharma
I have taken refuge in the Sangha
The Three Pure Precepts
- Not Creating Evil
- Practicing Good
- Actualizing Good For Others
The Ten Grave Precepts
- Affirm life; Do not kill
- Be giving; Do not steal
- Honor the body; Do not misuse sexuality
- Manifest truth; Do not lie
- Proceed clearly; Do not cloud the mind
- See the perfection; Do not speak of others
errors and faults - Realize self and other as one; Do not elevate the self and blame others
- Give generously; Do not be withholding
- Actualize harmony; Do not be angry
- Experience the intimacy of things; Do not
defile the Three Treasures
Receiving the Zen Precepts
3 Versions of the Zen Precepts
16 Practises of a Zen Peacemaker
Eightfold Path
Wisdom (Pañña)
1. Right understanding (samma ditthi)
2. Right thinking (samma sankappa)
Ethical Conduct (Sila)
3. Right speech (samma vaca)
4. Right action (samma kammanta)
5. Right livelihood (samma ajiva)
Concentration (Samadhi)
6. Right effort (samma vayama)
7. Right mindfulness (samma sati)
8. Right collectedness (samma samadhi)
The Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering
Living Meditation, Living Insight: Unity of the Noble 8-fold Path
Ten Perfections
2. Morality (sila)
3. Renunciation (nekkhamma)
4. Wisdom (panna)
5. Energy (viriya)
6. Patience (khanti)
7. Truthfulness (sacca)
8. Determination (adhitthana)
9. Loving-kindness (metta)
10. Equanimity (upekkha)
Theravada Buddhism Portal - Ten Perfections
The Ten Perfections: A Study Guide
The Four Immeasurables
The Four Sublime States
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.
- Love or Loving-kindness (metta)
- Compassion (karuna)
- Sympathetic Joy (mudita)
- Equanimity (upekkha)
The Four Immeasurables
Brahma-Vihara Foundation
The Four Immeasurables
Buddhist Studies (Secondary) The Four Immeasurables
The Four Immeasurables
The Four Sublime States
Berzin, Alexander (2005). The Four Immeasurable Attitudes in Hinayana, Mahayana, and Bon
Empathy vs. Sympathy
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another
Sympathy
Feeling pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune
19 December 2009
18 December 2009
Deep Thought
17 December 2009
Deep Thought
"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"
Albert Einstein
09 December 2009
Deep Thought
-Penélope Cruz
04 December 2009
God and the Gays
If God didn't want gay people to have children, he/she would have made gay people infertile.
Marriage has evolved throughout time. Marriage in 2008 is not the same as it was in 1908 or 1708; and that's a good thing. I'm not a big fan of marriage and I'm hoping it will evolve into something better.
Family has evolved too. And family is very entrenched in culture. Families around the world don't look the same or act the same.
I hope people have evolved also. Meaning evolved out of predetermined gender roles. It'd be nice if parents can raise their children to believe in themselves. To express themselves (like allowing boys to cry). To pursue their dreams (like their daughter who wants to play football).
Then when two people come together to create a family, they can cooperate based on their individual strengths and not some "role" they think they're supposed to fill even if they don't excel in that role.
In other words... be yourself, not what others tell you to be. You know your strengths. Use them instead of trying to develop some skills that feel unnatural to you.
28 November 2009
Deep Thought
Every single person is connected to every other person (and all living things) through a golden filament of divine love.
Marianne Williamson
27 November 2009
It's a black thing you just can't understand
I think what's really going on is discrimination (treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit). I put up a definition because I'll hear a lot of people say, 'well, discrimination is a good thing and everyone does it. Their broad definition of discrimination (To make sensible decisions; judge wisely) is not what I'm talking about.
Racism comes in two parts.
One part is when a race feels superior to the other (reword: feels like another race is inferior in some way) and therefore has a right to dominate them or receive more privileges/rights than them.
The other part, and most important to me, is that a person's race determines their character, talents, abilities, personality.
The discrimination I'm talking about fits in with the second part of racism that I think is more important than the superiority factor. Actually believing a person's race is a determining factor in how they act, feel, speak, and even how they look, is what bothers me.
It gets tricky because people of all races feed into the lie. It's even harder dealing with a person of another race who believes the generalizaitions that are fed to them. When they believe that they are actually supposed to feel, act, believe, look a certain way different than others.
One black person is not the spokesperson for all black people. non-black people and especially, black people need to consider this when they speak on racial issues.
So, the idea that, 'you're not black so you can't ever understand or relate to what black people experience' is a bit of bollocks.
Now, I will say that history affects people in different ways. History has affected many black people in a way that is hard to relate to. Hard but not impossible. More importantly, history has not affected all black people the same way. We aren't all decendants of slaves and our predecessors weren't all in the thick of the civil rights movement.
All black people in America do not share the same culture.
It's true that many black people have had different life experiences than white people; but there is nothing inherent in their blackness that makes them experience life in a different way.
I think the 'you'll never understand' angle is a defense mechanism. I'd even call it a cope out because it says that you can't/don't feel like explaining your experience or you think the other person is too daft to understand. And honestly, it is kind of hard to explain sometimes.
I have noticed that I've heard it in conversations where a well-meaning white person who thinks they have it all figured out has said something that is completely ignorant. This tends to stir up some annoyance or outright anger in some black people and they counter with the 'you'll never understand' bit. Rather than educating that person they try to shut down the conversation with that phrase.
26 November 2009
Alt-Thanksgiving
Harvest Celebrations Around the World
Harvest Festivals from Around the World at HarvestFestivals.Net
some info is a little redundant. so be it
10 November 2009
What's going on in the World Today?
I like definitions and I like to stick to the heart of a definition when I use words. I need to figure out the word for what's taking place in the world.
So excuse me; but, I need to do this to get something straight in my head.
Racism is The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
I know it exists but it's not the epidemic I'm seeing now
Discrimination is to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit.
There's a lot of that going on but not the heart of what I see
Prejudice is An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.
Yeah, there are a lot of opinions that don't seem to have much knowledge to back them up (I'm talking about real knowledge and not just 'book learning'); but that's not what I'm looking for
A bigot is One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
This is really close to what I'm seeing but a bit off. It's not that certain people are intolerant of those who differ from them but they are indifferent to those who differ from them.
Though, tolerance is a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own.
I really don't see a lot of tolerance going on in the world.
I don't really want to start calling people bigots because that word doesn't help to make change. People just get defensive and shut down; and the conversation comes to a halt. No learning, no growing.
I'd use the words inconsiderate or selfish; but those words are too broad. It seems that everyone is concerned about "topics that reflect the personal views by the majority of their community".
Anyway, what do you call it when a person only cares about the issues that affect them; and, to make matters worse, belittle people who speak out about issues that don't seem to affect them personally?09 November 2009
Melting Pot
I realized we (America) have become a melting pot of sorts.
If I have a group of friends, one from Haiti, one from Ghana, Dominican Repubic, Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria... to everyone else, we're all black. The many cultural differences amongst us don't mean anything. Our countries could be at war with each other; but we're the same in the eyes of America.
More so with German, French, English, Italian, Irish... all white. If your father is German and your mother is Scottish, you'd never be considered interracial; but think of all the cultural differences your parents had to overcome to be with each other. Hundreds of years of culture wiped out when you're in America.
Same with Asians.
People in America don't care about another's distinct cultural background. You're either white, black, or Asian.
I won't even mention how we've botched the whole hispanic/latin thing.
Civil Rights for All
We are all United States citizens who are guaranteed equal protection of the law. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states.
This country was founded on the idea that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
And since the inception of this country, our society (including our government) has not been living up to that ideal.
Realize that this fight for equal rights has been fought over and over again for each marginalized group in this country. The fight has been slightly different for each. We've all come out of it wounded. Some worse than others. Some are still healing. Some are still hurting.
The only way we can end this fight is if we come together.
I know it is difficult to see past my own suffering to see someone else suffer. But if we can do that then we'll realize that we can aid in healing each other.
I would assume it would be painful to carry such a tumultuous history and have to deal with such injustices today; and then see those same injustices that your ancestors fought against, used against someone else.
They're using the same tactics and the same arguments to deny our equality. To even deny our humanity.They're destroying our families, our livelihoods, our dreams. They're taking our lives.
We can't let this continue. We have to come together so that EVERYONE can pursue the life, liberty, and happiness we are ALL entitled to.
07 November 2009
Left Lane Rules
So here is a refresher for those of you who like to linger in the left lane
On a road with two or more lanes traveling in the same direction, stay in the right lane except to pass. On a road with three or more lanes traveling in the same direction, if there is a lot of entering or exiting traffic, use the center
travel lane.
On a road with two lanes traveling in the same
direction, the left-hand lane is intended to be used for
passing slower vehicles. On roads with more than two
lanes traveling in the same direction, use the right lane for slower speeds, the middle lanes for higher speeds, and the left-hand lane for passing only.
-Washington Driver Guide