The continuing saga of two women, one camera and a seemingly endless supply of footage of myself. Here's some more - oh, and I threw in some shots of India too. There's even a tribute to Bollywood in this one.
This is still in Rishikesh, at the ashram we visited called Phool Chatti. I haven't digitized any more tapes, so until I do, I kind of have to use up the footage I digitized.
By the way, if I haven't said it before, I really appreciate Vidhu letting me join her on her trip. She's a great friend, and even more so because she agreed to spend a month with me traveling. Only the closest of friends can go through such an experience with their friendship intact and I have to thank Vidhu for that. She is an excellent traveling companion and so much fun to explore with!!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Get Involved!
When I was in India, I saw so many dogs and cats (and cows) living on the streets and except for the cows, who were for the most part well-fed and looked after, no one takes care of the dogs or cats. They don't usually keep them for pets. And so most of them are in horrible condition, with mangy fur, most starving, many with open wounds, limping or dragging limbs. I saw things there that made me want to cry, really. The worst I saw was at a temple in Goa, where a small group of emaciated puppies, just large little heads and protruding bones - as they teetered on weak limbs, wandering aimlessly. They looked so hungry it just broke my heart. And of course those animals that survive for any length of time aren't neutered, so the cycle begins again, with more being born every day to live and die in these abject conditions.In third world countries, money, food, and resources are needed to take care of people. Anyone who has been to Mexico, knows what I'm talking about. We've all seen those strays wandering about. I really want to encourage everyone to get involved. We can help here and abroad, because there are abandoned and unwanted pets everywhere. And only by the grace of those people willing to donate their time, energy and money can we lessen the suffering of creatures unable to take care of themselves. Because they are living in our world. So they are our responsibility.
Being a firm believer in getting involved in ways that draw on our own personal interests, I've created a list of various organizations, both here and abroad, that deal with shelters, animal care and animal rights. Because even if you believe in helping animals, simply wanting to help may too broad in scope to nudge you into action. Hopefully you'll find something that sparks your interest and something that speaks to you personally, and we'll all be better off for it. I hate suffering. It sucks.
VSPCA is a home for dogs, cats, turtles, monkeys, cows, birds, etc. The number of animals that are treated and rescued is increasing every year ever since the shelter was founded.
United Animal Nations is a national non-profit animal advocacy organization whose mission is to protect animals in danger or need and to focus global attention on their plight to create a more humane world.
Rolling Dog Ranch creates a sanctuary for disabled pets.
Companion Animal Welfare Council conducts and publishes independent research and studies studies into the welfare, care, and treatment of companion animals and their role within society.
Wild Life Rescue Center rehabilitates injured wildlife back to nature.
Care for the Wild is an international wildlife charity dedicated to protecting animals from cruelty and exploitation. Includes fact sheets, news, information about current projects, and an online shop.
Tails of Hope helps assisted living candidates and the terminally ill place their pets through foster care and adoption.
United Pegasus provides a haven for doomed horses.
Born Free is an international wildlife charity working to prevent cruelty and alleviate suffering. News, educational materials, photos, FAQ, and information about ways for individuals to become involved.
Green People is a portal for animal sanctuaries state by state. A great resource if you're looking for a way to get involved with animals locally.
The Trust is one of the top animal rescue and re-homing charities in England, and runs rescue and re-homing centers across the country.
The Animal Welfare Institute has sought to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by people. In the organization’s early years the emphasis was on the desperate needs of animals used for experimentation. In the decades that followed they expanded the scope of their work to address many other areas of animal suffering.
Animals Without Frontiers is an international animal and nature organization. News, petitions, campaigns, and an Internet based animal identification system.
Humane Society and Animal Welfare Ring offers links to animal shelters, humane societies, rescue and animal welfare organizations.
Another Cool Design Website
I was reading the German magazine der Spiegel today, they have a site set up for design professionals working in photography, architecture, graphics and illustrations. It's called Design Klicks. The work is great, I highly recommend you check out the site (whether or not you're interested in that kind of stuff, everyone needs some inspiration).
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Boggle Blog
I love web boggle , just type in your name and pick your chooser (4x4 or 5x5)- it's a lot of fun and highly addictive. The only drawback is it slows down sometimes when there are a lot of people playing at the same time, but it's free and there are no ads or pop ups, so I don't really care. I get a kick out of the names people pick for themselves - often related to the most recent news item, or statements of faith or beliefs (like Former Fetus, who plays a lot and has provoked others to respond with names like Former Feces) and some names are very clever.
Anyway, check it out if you like Boggle. I usually go by Clinton 08, who by the way, everyone should vote for. Go Hillary!
** UPDATE - I now go by SLO ANNE, if you're looking for me.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Next installment of India Video
In India, while we visited Rishikesh - a small city that straddles the Ganges river along the foothills of the Himalayas - we met an American named Steve (if you've read my India journal, I've mentioned him before).
We met him on the train and ended up visiting him at the ashram in which he stayed, called the Phool Chatti Ashram. He returns here every year to this ashram, and has done so for the last fifteen years, in search of enlightenment and inner peace.
If anyone happens to notice how plump I look in India, I just want to say we stuffed ourselves silly all day long, every day. The food was heavenly and it's considered rude not to eat (yeah. Right.)
We met him on the train and ended up visiting him at the ashram in which he stayed, called the Phool Chatti Ashram. He returns here every year to this ashram, and has done so for the last fifteen years, in search of enlightenment and inner peace.
If anyone happens to notice how plump I look in India, I just want to say we stuffed ourselves silly all day long, every day. The food was heavenly and it's considered rude not to eat (yeah. Right.)
Did you know?
Ever heard of the word floccinaucinihilipilification? It's so long, it might seem German, but I assure you, it's not. What it is however, is the longest non-technical word in the english language (so says Wikipedia and the Guiness Book of World Records).
It is a noun, and it means: "the act or habit of estimating or describing something as worthless, or making something to be worthless by deprecation".
For example. My blog is a flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication that I just can't stop.
Second longest word? Antidisestablishmenttarianism.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Censorship in India
There is an article today in the New York Times called 
"In India, Showing Sectarian Pain to Eyes That Are Closed" By Somini Sengupta. The article talks about a new film by Indian director Rahul Dholakia called"Parzania". The film deals with the disappearance of a child during the Gujarat riots of 2002, when violence escalated after a train fire caused the death of 59 Hindus and was blamed on Muslim extremists. The retaliatory riots resulted in the deaths of over 1,1000 Muslims. The article hits on a topical point of film and free speech in this age of terrorism, and on the barriers that exist for political films that explore the Hindu-Muslim conflict in India. In a country weary of resurrecting the simmering tensions between these two factions, problems of distribution have been compounded by self censorship by theatre owners.
Added to this issue is an already rigid mandate of film certification, based on the Indian Supreme Court ruling, which states the position of film's influence on Indian society. This ruling allows for a broad control of film content by the CBFC branch of government:
And since the Hindus in India have been living side by side with a sizable Muslim population for decades, and the tensions between the two groups have vacillated from extremes of terrorist attacks to the brink of nuclear war, India offer us a unique empirical perspective on conflict between Islam and the West. And with the recent train bombing in India that killed another 68 people Monday, (click here for developing news on that story), the response by both the Indian and Pakistan Governments to continue their peace efforts offers us hope. I think that only when terrorists no longer achieve the results of chaos and disruption that they desire will the attacks stop.
For more information about the Hindu-Muslim conflict and India's political past, I'd like to suggest a great book called "Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond" by Pankaj Mishra.
"In India, Showing Sectarian Pain to Eyes That Are Closed" By Somini Sengupta. The article talks about a new film by Indian director Rahul Dholakia called"Parzania". The film deals with the disappearance of a child during the Gujarat riots of 2002, when violence escalated after a train fire caused the death of 59 Hindus and was blamed on Muslim extremists. The retaliatory riots resulted in the deaths of over 1,1000 Muslims. The article hits on a topical point of film and free speech in this age of terrorism, and on the barriers that exist for political films that explore the Hindu-Muslim conflict in India. In a country weary of resurrecting the simmering tensions between these two factions, problems of distribution have been compounded by self censorship by theatre owners.
Added to this issue is an already rigid mandate of film certification, based on the Indian Supreme Court ruling, which states the position of film's influence on Indian society. This ruling allows for a broad control of film content by the CBFC branch of government:
"Film censorship becomes necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention as compared to the printed word. The combination of act and speech, sight and sound in semi darkness of the theatre with elimination of all distracting ideas will have a strong impact on the minds of the viewers and can affect emotions. Therefore, it has as much potential for evil as it has for good and has an equal potential to instill or cultivate violent or good behaviour. It cannot be equated with other modes of communication. Censorship by prior restraint is, therefore, not only desirable but also necessary." (Supreme Court of India, http://www.cbfcindia.tn.nic.in/backgroundpage1.htm)Certification is thus often used to force filmmakers to alter their narratives - not just for sexually explicit or violent content, but for political content as well. For a detailed set of rules, click here.
And since the Hindus in India have been living side by side with a sizable Muslim population for decades, and the tensions between the two groups have vacillated from extremes of terrorist attacks to the brink of nuclear war, India offer us a unique empirical perspective on conflict between Islam and the West. And with the recent train bombing in India that killed another 68 people Monday, (click here for developing news on that story), the response by both the Indian and Pakistan Governments to continue their peace efforts offers us hope. I think that only when terrorists no longer achieve the results of chaos and disruption that they desire will the attacks stop.
For more information about the Hindu-Muslim conflict and India's political past, I'd like to suggest a great book called "Temptations of the West: How to be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet and Beyond" by Pankaj Mishra.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Middle Eastern Reality Show Explores America
Here's another great NPR report - this one on a MTV-style series called "On the Road in America" that documents America from a Middle Eastern perspective. The title is linked to the transcript of the coverage. Check it out.
Monkey Sites
Inspired by Chives - this blog entry goes out to you, my little buddy.Check out these great monkey sites:
Live and up close - a great place to see dem monkeys:
A monkey with one cool website:
Adopt a monkey! You can't take 'em home, but you can help care for these rescued mammals:Cool monkey animation:This is an interesting web journal with essays on culture, technology and politics and it has a cool monkey name to boot:
Monday, February 19, 2007
Email Correspondence
Always down thinking never or doing full like not when trying the plane flies, do you ignore see it closed following hiding from the annihilation sound, the weak shadow or lose it’s shape everything?
From: Collin
very strange. neither sentence makes much sense and combine they say nothing clearly.
From: Anne
Isn't that weird?
From: Collin
what did you intend with that weird sentence?
From: Anne
I thought we were just pontificating. When I went rollerblading earlier that day, I watched a plane fly past and thought about perception and reality and how I could define the plane and its position in my reality in many ways, such as, I could use the sound to locate it, or I could look down at the shadow the plane threw against the ground, or I could also look up and see the plane against the backdrop of sky. Each of these are clues as to the reality of the plane and all of them existed in that moment, but each revealed something different about my experience of the plane. And then I thought about negative words, and negative thoughts, and how my use of them affects my perception of reality and so I wove negative words into the other words and then struck them out. I guess what I am constantly trying to change is my own attitude in my life that feeds my perception and my experiences. I know that I am the conduit of my reality yet I constantly take a passive stance in controlling the valve.
From: Collin
wow. the thing about the presence of the obscured words is that it took effort not to try and read and incorporate them into the sentence. they definitely had emotional impact, though. makes me think that to much time with those thoughts will taint even the most confident mind. come to think of it this might be an interesting study of content and affect...
From: Anne
exactly. I don't want to be 50 years old and look back on my life with the perspective of a fifty year old and say to myself, my life wasn't that bad. I just continually tainted it with my negativity. I guess what I'm realizing is that I want to enjoy my life. I want to be happy. I want to be fulfilled. After coming back from India, I realized that all of these pressures I put on myself are so ARTIFICIAL! Why? Why do I put up with these unrealistic expectations - some measurement of happiness and success that is on a time line I am constantly revising anyway? And I get stuck because I'm in this same rut picking at the open wound of my ego because it feels better to think I'm a failure and feeling sorry for myself then thinking that I actually control my situation and my life to a certain extent, because that's a fucking scary thought.
I went to Target today to buy a new scale, and ended up in the greeting card section somehow. I am not a woman who sends out greeting cards for holidays. I didn't send any out this year for Christmas (I did buy one, but never sent it) and since I can never remember anyone's birthday, I'm not known for that either. But I do like cute visually aesthetic things and today the greeting cards caught my eyes. I've been into monkeys lately, ever since my trip to India, and they had a bunch of cute monkey cards that say things like, "I'm thinking about monkeys" and when you open it up it says, "now you are too". That's like, right out of my freaking head, man! So can you blame me when I walked out of there with eight of them? But, boy, was I surprised at how incredibly expensive they were! They were like $2.25 each! What a rip off! Nevertheless, I am now determined to send them to unsuspecting friends. So beware.
One thing I noticed when I got down to writing something on the cards, is that my handwriting sucks. I skip letters all the time. I often write the wrong letter. And my handwriting is shaking and all over the place. I don't think I've seen it this bad since first grade. And that really sucks because in second grade I always won the prize for penmanship - a brand new pencil. My handwriting was always the best in the class - by the end of second grade I had over a dozen pencils. It was the only thing I could do really well. I've treasured that memory my whole life and now I know I no longer deserve those pencils. I am a failure. But really it's the computer's fault. I print very infrequently. Matter of fact, I can't even remember the last time I wrote something down, like an entire paragraph. And so the inside of the cards look like they were written by a first grader. So I hope that when my family and friends get their cards, I hope they appreciate my work, money and effort.
Because it's the last time I'm doing it.
One thing I noticed when I got down to writing something on the cards, is that my handwriting sucks. I skip letters all the time. I often write the wrong letter. And my handwriting is shaking and all over the place. I don't think I've seen it this bad since first grade. And that really sucks because in second grade I always won the prize for penmanship - a brand new pencil. My handwriting was always the best in the class - by the end of second grade I had over a dozen pencils. It was the only thing I could do really well. I've treasured that memory my whole life and now I know I no longer deserve those pencils. I am a failure. But really it's the computer's fault. I print very infrequently. Matter of fact, I can't even remember the last time I wrote something down, like an entire paragraph. And so the inside of the cards look like they were written by a first grader. So I hope that when my family and friends get their cards, I hope they appreciate my work, money and effort.
Because it's the last time I'm doing it.
Friday, February 16, 2007
79 Protons and Counting
Today on All Things Considered in the Krulwich on Science section, there was a great little piece on gold; what it is and where it comes from. I was amazed to learn that gold is created in the center of stars - in supernovas to be exact, and that for every gold atom that exists in the universe there are over one million iron atoms! The analogy they use to describe how atoms resist each other until their environment gets hot enough that they can't stay apart reminds me of some of my better relationships. Attraction, repulsion, these are powerful things for both humans and atoms! And though I hate to ruin the great ending of the piece for you (as I think everyone should read or listen to it), the end result is that gold travels through the universe an amazing 3 million light years to get to our fingers. I might never look at gold the same way again...Now the only question is how far did the atoms in my diamonds travel and more importantly, when will someone give me some more gold and/or diamonds? I say give those poor, tired, beautiful little gold atoms a break and give them to me, thus saving them from further travel!
To read the article yourself, click on the title of this entry, it'll take you right to NPR's site...
(photo: Library of Congress, American Memory, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan24.html)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Human Monkey
In India at the spice farm we visited, we recorded footage of a guy jumping from tree top to tree top. He was hard to follow with the camera, but Rohit did a pretty good job. I was hoping he'd fall, but he didn't.
I'm just kidding. Of course I wouldn't want him to fall, we were standing right underneath him!
I'm just kidding. Of course I wouldn't want him to fall, we were standing right underneath him!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
New India Pics
Roh, V's brother, sent me some of the pics he took while we were in India. Thought I'd post them:
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Rollins Parties
I've ended up making a few good friends here in Orlando. Most of them are junior faculty members at Rollins College. Over the weekend, I got invited to a Mardi Gras party that one of them was throwing in Winter Park.
The party was pretty standard and consisted of the usual standing around, nibbling on chips and dip while listening to discussions on faculty meetings, recent conferences, students and all the other stuff I find incredibly boring but I tolerate because most of the time the Rollins folks are creatively wacky. Case in point, V had a brilliant idea to play charades (which I suck at since I'm usually shaking so bad from stage fright that I can't remember what movie I'm supposed to be acting out), and we played for a good couple of hours. Then we listened to some old-school Michael Jackson and discussed various dance moves that he made famous while he was still black and still cool. We also tested out our pop and lock moves while a couple of people bragged about how famous their 'worm' had been in high school, though the results left a lot to be desired and were followed up with some surprised, "gee, I used to be really good at this"...did you? Did you really?
When Thriller came on, we realized how many of the dance moves we still knew (many of us have also seen 13 Going on 30) when our friend Julian called. He just flew in from a conference and wanted to know if we were still going to be there if he drove over. After he hung up, we tested out our Thriller moves and then changed the music to wait for Julian's arrival. After he arrived, the song come up in rotation again and when it did, everyone except Julian stood up and went in to full Thriller MODE! It was AWESOME! Julian didn't know what hit him. Oh, yes he did - a bunch of middle aged goofballs! HAH!
The evening was a great success. Like I said, though they may talk a lot of shop, even so, I just love me some Rollins wackiness!
(This picture is from last halloween)
The party was pretty standard and consisted of the usual standing around, nibbling on chips and dip while listening to discussions on faculty meetings, recent conferences, students and all the other stuff I find incredibly boring but I tolerate because most of the time the Rollins folks are creatively wacky. Case in point, V had a brilliant idea to play charades (which I suck at since I'm usually shaking so bad from stage fright that I can't remember what movie I'm supposed to be acting out), and we played for a good couple of hours. Then we listened to some old-school Michael Jackson and discussed various dance moves that he made famous while he was still black and still cool. We also tested out our pop and lock moves while a couple of people bragged about how famous their 'worm' had been in high school, though the results left a lot to be desired and were followed up with some surprised, "gee, I used to be really good at this"...did you? Did you really?
When Thriller came on, we realized how many of the dance moves we still knew (many of us have also seen 13 Going on 30) when our friend Julian called. He just flew in from a conference and wanted to know if we were still going to be there if he drove over. After he hung up, we tested out our Thriller moves and then changed the music to wait for Julian's arrival. After he arrived, the song come up in rotation again and when it did, everyone except Julian stood up and went in to full Thriller MODE! It was AWESOME! Julian didn't know what hit him. Oh, yes he did - a bunch of middle aged goofballs! HAH!
The evening was a great success. Like I said, though they may talk a lot of shop, even so, I just love me some Rollins wackiness!
(This picture is from last halloween)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Food Makes Friends!
So John and I have been working on our Carribean themed cooking show "Food Makes Friends" and we've finally finished the website!!! It's not extensive in its content, but you can watch a short clip of one of the dishes and check out our graphics for the sizzle reel (the pitch tape we shot this summer that we'll be pitching to the networks soon). Give me feedback on what you think, and any suggestions to improve the look or design are also welcome.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Hypertext, Cross-reference, Hyperlinks, Oh My.
I was thinking today about the hypertextuality of my life. Having TV for a babysitter in my youth really helped shorten my attention span for any given subject while heightening my ability to contextually jump around in a wholly passive, willy-nilly way. That served as the perfect breeding ground for the internet - a world in which each and every whim I can think of must be googled, blogged and links explored. Someone wonders aloud, "where did the word willy-nilly come from?" and off I go, searching through philological sites, doing a google 'define: willy-nilly', and checking out wikipedia (oh wikipedia - I heart you). I spend countless hours doing this. The great thing is I do it on every subject that catches my fancy - and any one who catches my fancy. With my big ego, part of my routine is to google myself. It's a total disappointment. I think perhaps I should change my name to Fransiskanna Herberta Von der Gruenenhinterlaender just so that my name is distinct enough to match only my own small entries. I mean really, what was my mother thinking naming me Anne C. Russell? It's so WASPy I think I throw up a little in my mouth each time I have to say my own name. And there's like a million Anne C. Russells, so that really helps too.
But it's funny, because I just love to sit hours in front of my computer, jumping around willy-nilly as I explore the wonderful world of the WWW. I don't do anything with my gained knowledge except annoy strangers at parties. Especially since I have the retention of a sieve. But I can't even imagine a world anymore without this info highway only a few taps away on my keyboard(which, by the way, serves the function of my brain sometimes, allowing me to put absolutely no thought into 'thinking'). And who knows, maybe someday I'll retain something I've learned and use it for the good of mankind. And maybe, just maybe, someone someday will ask me if we're 'planning on reading the Old English text of Aelfric, Lives of Saints' And I'll say, "oh, you mean wille we or nille we? I think nille, ha ha ha."
Website link of the day: A tee-shirt store where people can design their own logos and then the designs get voted on. If you win, you make some cash and people can then buy your shirt on the site. I think they're tres cute. Thanks Marcela for showing me the site.
But it's funny, because I just love to sit hours in front of my computer, jumping around willy-nilly as I explore the wonderful world of the WWW. I don't do anything with my gained knowledge except annoy strangers at parties. Especially since I have the retention of a sieve. But I can't even imagine a world anymore without this info highway only a few taps away on my keyboard(which, by the way, serves the function of my brain sometimes, allowing me to put absolutely no thought into 'thinking'). And who knows, maybe someday I'll retain something I've learned and use it for the good of mankind. And maybe, just maybe, someone someday will ask me if we're 'planning on reading the Old English text of Aelfric, Lives of Saints' And I'll say, "oh, you mean wille we or nille we? I think nille, ha ha ha."
Website link of the day: A tee-shirt store where people can design their own logos and then the designs get voted on. If you win, you make some cash and people can then buy your shirt on the site. I think they're tres cute. Thanks Marcela for showing me the site.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Why is Man Different?
Ever read any of Oliver Sack's books? He's the neurologist/author whose work include the highly engaging books The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Awakenings, and An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales.
Anyway, an article I read today in the New York Times got me thinking about him and others like him who write about fascinating aspects of our brains. Another thing I started mulling over was a conversation I had years ago with Ben (a computational neuroscientist and former boyfriend) about what differentiated man from other animals. When I asked Ben this question he told me that every time scientists try to define that difference, new research comes along that refutes existing hypothesises, blurring the line that separates us from other mammals. Obviously we're different, right? In what way are humans different? At first we thought it was because we have emotions. Then they discovered that other animals have emotions too. We thought it was because we use tools - but some animals do too (there's a type of monkey that uses sticks to pull ants out of anthills) - language? Nope. Speaking of ants, they build cities too.
Frankly I don't know what separates us (apart from our stunning good looks) and I do wonder if by setting ourselves apart it sanctions us to feel entitled to do what we will with the planet. If we categorized ourselves as having more in common with animals, recognizing the validity of their needs and wants, would we be so quick to dismiss our effect on our environment? Probably.
Anyway, getting back to the New York Times article, it's subject was the insula, a portion of the brain that seems to serve as a link between the body and mind. It serves in part to structure our emotional landscape and helps to explain how the brain reads the sense receptors of the internal organs and skin and then processes them, creating subjective responses that motivate us to react to our environment. And the insula offers an enticing clue to qualify the distinction between humans and other mammals, who also have an insula and emotions but are not thought to have subjective feelings in the same way humans do. The article talks about two particularities that distinguish the human insula. So this article offers another context for understanding what it means to be human.
Anyway, an article I read today in the New York Times got me thinking about him and others like him who write about fascinating aspects of our brains. Another thing I started mulling over was a conversation I had years ago with Ben (a computational neuroscientist and former boyfriend) about what differentiated man from other animals. When I asked Ben this question he told me that every time scientists try to define that difference, new research comes along that refutes existing hypothesises, blurring the line that separates us from other mammals. Obviously we're different, right? In what way are humans different? At first we thought it was because we have emotions. Then they discovered that other animals have emotions too. We thought it was because we use tools - but some animals do too (there's a type of monkey that uses sticks to pull ants out of anthills) - language? Nope. Speaking of ants, they build cities too.
Frankly I don't know what separates us (apart from our stunning good looks) and I do wonder if by setting ourselves apart it sanctions us to feel entitled to do what we will with the planet. If we categorized ourselves as having more in common with animals, recognizing the validity of their needs and wants, would we be so quick to dismiss our effect on our environment? Probably.
Anyway, getting back to the New York Times article, it's subject was the insula, a portion of the brain that seems to serve as a link between the body and mind. It serves in part to structure our emotional landscape and helps to explain how the brain reads the sense receptors of the internal organs and skin and then processes them, creating subjective responses that motivate us to react to our environment. And the insula offers an enticing clue to qualify the distinction between humans and other mammals, who also have an insula and emotions but are not thought to have subjective feelings in the same way humans do. The article talks about two particularities that distinguish the human insula. So this article offers another context for understanding what it means to be human.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
G4 Rocks!
Since I got another short term gig in Florida, I've been staying with my peep John in Kissimmee (kiss-a-me? Kiss-is-a-me-e-e...something like that) and it's been an eye opening experience. The man has a 54 inch TV (it may be smaller, men always lie about size), TiVo and at least a million cable channels. Before I got here I had been living without cable due to my horrible and debilitating TV addiction (fully justified of course by the fact that it is after all, my job). I also had some quaint notion of taking up some serious reading in preparation of further grad school. I have to admit, I quickly grew accustomed to the quiet, Netflix and books. Needless to say since having TV at my beck and call, I've been catching up with the latest and greatest TV channels,. I'm sure everyone already knows this channel, but for those of you who are cable-challenged, I'd like to take a moment to recommend one to you. It's G4 TV, a network started in 2002 and it's geared towards the world of technology, popular arts, music and all things trendy. What is particularly interesting about it is that they broadcast viewer content and the whole model for programming is unique and interactive. To give you a taste, here's a short quote from an article they ran yesterday on their website http://www.g4tv.com - you gotta love them.
Heroic Astronaut Shoots For The Stars!
Posted by sjohnson - Tuesday, February 06, 2007 3:00 PM
Oh, brave NASA Astronauts, how will you fill us with wonder next?
First you orbited our world, the only people ever able to see England and America at once; then you took Man's first halting steps on the moon, (and the first steps into our future); and now you've driven over 900 miles with a BB-Gun, a roll of duct tape and a hunting knife in a quest to kill your romantic rival. Fly on, brave space flyer!
Cupcake Porn
I got an email from my sister Sydney. She's getting married in the spring sometime (she hasn't sent out the invitations yet) and she wanted to know if I would be interested in helping her with the design of her cake...her cupcake cake. I'm really glad she asked, because even though I'm 36 years old, I've only been to three weddings, 3!!! How does anyone in this day and age not go to like a million weddings before the age of 30? Well, partially it's because most of my friends are either gay, still single or living in Germany, which makes attendance impractical. And since I'm not married (yeah. I know, I don't understand it either. I'm such a catch) I still have a tiny bit of interest in seeing those I love tie the
knot. So I was glad when Sydney asked me and my best cousfriend to help in this small way.So yesterday, Suzanne and I gathered inspiration and ideas by looking at a million cupcakes online...needless to say now I can't get those tiny palm-sized treats out of my mind...CUPCAKES - they're a sinful indulgence that is just small enough that pleasure and guilt are perfectly balanced in their frostingly-topped moistness. The number of blogs and websites dedicated to this little artistic bit-sized morsel is endless. I saw a funny title from Poland on www.mcnblogs.com that said "Cupcakes are the new cocaine". And Neil Kramer on his www.blogebrity.com blog asked the question, "can anyone explain why female bloggers are so obsessed with baking and eating cupcakes?" It's true, there are like a million sites dedicated to what can only be called Cupcake porn. Here's a short list of some I liked:
Great blog for inspirational pictures and links to all things cupcakedy...
The Portland Oregon store where we'll buy Sydney's wedding cupcakes...
A great site for vegan recipes...
A bakery in Sherman Oaks California that makes beautiful cupcakes (however, I can't testify to the taste)...
A nicely designed blog with many fabulous and exotic recipes:
Warning: Look at your own risk. May cause uncontrollable sweet-tooth cravings. Known side effects include an urgent need to buy dozens of high-calorie baked goods at your local bakery.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Talk about Original Programming!
Whatcha doing Monday nights at 11pm ET/PT? Are you itching for something new? Check out a show called CircumSized Cinema on the SiTV channel (with a name like that, you know it has to be good). It's a cross between "What's up Tiger Lilly" and "Mystery Science Theatre 3000". They take Mexican B movies and redub them with new storylines. Awesome!Here's a preview:
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Anneism
So I know many of you have given a lot of thought to the afterlife. With our country resting peacefully in the palm of the religious right, now is the time you may be asking yourself, am I going to hell? Is God going to punish me for eating that entire box of brownies? Do I really have to take personal responsibility for my actions or can I shove the blame onto the devil? And wouldn't it be nice to be able to be patronizingly superior to everyone else? Yes. Yes it would.
So to answer all of these deeply metaphysical questions, may I recommend a site to you? It's the belief-O-matic, and I suspect you'll find out a LOT about yourself - not so much that you won't be able to sleep at night, but just enough as to be digestible by the 5-second attention span that most of us have from being raised by the TV.
So to answer all of these deeply metaphysical questions, may I recommend a site to you? It's the belief-O-matic, and I suspect you'll find out a LOT about yourself - not so much that you won't be able to sleep at night, but just enough as to be digestible by the 5-second attention span that most of us have from being raised by the TV.
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