Brave New....And Problematic World

So sorry, I've not been posting regularly but I'm hopefully updating this blog and 'moving' it to Drupal Gardens. If you're familiar with Drupal, it's a very interesting free Web Development Tool/Information Management  site that could have far reaching potential. I would recommend people checking it out. Thanks to Sean Monahan for introducing me. Either way, I'm thinking this blog will continue to explore issues in health and nutrition, but also discuss overall wellness and productivity. These two issues are the basis as to why I even considered changing my diet. Future posts will elaborate.

On to today's post. It's in response to a RSA Animate that I saw;

The Internet: Empowering or Censoring Citizens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk8x3V-sUgU&feature=g-vrec&context=G242ef33RVAAAAAAAAAA

I'm very passionate about how the technology, social media, and the internet can be a force for emancipation, disseminating information, and learning. However, we have to look at the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. I'm all for celebrating what the youth will hopefully accomplish but we also have to look at the ways that modern living has negatively impacted them. If you were born in the 80's or later, you also grew up during the digital age, but IMHO during a time when consumerism is at it's most sophisticated and insidious. To ignore the negative consequences would be to remain stunted and uncritical.

I get the feeling that this video will illicit passionate responses for and against the democratizing effect of the Internet and web connectivity. I'm sure that Morozov sees the potential for the internet, but is critical of what is called "cyper utopianism." The thing I appreciate is that he problematizes the role of technology in society: "If you want to look at the actual net impact and net effect of technology, you have to look much broader, in fact [looking at] the negative consequences as well."

I don't necessarily agree with everything said and if I may, I think that power, or potential, of the internet or the digital age is it's ability to more widely disseminate information, much like the Gutenberg's printing press. Just as the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation took time to talk hold, I feel that true power of the internet and social media has not yet reached its full expression. Although I don't it will take hundreds of years, I'm hoping it happens in the next 10-20 years. Or less.

I do also feel like the rapidity of change allows Digital Natives to more quickly realize the unintended consequences much faster, correct them, and reap the benefits. The potential for change and emancipation is perhaps greater than before, but so is the potential for self-reflection. I'll say it again for the last time, (sorry it feels like I'm repetitive) we have look at both the good and bad if we are going to ever realize the promise of these crazy and exciting times we live in.

A Kinder, Gentler Rasict

Ok so I'm going to do my first non-diet post. But I did want to mention the bacon, egg and goat cheese sandwich I had for breakfast yesterday. Delic, but make sure the toast is well toasted, or else you'll have a soggy sandwich from the goat cheese. Anyway, I found this ridiculous article on Slate about the 21st American Racist.

I'm going to apologize in advance for finding this so amusing and for the some the racial, homosexual and Wu-Tang jokes that I make. I'm more making fun of the racists and I have nothing but love for ethnic minorities, gays and the illustrious members of the Wu. My jokes are more social commentary except for  when they are cheap efforts to illicit laughs.


http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/03/ku_klux_klan_in_decline_why_did_the_kkk_lose_so_many_chapters_in_2010_.html


Hate is  getting more and more hip, but the Klan is not. The Klan is suffering from suffering from a proliferation of competitors. I believe the competition is the plethora of Tea Party groups. There's only 3,000 to 5,000 Klan members today. For the first time since the early 90's there are now more active inner circle members of the Wu-Tang Clan than the Klu Klux Klan. But even as the Wu has grown in stature while the KKK has dwindled, the Klan has continued to resist the Staten Island rap group's efforts to diversify.....their bonds.

"Young racists tend to think of the Klan as their grandfathers’ hate group, and of its members as rural, uneducated, and technologically unsophisticated. The Klan doesn’t seem to have used the web and social media as well as its competitors." I'm totally having visions of the young hipster racists trying to school Grandpa Grand Wizard on the nuances of social media and throwing up there arms in frustration when he can't get Facebook. I believe FB doesn't allow racist groups, so is there some sort of Hatebook?

I wish I was making this up but the KKK's association with violence puts off more moderate racists. They prefer Gandhian non-violent resistance. OK I made up the Gandhi part..... they are more influenced by MLK. Apparently they hate Afro-Americans as well as Jewish people less and are more homophobic and anti-Muslim.  It's nice that something is bringing gays and Muslims together! They should produce videos of gay brown people making out and send them to the young racists everywhere, challenge this message of hate with one of love...and the occassional ass grab. They could kill two birds with one stone and piss off the hard line shariah folks.

But seriously, Moderate Racists? Do they just kinda, sorta hate people? Does my skin color just merely bother them than inspire their wrath? I'd love to see the signs at a moderate Klan rally. "We'd prefer if your kind wasn't around these parts, if you don't mind." "You can still work my fields and if you're one of the lucky ones you get to stay in the house." "Voluntary Segregation Now.....Please."

But really SERIOUSLY There's a thing called  Klanta Klaus! The Klan's Santa. I wish someone clued me to this before. Does he prefer naughty or nice? If he was a S &Mer, I think he'd be more into whips than chains. I wonder how many crosses they  the kids have to burn to be good little racists?  And what kind of gifts do you give them? I mean how many  nooses and Michelle Bachman posters do they need? Maybe they're short on tri-corner hats.

Actually the article has it all wrong, the Klan has been hemorrhaging members since the disastrous Clayton Bigsby scandal as reported by Frontline in early 2003.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i9iTYe6tEk

Drink Up

So I'm trying to keep the blog daily, but it's late and I'm tired, so today you just get a link. Fortunately, it's a little controversial and health related. The article states that drinkers, even heavy drinkers live longer than non-drinkers. The kicker is that it controlled for alcoholics who are now teetotalers and thus listed as non-drinkers. I'm not sure if it's because drinkers are more social therefore happier. I also wonder if there is a similar correlation with pot smokers.  I would say more but the article is pretty straightforward. Enjoy.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2017200,00.html?artId=2017200%3FcontType%3Darticle%3Fchn%3DsciHealth

A Veggie Defense

Sorry for the cheesy title but I'm hoping to quickly get this post out. When I originally become a vegetarian it was because I was convinced by my older brother Imran. He did tons of research, which seemed to conclude that vegetarianism was right for moral (treatment of animals, problematic meat industry in general), health, and environmental reasons. I also remember that as we both abandoned religion and vegetarianism fit into our new spiritual ethos. (non-violence, karma)

Long story short, he read my blog and posted some links that defend vegenism and challenge the Paleo Diet:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.org/home.htm

http://neuroanthropology.net/2009/01/21/paleofantasies-of-the-perfect-diet-marlene-zuk-in-nytimes/

Primitive Nutrition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqf7k5Lzhk&feature=player_embedded

I hope people can check them out and respond. Be warned though the youtube link is part of a series of over 60 ten minutes clips, so you might want to watch a few and then respond. Kudos if you get through the whole series. I'm also going to ask my brother to provide a shorter more accessible document that will highlight the main arguments against Paleo and eating meat in general. Again, I hope this can start a real, respectful back and forth.

My immediate response from the few videos I saw and the second, is that they do problematize the Paleo diet and make me realize the need for a comprehensive, thoughtful debate on health and wellness. There is so much contradictory info out there, it's mindnumbingly for laypeople to figure out what's right and wrong. There was not enough in these links to prompt to go back to veganism. First, I find it difficult to argue the evolutionary assumption that humans are designed at least to eat some quantity of meat. My own recent experiences have led me to believe that I was B vitamin deficient and that eating at least some meat can lead me to optimal health. The increased energy, focus, improved mood, and drastic reduction of inflammation leads me to believe that eating meat is right for me.

The links challenge (rightfully so) the absolutist nature in which the Paleos proclaim the righteousness of their diet. I found this link which does the same, but still argues for a 'Paleo Template,' while even problematizing that term.

http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-moving-from-a-paleo-diet-to-a-paleo-template

Could Meat be my crack?!

For you first timers, welcome to my new blog. As I stated in the last one, this current post would go over the beginning of my adventures in meat. Again, I had been seriously contemplating eating meat after reading an article a few months back. The article was talked about in the last post. At my sister's wedding on February 19th in Key West, I decided to try a piece of coconut shrimp. It tasted OK, but I did get a little bit of queasiness. Looking back I think it was due to the texture, which felt a little too much like flesh than I was used to at the time. I didn't expect the gross out factor to be an issue, but It wasn't that big a deal.

Now I wasn't expected to jump right into eating meat. I was thinking that this process would take some time,  a few months maybe. That changed after a trip to the Vitamin Shoppe last Friday. I figured if I wasn't going to eat meat for a little while, I should at least take a B supplement. I bought the VS brand B-Complex with a veggie cap. Again, I was thinking that I was would still be  a vegetarian and do more research. I actually intended to start this blog as a way to have all the sides duke it out and in the end, I would settle on a diet.

But that changed after I took the supplement. I noticed the moderate increase in energy and focus that many report when they take it. But the more shocking response was that my Achilles Tendonitis was 80% better within an hour! This was an old running injury that I got in 2006, if memory serves me correctly. It had been manageable, but I've never been able to shake it completely. I've also had bursitis in my right shoulder since 2004. I've resigned myself to that I would have minimal inflammation for the rest of my life. I never realized how deficient I was in B vitamins. Also the tightness in my lower back lessened considerable and my stomach felt much better.

After sharing my experience on Facebook and talking it out, I decided that I would just take the plunge and eat some meat, once a day for seven days. I figured that I wanted to have some natural sources of B-vitamins instead of just the supplement. The next day, I was at a friend's 30th birthday potluck and this being a mainly lefty crowd, the meat there was minimal. I did have a piece of salami and a few too many brownies with bacon bits. A late arriving guest and fellow Paki bought some Pakistani chicken kabobs and I took the plunge. They were absolutely delicious! I forgot how good my people were at cooking meat. I'm not one to be hyper-nationalist, but I did feel pride for my country's culinary expertise. I'll stack up our skill at cooking meat with any other country! I was full from overeating, but I didn't feel bad at all.

My next adventure in meat eating was some Chicken with cashews from Ollie's in the Upper West Side, near my school, Columbia Teachers College. It was good, not great and I did feel a little queasy, which I would again attribute to the texture. But  the queasiness was minimal and overshadowed by the deliciousness. Everyone and their mother, has told me I might get sick from eating even a little meat, but that has not been the case for me. I think It's more psychological.

Tuesday was groundbreaking for me. I had a couple of pieces of bacon with an egg and cheese wrap with breakfast. Later than night, I was hanging out with my cousin Saif and two friends of ours, Justin and John in Brooklyn. We were going out to celebrate their birthdays and we had to grab dinner. I shared my plan to have a meal with meat with my compatriots. As guys do, they started busting my balls about how passionate of a vegetarian I used to be and that I was surely going to get sick. I even made a $30 bet with John.

At the bar, I looked over the menu, which had few options. I thought about getting a regular burger, but everyone seemed to think that would make me most sick. So I opted for a turkey burger with cheese. It was as expected, delicious and I didn't feel bad at all. Actually the complete opposite happened, I felt great. In fact, I was practically bouncing off the goddamn wall!!! My concentration improved by leaps and bounds. Everyone seemed to moving a few paces behind me.   I had three beers in me, but I've never gotten that energized from alcohol. Usually it makes me tired. I could barely sit still and kept telling my friends how great I felt, to the point where busted my balls again.

The crazy thoughts I kept having were awesomely ridiculous. I wanted to become an Meat advocate. Maybe a lobbyist for some organic livestock farmers association. At two in the morning, I had the urge to go play basketball and if I had the opportunity I would have. It was like I was about to reach enlightenment. I felt so good, I thought I was the meaning of life! God had spoken to me and his voice was surprisingly guttural and aggressive saying "MMMMeeeaaaattttt! MMeeeeaaaaaatttt!!!" It wasn't just that I could be healthier incorporating meat, if was as if meat was my crack. Coke and crack heads seemed positively sedate next to me.

I was craving more and before we went back to Justin's house, we stopped by a Middle Eastern Deli/Grocery and I had some lamb and rice. I continued to feel energized and was able to stay up till 5am. I was unfortunately awoken at eight yesterday morning and even though I was tired my brain was buzzing. The lack of sleep didn't seem that big a deal. Throughout the day I had a couple servings of meat and continued to feel energized, clear headed, and less bloated. As others had reported, I felt less hunger and didn't crave carbs or sugar at all. This is a shock, because my sweet tooth is notorious. I once eat an entire batch of Chex Muddy Buddies by myself. I didn't really start to feel exhausted until like 9pm, when the sleep deprivation started to hit me.

I was not expecting this when I decided to eat meat again. If anything, I thought I wouldn't start feeling the benefits of increasing meat and cutting carbs and sugar in a few months. I realize that my body might be just be responding to the influx of B-vitamins that I was lacking for the last dozen years. I hope that i can feel this energized all the time, but would be grateful just to not feel as sluggish as I usually do in the morning. My plan is eat meat once a day for the next couple weeks, try to keep getting healthier, and continue to lift weights and do yoga.

So in the meantime, please keep posting articles pertaining to health on this blog, or anything you think I will enjoy. I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you and the spirited debates I expect my change will inspire.

A Diet Experiment

As I briefly stated in the last post, I have decided to rethink my vegetarianism and experiment with eating meat. It started with my friend, Keith who in last year or so has started to follow the Paleo Diet. Much of the logic and science I've read seems pretty compelling to a layperson like me. However, I still resisted even though it seemed healthier than vegetarianism, because of the sustainability issues of meat consumption and necessity of harming animals just for the sake of health. However, I seriously started to question my diet after reading this article:  http://theconversation.edu.au/ordering-the-vegetarian-meal-theres-more-animal-blood-on-your-hands-4659

Three key points in this article. Producing wheat and other grains results in: 

• at least 25 times more sentient animals being killed per kilogram of useable protein
• more environmental damage, and
• a great deal more animal cruelty than does farming red meat.

The article backs up these bold claims pretty convincingly and plainly. I would love for someone with more expertise to comment on this and either challenge or back up this article. At this point, I started to consider eating meat more seriously. I've also talked to a few people who've starting eating meat again, as part of a balanced diet and they all reported overall similar positive consequences including overall more energy, loss of body fat, and that they crave sugar less among other things. 

I was originally intending to talk about my initial meat eating, but I realize that is another post in and of itself. I think I've given you all enough for now, especially if you choose to read the link. And I've also got to run at the moment, so until next time internets, I bid you farewell. 

What's in the name?

Welcome to my new blog, which will hopefully do many different things. At the moment, I'm contemplating my diet and have decided to try eating meat again and make myself a human test subject. I'll do it gradually and report on my overall health. As my followers grow, I will try and get others (and myself) to include articles about overall health and diet. Hopefully, this will lead to a healthy (no pun intended) debate and exchange of ideas. The end result of this 'diet' project will be to figure out the healthiest diet for me and then move on to other projects and reflections about life and general irreverence. (And hopefully art!)

But before I get into the diet stuff, I need to settle on a name. Well the name, is pretty much settled. But I'm wondering if I should punctuate it the way I have. I want the name, "The Irfantastic! Blog!" to roll off the tongue quickly, but my inclusion of the exclamation point after irfantastic might imply a pause. Like "The Irfantastic! (beat) Blog!" That is not my intention. If that is how you would prefer to read it then great, but again, I would like the name to roll off of the tongue quickly. Thoughts? Should I drop the first exclamation point and call it "The Irfantastic Blog!" Does it matter? Am I overthinking it?

And I'm still open to name suggestions if something better comes along.