Support group: restorative yoga classes feature asanas that nurture

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO INTEGRAL YOGA INSTITUTE

culture@sfbg.com

CAREERS AND ED "Just to let you know, this class is different than other yoga classes," warns the receptionist at the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute. It's Monday night and I've just shown up at the institute to try my first restorative yoga class. "You roll around on pillows ..." he continues.

I get it — restorative yoga is not your typical barrage of sun salutations and yogic pretzel bends — so I nod reassuringly and head up the flights of stairs to the top floor of the institute's Victorian-style mansion-cum-yoga-palace, emerging in the dark, candle-lit room where the class will be held. There are high wood ceilings and plenty of space on the carpeted floor, where a pile of pillows wait for each student.

Our instructor will be Divya Nanda, a guest teacher who has been affiliated with the institute for more than 40 years. Wearing silky orange garments from head to toe, she radiates a calming, peaceful presence.

Here we go. Let's just get it out there. I'm not a yoga person. If I happen to take a break from Internet-beer time long enough to exercise, I prefer to do it alone with my iPod rather than in a room full of strangers.

But I'm a stressed-out soul, generally speaking, and restorative yoga's smooth, centering movements sound appealing. This form of yoga is geared toward relaxation and uses slow-moving techniques to give students a sense of peacefulness, spiritual fulfillment, and mind-body connection — all things yours truly is 100 percent lacking. Most yoga studios in the city offer some form of restorative class, which can be perfect for those suffering from injuries or just in need of a little slow-paced nurturing.

"Restorative yoga is based in the philosophy of the whole yoga practice, which is to be peaceful," Nanda says. "Peace is within you, so we go within."

Within we go, starting with "oms," "hari oms," and simple warm-ups — downward dog pose interspersed with concentrated breathing exercises and stretches. All the while, Nanda circulates throughout the room, adjusting our positions and making sure that we're completely relaxed and comfortable.

During one warm-up that involved sitting with our knees tucked under us, Nanda looked over at me and said, "Hannah, you might want to do this one in the cross-legged position, I don't want you to hurt your ankles." I was shocked. How did she know my ankles were aching — x-ray yogi vision?

After the deep breathing, we move on to poses that entailed lying in super-comfortable, unconventional asanas. They make me feel like a sleepy baby. Designed to place minimal pressure on joints, they include splaying out our legs and arms, every part of our bodies supported by soft pillows.

Along the way, Nanda shares soothing thoughts: "The future is a mystery. The past is history. What we have is now, the golden present." "Beyond the thinking mind there is a great peacefulness," and so on. We end the class with guided meditation and this Sanskrit chant: "From the unreal to the real, from the darkness to the light, from our fears to the knowledge of our immortal natures."

Leaving Nanda's world was bittersweet: I'm sad to go, realizing I've never given myself a sanctioned stretch of time to nurture my reflective side. But emerging from the institute, walking back out into the gentle buzz of Dolores Street, I feel so centered that I can almost hear my body whispering to me. Was that an "om shanti," relaxed core of mine? I can't be sure — but I know it won't be my last time in restorative yoga. Below, a brief list of ways to learn to nurture yourself in the Bay.

Restorative yoga

Mondays 7:30 p.m. –9 p.m., $9 for first class, $12 for subsequent classes, Integral Yoga Institute, 770 Dolores, SF. www.integralyogasf.org

INTERPRETING DREAMS WITH HORARY ASTROLOGY

You may not have heard of the San Francisco Astrological Society, but as far as Bay Area star sign enthusiasts are concerned, it's a big deal. This year it will be hosting astrology-focused lectures on topics like "The Cycle of Saturn," "2012 and Beyond." If you're interested in what your dreams can tell you about the future, you'll have to check out this upcoming talk. It promises to teach about the basic techniques needed to unlock your dreams for clues on what's to come using ancient Greek dream interpretation methods and horary astrology, a sect of astrology based on creating a horoscope for the exact moment in which a question is asked.

May 26, 7:30 p.m., $7 for members, $12 for nonmembers. Building C, Fort Mason Center, SF., www.sfastrologicalsociety.com

SENSUAL TOUCH AND DEEPER CONNECTION (IN AND OUT OF THE BEDROOM)

If you're not big on touching people, then this class is probably not for you — although it might have the power to change your mind on the subject. This one-time workshop with somatic therapist and intimacy coach Shara Ogin teaches you how to take physical contact to the next level. From intimacy to sex to sensual massage, Ogin plans to show students how to make each experience more intimate and cosmically close.

April 19, 6–8 p.m., $40/pair advance, $45 at door. Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk, SF. www.goodvibes.com

EVOLVING WESTERN HERBAL TRADITIONS

Medical herbalist, new age crusader, and self-proclaimed member of the herbal renaissance, David Hoffman teaches this class focusing on the history of herbalism in the United States and the world. The workshop ranges from discussions about herbs in science and medicine to ways herbs are used in the our country and the changing role of botanical medicine in a modern global context. Rolling papers not included.

Aug. 23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., $100. Charlotte Maxwell Complimentary Clinic, 2601 Mission, SF. www.ohlonecenter.org

If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
~ Bernard Shaw

Instead of an attempt to gather and synthesize a number of different views on the Fourth House of the astrological chart, I am printing in its entirety an article I found by astrologer Eleanor Buckwalter.  In my very amateur and extremely untutored opinion, this sums up quite well some of the energy of this new location in our journey.   So let’s begin, shall we?

The Fourth House
by Eleanor Buckwalter © 1994, 2000

The fourth house is the second angular house, and as with all angular houses it is associated with external manifestation such as events and relationships. It is the root of power, the core of the inner being.

[By "angular house" she is referring to the fact that the fourth house marks the first 45 degree angle of the circle. So it commences the second quarter of the astrological wheel.  - B.]

Some call it the “Seat of the Soul.” It represents our basic foundation in life, the security we create for ourselves, the rock on which we anchor the edifice of our life. It is our basic roots, psychological foundation, home base, physical house, domestic life, the “nest.”

The fourth house represents our family heredity, our genetic heredity, the biological, psychological and cultural heritage of our family clan, our past memories and personal subconscious. It is the extended family, the tribe, and the nation.

Patriotism is a fourth house matter. The fourth house is also the end of life, the grave, and the final resting-place. It, like Cancer, is the “womb and the tomb.”

The sign on the cusp and the planets in this house describe our nurturing parent. Some say it is the mother in a man’s chart and the father in a woman’s.

I have found it depends on the individual chart, for the fourth and tenth houses together represent the parental complex. It contains the symbols and myths we hold about our family, its traditions, and ourselves.

The fourth is our most private, intimate self. It shows who we are when “at home with our shoes off.” It includes our attitudes toward roommates, family of procreation, spouse and children, and pet animals that serve as surrogate babies. It often represents the first child, especially in a woman’s chart.

When a person has the Sun in the fourth house he has an inner core of self-confidence. The Moon here gives keen intuition and insight into the feeling nature of others. The world of ideas is the foundation of being when Mercury is here.

Venus often correlates with inherited artistic talent and a need for peace and harmony. Mars gives reserves of physical vitality and is an indicator of possible violence in the early home life; at least one parent had a temper.

Jupiter gives an inherent, inherited sense of optimism and faith in life, a generous disposition and a sense of entitlement. When Saturn falls in the fourth, home feels confining. The parents seemed too strict, cold, or perhaps they were old. Or, one only establishes a home late in life.

With Uranus here, life is never predictable. There are sudden moves. The actual house circumstances may be unusual – maybe Mother was an oddball, Dad a genius, or vice versa. Neptune indicates a childhood spent in a dream world of imagination. Playing a musical instrument is associated with this Neptunian placement. An ill or alcoholic parent is not unusual.

Pluto in the fourth house gives great will power, stamina, and possible ruthlessness. One parent may have been tyrannical. The person has the ability to ferret out the secrets of others if he chooses. Sometimes the manifestations are very literal.

One client with a fourth house Neptune (alcohol) said when he was a child his father had a whiskey still in the basement of the family home. Another client had recurring problems with the plumbing and septic tank (Pluto), during a transiting Pluto square to her natal Pluto in the fourth house.

When there are no planets in the fourth, look to the ruler of the fourth (the IC), to see where the person is most at home. If it is in the first house, he is at home within himself and may break from his family to start a completely new lineage; when it is in the tenth, the person is at home with his destiny or with the public.

With the ruler of the fourth in the seventh, partnerships are a requirement for a secure foundation and, with the ruler in the twelfth, the person may be a natural psychologist, at home in the world of the collective unconscious archetypes.

You often have to know a person for a long time and quite well before he lets you see his fourth house personality, the roots of his being. It is the hidden power spot of his chart and his most private self. The fourth house is our “bottom line.”’ It may contain buried treasure, or it may be the dungeon which contains the dragon.

…

If you would like to take a look at your own chart to see what planets are in your fourth house, you can get a free download here. To get a full interpretation, I recommend a consultation with your friendly neighborhood astrologer! Or I can recommend several outstanding folks (email me and ask).

Welcome to our discussion of the matters associated with the Fourth House!

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In honor of Women's History Month, I was invited to speak at the African American Museum and Library in Oakland last Friday about My Mom is a Fob. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's daughter, Lailan Huen, joined us as well as others from various backgrounds, so we had a great discussion about our cultural (and generational) similarities and differences growing up. As expected, Amy Chua's name came up again, and a gentleman from the audience actually assigned me homework, namely to watch Charlie Rose's interview with Amy Chua and read his lengthy commentary (written under the pseudonym "worldwatcher"). Here is my response organized into three overarching themes.

On Parenting
Labeling a certain parenting style as "Chinese" or "immigrant" (from an ethnocentric perspective) is flawed and about as accurate as generalizing that everyone born a certain month exhibits similar astrological traits. We can only assume that since immigrants start off at a disadvantage (not knowing the language or having no connections), we simply work hard, value discipline, and believe that we have to count on ourselves to succeed.

With that said, Amy Chua really puts my own mother to shame while flaunting her upper-middle class privileges and emphasizing her personal sacrifices. She drives hours on end to world famous teachers' studios, oversees all music lessons and practice sessions, hires extra tutors for her kids when she’s teaching Yale law students, even buys her daughters expensive gowns for performances then rents out entire rooms in upscale hotels for lavish reception parties. Those who think Chua doesn't show her kids enough love probably haven’t actually read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and those who complain that she should give her kids more freedom seem to be comforting themselves for not even putting in half the energy she has into her kids, into their own kids. Just sayin'. Chua does exhibit obsessive-compulsive tendencies that no mother should aspire to mimic, though. Children can develop resentment towards parents who set unrealistically high expectations and experience psychological instability when nurtured with conditional love or placed under too much pressure.

Considering how many Americans have turned out okay thanks to all types of parenting methods (from all types of cultures), there is no magical formula for producing successful kids; our parents probably tailored our upbringing on a case by case basis, so I don't feel like there is much to debate here. I would, however, like to add that socioeconomic privileges should not be confused with any sort of ethnic "superiority."

On the "Model Minority Myth" and Success
"Worldwatcher" brought to my attention last Friday that Whites are using the Asian "Model Minority" argument to point fingers at African Americans and Latinos saying, "If they can do it, why can't you?" There are a few problems with such an argument. First, you simply can't group war-victimized Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotians who came here as refugees with highly educated Chinese, Taiwanese, Indians who came later to fill Silicon Valley positions (not saying there aren't Vietnamese engineers here). Lumping all Asians together masks the poverty and academic difficulties of some subgroups while denying them much needed assistance programs or affirmative action. Likewise, Asian groups heavily represented in selective colleges shouldn't be held to higher admissions standards, though that's probably already influenced through quotas for competitive high schools that are predominantly Asian.

Second, using one ethnic group against another (or against oneself, considering how broad Asians are) can cause tension and possible backlash. As Amy Chua illustrates in World on Fire, market-dominant minorities in other parts of the world experience severe ethnic hatred (Chinese in Southeast Asia, Whites in Latin America, Jews in Russia...), though thank goodness the US is diverse enough that this should never happen here (even if Americans are considered market-dominant minorities in other countries). Perhaps using this illustration was a slight exaggeration (considering that Asian Americans will probably never take over Wall Street), though I thought it was still worth mentioning.

This academic paper supports some of my claims and brings up a few other valid concerns, such as how the "Model Minority" stereotype not only fosters resentment in other minority groups but also contributes to anti-immigration sentiment (positioning us as "foreign" and a threat). Couple that last notion with recent fears of the US losing our global dominance to China... and Chinese Americans (viewed as Chinese) could really become the target for potential hate crimes.

On a less frightening (though equally frustrating) note, journalists and pseudo-academics really like to try to "explain away" why Asians are "so successful." Malcolm Gladwell's argument that the Chinese are disciplined and skill-oriented because our ancient ancestors cultivated rice paddies is ludicrous — correlation does not imply causation, just as you can't attribute everything to nature (genes) when nurture (our unique environment and upbringing) is part of the equation. Matthew Syed's book, Bounce (on the science of success), reads annoyingly like Gladwell's Outliers — full of assumptions — though both do emphasize the importance of preparation in the form of "purposeful practice" (Syed) or the "10,000-hour rule" (Gladwell).

In short, practice and hard work still trump innate talent and all the hidden advantages and cultural legacies both authors try to make cases for. Another good point Syed makes is the need for intrinsic motivation, which Daniel H. Pink explains in detail in his book Drive (or this video). The fact that Asian Americans have such high rates of depression and suicide could be because grades, test scores, status, appearance are all extrinsic motivators — they don't satisfy our inner desire for autonomy and mastery of something that fulfills a deeper purpose. I don't think it's possible for someone to be intrinsically passionate about piano or medicine if it was enforced onto the person, even if since childhood.

In many ways, my high school was the quintessential "Model Minority" public high school with a 70% Asian student body consisting of mostly affluent Chinese, Taiwanese and Indian Americans. With a class less than 500 people, 23 tied as valedictorians, five went on to Harvard and fifty to Berkeley. Some of our ancestors could have possibly been rice farmers, but I think it's much more relevant to mention that our parents graduated the top of their class, had families to support them and companies lined up to issue H1B visas. We also studied for the SATs by going through every single workbook on Border's bookshelves and taking additional tutoring classes, which our parents willingly paid for.

My parents weren't very strict but the unintended pressure my friends put on me inspired me not to fall too far behind. Because we were relatively homogeneous, we were also able to identify with one another — jocks did not rule the school as we didn’t even have a real football team, the nerds set the curves and so they did. Economic professors George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton make the case in Identity Economics that students who obey authority and try hard to graduate do so because they identify with the school. Those who don't (because teachers don't seem to care about them or other students reject them), rebel (Akerlof, 64-67). I'm not sure how this explains the token Asian kid at a predominantly white school who graduates as the valedictorian, but I'm sure he/she probably receives incredible support (or pressure) from the parents.

On Identity and the Fear of "The American Decline"
As previously mentioned, some Americans are afraid that our glorious days are over and soon the Chinese or Indians will take over, simply because of their sheer numbers, exploding economies, and rising talent. I hate to mention Amy Chua again, but in her book, Day of Empire, she explains why hyperpowers become what they are and actually argues that America will not likely lose its global dominance because we are relatively more tolerant than any other nation and thus attract the world's top scientific, technological, and creative talent. To stay at the top, we just need enough common "glue" to hold us all together.

As "worldwatcher" has pointed out in his seventh point (in his first post), America wasn't always so glorious and enviable. We stole the land from Native Americans (first displacing them then decimating their numbers), robbed the Mexicans of more territory, enslaved African Americans for centuries, denied women the right to vote, subjected Chinese immigrants to bigotry while they built our railroads, confined Japanese Americans in internment camps... not to mention all other enemies we've created through numerous wars.

Yet, somehow, we managed to become the top destination for newcomers because we have no rules on religion, a very capable democratic system, and an opportunity-filled free market (Chua, 250-251). America is an immigrant nation built up by a diverse immigrant population, despite xenophobia and unlawful immigration acts of our past. To separate "us" Americans from "them" or "those" immigrant "outsiders" is so hypocritical. People like Alexandra Wallace perpetuate this notion of nativism ("white superiority"... "and the good manners my momma taught me") when there isn't even an indigenous American culture to begin with.

At a workshop in Stanford, one girl asked me what I thought of the term "white-washed" because I was using the term "fob." "F.O.B." was once a derogatory acronym targeted at Asian immigrants who were seen as unwelcome outsiders. I'd like to think that our generation has softened and embraced the term, considering that we now call the peace sign the "fob sign" and Hello Kitty paraphernalia "fobby cute." I suppose "white-washed" came about as a reaction from people who felt like outsiders in response to people who have done a better job assimilating into dominant culture. In Identity Economics, the authors quote how some minorities feel the need to "keep it real" and not be posers in order to keep their dignity. This notion of dignity becomes very important; how do we stay true to ourselves and be proud of our own heritage and culture and share a common identity with all other Americans?

I will actually argue that assimilation is a good thing and minimizes social tension; "The massive influx of Europe's 'poorest and least fortunate' — almost a million Italians, Poles, Russians, Finns, Jews, Germans, Czechs, and Hungarians annually between 1900 and 1914 — had created enormous social strains in America. The relatively closed-door interwar years provided a respite, allowing these immigrant communities to be absorbed and assimilated (Chua, 253)." How then, do we assimilate into a common culture that all Americans can accept and be comfortable with?

I believe that we should actually encourage interracial relationships (not just as couples, but also business partners, academic research partners, and so on) and create a dominant culture that is less "white", more tolerant, and more educated about various cultures. (This means that many groups will have to let go of antiquated beliefs of "ethnic purity", caste systems, and other notions of social hierarchy.) Only then will we be able to share a common American identity, keep attracting top talent into our country, dominate economically, and stay at the forefront of technology and military might together.

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In recent months headlines and feature articles the world over were dominated by a single news story; a story which inspired outrage, shock and disbelief. Even a few threats to the source of the story and a significant amount of online bile and vitriol. The cause of this impassioned furor? Alleged changes to astrological signs. Seriously. And as if to compound the insult with injury the entire debacle amounted to little more than journalistic confusion between the science of astronomy and the superstition of astrology. But this in merely indicative of an existing larger problem between science and mainstream media.

One of these diagrams is based on serious and intensive scientific research. The other is based on vague generalities and total nonsense. Having trouble telling which is which? A glistening career in journalism may await you!

Kunkle himself is perplexed by the media frenzy over what is well known in astronomy. "Astronomers have known about this since about 130 B.C.. This is not new news. Almost every astronomy class talks about it." Kunkle's surprise is understandable - The changing relative position of the earth with the constellations has been well understood for many centuries and has frequently appeared in criticism of astrology. Ophiuchus itself has been known since Roman antiquity. And to make the situation more ridiculous as if it weren't enough already, orbital precession has no effect on the tropical or western astrology, which sets its reference points as the tropics and is thus not affected by axial precession; certain astrology such as Hindu Jyotish use a different zodiac and are affected by precession but this is in no way a new finding. Those who truly want to believe that star signs matter can remain blissfully anthropocentric. In essence the uproar showcased two things; firstly some people devoutly believe that arbitrary connections between giant masses of hydrogen undergoing nuclear fusion somehow influence their personalities and lifestyle, which is daft but well known so we won't dwell on it. Secondly, and more worryingly, it shows that hundreds of media outlets and newspapers will run a stupid story verbatim even if it would take all of 20 seconds on Wikipedia to refute it. And therein lies a serious problem.

Warning - May contain cited facts that render an article nonsense. Not that facts always matter.

In a case like this, the entire situation is just laughable - the mere notion that astrology, an obvious and thoroughly debunked pseudoscience, would suddenly start paying heed to science is charmingly delusional. What is striking, and deeply worrying, is how exactly this obviously stupid story got reported as fact in reputable news sources from NBC to the Irish Times. The misunderstanding was in plain site and the source was hardly reputable, yet media outlets world wide ran it as fact. The increasing practice of running a press release or a news wire story without checking the contents was coined "churnalism" by BBC journalist Waseem Zakir; "You get copy coming in on the wires and reporters churn it out, processing stuff and maybe adding the odd local quote. It's affecting every newsroom in the country and reporters are becoming churnalists".

Zakir sees this as part of a trend of journalist moving from being proactive to merely reactive. And he is not alone in saying that; an editorial in British Journalism Review described it as ""...a harbinger of the end of news journalism as we know it, the coroner's verdict can be nothing other than suicide". As an aside, I wrote to my local paper of record the Irish Times after they ran it as a fact, pointing out it was easily refutable in both a letter to the editor and a short article explaining the reason why, offered free of charge. Several similar minded acquaintances of mine did the same thing to their papers. No correction was ever printed and needless to say our rectification never saw the light of print.

C'est la vie.  

Repeating empty stories verbatim might be merely unfortunate in some cases, but it is lethal for public understanding of Science and Medicine; advances in the field of Science and medicine are reported in peer-reviewed journals. They are transparent but often complex and written in formal academic language to make findings as unambiguous as possible. As a result, they tend to not exactly be Dan Brown style page turners but their existence is vital. Understandably, the general public don't read them and instead rely on mainstream media to herald new discoveries and finding to them. But if the press becomes merely reactive, it allows dubious practices to crop up, with disastrous ramifications.

Unlikely scientific style writing. This may or may not be a bad thing.

One of the most obvious and annoying is science by press conference - instead of going through peer review and rigorous testing; an inept or perhaps nefarious scientist or doctor can go straight to the media and hold a press conference. This is usually transparent to an academic but may not be to a layperson. Andrew Wakefield went to the media in 1998 claiming that the MMR vaccine caused autism without an inkling of actual proof to support this drastic assertion; it didn't matter and the story spread - aided and abetted my an absolutely staggeringly atrocious performance by British media. Ben Goldacre chronicles the event meticulously in his book "Bad Science" (a vital purchase if you don't already have it.) but the important thing to note is by 2002 10% of ALL science stories were about MMR. And 80% of these stories were written not by science/medicine writers, but by generalist reporters.

Goldacre sums it succinctly; "...Suddenly we were getting comment and advice on complex matters of immunology and epidemiology from people who would more usually have been telling us about a funny thing that happened with the au pair on the way to a dinner party". Anti - MMR campaigners developed a knack for targeting their stories at non-science journalists and the misinformed diatribes continued unabated; UK broadsheets created the utterly false impression that there was a medical basis for mistrusting MMR vaccines. The Telegraph described Wakefield as "a champion of patients". But there was an even darker side to this media driven panic with consequences beyond Wakefield; panicked parents refused to get their kids vaccinated and children died. Lots of children in fact. Wakefield has finally be struck off the register and proven to be fraudulent (which we will talk about in a bit) but the blame for that senseless scaremongering does not lie solely at his feet and mainstream media deserves an equal share of the blame.

Coincidentally, the title of Wakefield's autobiography also sums up his attitude to medical ethics. Note also the foreword by that great bastion of the scientific method Jenny McCarthy. Well I'm sold, are you?  

The same basic pattern is seen all too often. While media exists to report on a story, a little sensationalism or boldness doesn't hurt in shifting copy. The downside is that this tends to create a false impression in the minds of non-scientists, and is a recipe for letting odious motivations masquerade as scientific opinion. One common example is selectively reporting to make disagreement within the scientific community seem greater than it actually is, and by implication smear the research. An exceptionally malignant example of this was attempts by the Discovery Institute (it's hard to know if the irony is intentional) and the wider Intelligent Design movement (an inadvertent oxymoron?) to paint evolution as a theory in crisis. Essentially, despite evolution being supported by overwhelming scientific evidence creationists object to it because it contradicts their literal interpretation of the bible - so they reason (and I hesitate to use that word as it doesn't seem fitting) that reality, rather than their archaic source material is obviously at fault. Obviously. Their solution? "Teach the controversy" - a classic example of a manufactured controversy, or manufactroversy for those fond of their portmanteaus. The trick is almost Machiavellian - cherry pick some 'experts' exaggerate uncertainties or gaps in the science, attack or smear individual scientists and insist the media report 'both sides' of the story. Which they almost invariably do, giving credence to pathetic arguments with ulterior motives. Throwing in the odd scientific/medical community conspiracy doesn't hurt either. A manufactured controversy aims to neutralize the findings of researchers but this devious strategy only works if the media get behind it with an uncritical eye. Which they all too often do - a situation called a false balance. A situation which can only be nullified by educated evaluation of science journalists. Global warming controversy, vaccination scares and AIDS denial are yet more examples of the same thing.

The Flintstones : A classic creationist documentary.
  
But to be fair to journalists, they are under a lot of pressure, between deadlines and the need to write engaging stories. Many journalists simply don't have the basic training in the scientific method to question what they are told and there are many who exploit that knowledge gap; a competent journalist may be unafraid to ask questions about politics or business and challenge anything that is misleading but science is a intimidating nut to crack, meaning good scientific/medical findings are presented alongside pseudo scientific nonsense because in some instances, the highly pressurised journalist hasn't the time or relevant understanding to examine the claims. This is depressing but there are some journalists and writers who have made it their mission to stem the tides of nonsense. Take Brian Deer; when the British media were for the most part singing the praises of Wakefield, Deer investigated a little deeper and found not only was the scare an outright fabrication but Wakefield was being pay-rolled to create evidence against the shot. Thanks in part to the dogged work of Deer, Wakefield was investigated and struck off the register. Writers like the previously mentioned Ben Goldacre and fellow journalist Simon Singh robustly question bad science and challenge those promoting it. Singh himself recently won a lawsuit taken against him by the British Chiropractic Association for questioning their claims, an action that was long, expensive and utterly pointless for them. The delicious Irony was the attempts by the BCA to suppress Singh led to much greater bad coverage for chiropractors, a textbook example of the Streisand effect. If we look to writers as well as journalists, James Randi and Derren Brown are two examples of those openly willing to examine and debunk erroneous claims and in doing so improve the public understanding of science.

The work of these writers is highly praise-worthy but the big question is what else can be done? Carl Sagan once said, "We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That's a clear prescription for disaster". He is correct, but it doesn't have to be this way. We need to bridge the culture gap between science and media - and to do that we need many more scientists in media with the requisite training to evaluate evidence critically and the ability to dismiss dodgy science from publication. I cannot stress this strongly enough; the contribution to both pubic understanding and the quality of the resultant publication would be phenomenal. The scientific and medical community, for their part, need to better explain their findings to those in journalism and media to prevent any misunderstandings and to consult on any doubts. A synergy of science and journalism combining the evidence based nature of science with the explanatory power of journalism means that we can avoid that Saganistic disaster and everyone benefits. And if we don't change anything? George Bernard Shaw is often claimed to have stated, "Newspapers are unable, seemingly, to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilisation". He may yet have a point.
 

A bicycle accident; not to be confused with the collapse of civilization.
  

David Robert Grimes writes a science and medicine blog at 3menmakeatiger.blogspot.com and recently obtained a PhD in Medical Physics from Dublin City University. He is an active musician, actor and writer.

Life has left her footprints on my forehead.
But I have become a child again this morning.
The smile, seen through leaves and flowers,
is back to smooth away the wrinkles,
as the rains wipe away footprints on the beach.
Again a cycle of birth and death begins.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

For people with even the most casual exposure to the Tarot, today’s card is one they never forget. One of the most grisly looking cards, the Ten of Swords is often dreaded and admittedly not the happiest of all the Tarot images. So, yes, fasten your seatbelts, friends; it could be a bumpy week.

The Tens of each suit are the overflowing of that suit’s energy. With the Cups, for instance, it is the overflow, the zenith and then some, of love, emotional harmony and happiness. In the Ten of Swords, we have the over-the-top pain of the Swords — so much so that it is almost ridiculous. One Sword is quite enough to kill someone. Ten swords, stuck in the back, no less… well, you might say, “over-kill.”

But remember that Swords correspond to the Element of Air.  They tell us about our thoughts – not physical reality.  They are about perception, attitude, the stories we tell ourselves about things.  So, as Tarot expert Rachel Pollack points out, “This card does not represent death, or even especially violence. It signifies more of a reaction to problems than the problems themselves.”

This is certainly how we feel sometimes, when we have been so wounded in some way, that we can’t believe anyone has ever suffered as much. The Ten of Swords seems to be complete, absolute despair. It can even be when we have decided that life itself is over.

Overwhelmed with pain, and big drama, we face the absolute death, dead as can be, of an idea, relationship, project, aspiration, or situation with which we have lived for quite some time. There can be no doubt, no revival, no spin, no restoration or repackaging. This card tells us to let it go; it’s really, really over.

Then, and only with that acceptance, painful as it may be, you will receive the secret gift within this card.

For notice, that, unlike other Swords cards with turbulent, stormy waters, the lake or river in the background is peaceful. And, in contrast with, for instance, the Nine, with its completely black background, here the storm here has passed, and day is breaking.

Even more telling, the victim’s right hand is making a sign of benediction and peace. In the last throes of this brutal death, forgiveness is given, understanding is reached.

When we have no choice, the only way is through.

In what way are you being asked to admit defeat, perhaps even a very unfair loss?  Is there some area in your life where you feel utterly betrayed and vanquished?  What in your life has got to go, and go now, because all the life in it is gone forever?

Painful as it may be, only by so doing will we ever be able to take the next step, which requires the forgiveness of ourselves and even those who would do us wrong.

At the darkest time, the dawn is nearby. And there is hope in this new day. Yet only from ashes can the Phoenix rise.

This week, with a powerful New Moon arriving, a convergence of intense astrological energies and a world full of dramatic upheaval, we are invited to prepare for a rebirth. But this cannot happen, until what has come before is truly, completely released.

There is light and peace on our horizon. We need only let go of what is already gone.

'R.I.P Teena Marie. God Bless. Damn I just saw her the other day,' Diddy tweets.
By Jocelyn Vena

Teena Marie
Photo: Larry Marano/Getty Images

The music world was stunned to find out that legendary R&B; singer Teena Marie died over the weekend. The singer was just 54 and left a lasting influence on many of today's contemporary artists, who immediately reacted to the singer's death. Marie's peers also shared their memories of the singer as the rest of the world was still learning of her death.

Diddy tweeted: "R.I.P Teena Marie. God Bless. Damn I just saw her the other day."

Mary J. Blige also took to Twitter to pay her final respects to the influential artist, who was a friend and protégé of Rick James'. "Rest in peace Teena Marie," Blige wrote. "My Love for u is forever."

Common cited their shared astrological sign as a reason he felt so connected to her music. "Teena and I are both Pisces and we believe that we've been here before," he tweeted. "That's why 'De Ja Vu' is my favorite song."

Fellow music "it" girl, Prince protégé Sheila E, also shared how much she will miss the singer on Twitter. "I will miss my girl Teena Marie, Real music by real people. God bless my sistah and her family. U will be missed."

R&B; songwriting duo Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, who wrote hits like "If You Don't Know Me by Now," the "Soul Train" theme song and "Back Stabbers," remembered the singer in a statement: "We're shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Teena Marie. She was one of the most memorable, soulful and unique R&B; vocalists to come out of Motown. We send our condolences to Teena's family, the entire Motown family and of course, our dear friend Berry Gordy."

Eddie Levert, founder of the O'Jays, recalled Marie's personal and professional contributions in a statement to CNN. "There are a lot of black people who swore by her and believed in her, as far as her music was concerned," he said. "She was a good mom, and to me, that is saying a lot.''

Marie was known for hits like "Lovergirl" and "Square Biz." Her daughter found her dead Saturday night, Marie's manager said. No cause of death has been released, but her publicist said Marie suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago, from which she was still recovering.

Share your thoughts and condolences for Marie's friends and family in the comments.

• Remembering Teena Marie

• Teena Marie
• Diddy
• Mary J. Blige

Facebook faux pas by the clergy; Japanese monks playing kabaddi; porkophobia; the 'Obama as Shiva' Newsweek row

I've been in a hajj hole, then I was in a synod hole but now I'm beginning to see the light. Welcome to Divine dispatches.

✤ A pastor who said Facebook was a "portal to infidelity" and told married church leaders to delete their accounts or resign once testified that he had a three-way sexual relationship with his wife and a male church assistant. According to the Asbury Park Press of Neptune, Miller – who is pastor of the 1,100-member Living Word Christian Fellowship church on Route 35 – gave evidence in connection with a 2003 criminal case in which he admitted to a sexual relationship that included his wife and a church assistant. Sometimes the assistant's wife was also present. That sounds like a four-way to me. Miller – practising what he preaches – has offered to resign. Good for him, nobody likes a hypocrite. I think all clergy should steer clear of social networking for a while – it seems to be their undoing. Incidentally, here is Perez Hilton's take on the Pete Broadbent saga.

✤ A group of Japanese monks have taken up kabaddi – the activity so beloved of bare-chested chaps on the Indian subcontinent. The English People Daily says monks are using the team contact sport as a way of keeping fit. One, Kokei Ito, tells the paper: "I didn't see any contradiction between being a monk and playing kabaddi. Kabaddi makes my body stronger, while Buddhism guides me spiritually. Remember, they're both originated from India." Here is an extended example of kabaddi playing, desi style.

✤ Porkophobia. Stop laughing. It's a serious condition that affects millions of Muslims who have turned a simple dietary requirement into an irrational hatred and fear of our four-legged porcine friends. OK, this article is a fortnight old but I was on the hajj and I was kinda busy. Altmuslim has a post from Jalees Rehman, a German Muslim scientist, who writes honestly about this phenomenon: "I tried to laugh it off when some family friends gave us the movie "Babe: A pig in the city" as a present and inquired if it was a problem that the starring role was played by a pig. I have a hard time telling friends that according to the Chinese astrological calendar, I was born in the year of the pig even though the characteristics attributed to this astrological sign include fine qualities such as honesty, diligence and kindness." Only last week an example of transferred porkophobia was reported in the Sun with toy makers removing a plastic pig from a farm set in case it upset Jewish and Muslim parents. It's one thing not to eat pork, but to hate the creature seems a little harsh. Porkophobes are missing out on Peppa Pig and, of course, those stars from the Muppet Show. For some reason, pigs make good telly.

✤ A Malaysian Hindu organisation is urging for a ban on the latest issue of Newsweek magazine for its depiction of Barack Obama as Shiva. The offending image has Potus as a many-armed man with the caption "God of All Things".

"We have received many complaints since the magazine hit news stands last Saturday," P Murugiah was quoted as saying by the Star. The outrage has also extended to the US. Are you sure Obama is meant to be Shiva and not this?

“Forward-looking dance music.” According to club co-owner Will Eastman, it’s one of the hallmarks of the U Street Music Hall, the midsized dance venue that celebrated its seven month anniversary yesterday. But did the club’s owners expect to move into the future so quickly?

“We've been fortunate to be able to do the types of bookings we planned,” says Eastman, “including many we couldn't have predicted would visit the club within our first six months.”

No kidding. Not even a year old, the club seems to have skipped adolescence and gone straight to adulthood.  Local dance music promoters ATTN, Okay, 88, and Everybody Loves Music have hitched their wagons to its star, bringing in artists they may have otherwise booked at Comet, Fur, or the Warehouse on New York Avenue NE. Not that anything is wrong with those venues. They just don’t offer the competitive combination of atmosphere (low-key), location (central), and sound system (crazy) that endears U Hall to old heads and part-timers alike.

With all this great new music coming to the D.C. region, there couldn’t possibly be a downside, right? Well, to some, U Hall is almost too good.

“Everyone is doing events there,” says promoter and DJ Chris Burns, known for his parties at the Trinidad & Tobago Association and the Warehouse (full disclosure: I’ve known Burns, a fellow Silver Spring native, for several years). “That's part of the reason why they have such a great diverse lineup and programming. [But] as a result, people aren’t throwing as many events in cool little venues as they once were a year or two ago.”

Sure, there are still great shows to be found elsewhere (European heavy-hitters Sammy Dee and Pepe Bradock recently played Comet and Sweet Spot, respectively), but there’s no denying that U Hall has D.C.’s electronic music scene by the ears. I personally visited the venue twice last week, and I’m trying to decide whether it would be appropriate to turn up again this week. I don’t want to scare Lincoln, the front door attendant. Yes, I know his name, and his astrological sign (Gemini).

So let’s make this clear: This week there is a lot of cool music happening, but if you want to hear any of it, you’re going to suffer the convenience, excellent sound, and welcoming atmosphere of the U Street Music Hall.

Thursday: Grum at the U Street Music Hall
Grum is the dance music phenom of 2009, but traveled there in the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future. A big ray of sunshine from dreary Scotland, Grum’s splashy, happy club hits “Heartbeats” and “Through the Night” are deeply steeped in the teachings of Human League and Daft Punk. He made Lady Gaga sound retro. You may want to dismiss him as cheesy, but Halloween comes around every year, and still you eat the candy corn.

Friday: Stefan Goldmann at the U Street Music Hall
Goldmann is a master of making small seem very big. He’s minimal house music at its best — funky but coolly clean, like a loud-colored shirt neatly tucked in. The effect is a deep groove that simmers rather than boils.

Saturday: Wild North at the Warehouse
This regular party is loved by a younger crowd yearning for a warehouse experience. DJ Chris Burns said it best: Wild North is perfect for “younger kids who may have lived in D.C. for a couple of years but have never really felt liberated in the confines of a dark, laser-filled loft.”

Also this week: Day Glow is at Ibiza on Thursday. I’ve never personally been to this party, but if I went, it would not be for the music. On Sunday, Rusko, Four Tet, and Matthew Dear are all playing live shows around U Street NW, but the Dear show may be moved due to the death outside DC9 last week. (Update 11:26 a.m.: The Matthew Dear show has been canceled.) Monday: For those of you who miss the 90s, Underworld is at the 9:30 Club.

Not obscure enough for you? Well, I also know about a house show in Northwest on Friday, but it's so secret I can’t blog the address. Who said the underground is dead?

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Year of the Rat - Hexagram #62  ”A Brief Transit” (Thunder over Wood) Baby steps are appropriate at this time.  Emotions are high, but that does not mean you should soar after them.  Allow yourself to feel, but spare unnecessary expenditures. Humble actions are enough.  Do not try to match the Tiger.

(...)
Read the rest of Full Moon I Ching Forecast for your Chinese Astrological Sign by Nota (42 words)

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Post tags: chinese-astrology, full-moon, I Ching

Harvey Sid Fisher is a veritable Jack-of-all-trades. He sings, acts, dances and is the "undisputed king of astrology songs," a category for which we're pretty sure there's no competition. Fisher in fact wrote 12 different astrology songs—one for each sign—and performed them on a local cable access show to show his astrological appreciation. Enjoy his tribute to your birth sign and pick up some stellar lady dance moves in the process. [AV Club]

1. Just One Card: The Hermit
2. Friday Time Clock #2
3. The Menorah in my Freezer

Title: 200 posts on Astrology forum
Project ID: 000000
Budget: Less than $250

Category: Writing, Editing & Translation
Description:

Hello.

Need to write 200 posts on Astrology forum www.astrologyweekly.com/forum. Post must be useful and have minimum cca 20 words and more not “I agree” “It’s ok” so only somebody who understand astrology, tarot and numerology.

I have account so you can write under my account.

10 posts per day.

Thanks.

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff,

When my husband and I were first engaged, we went to a dinner party at the home of a family friend. Since the two of us basically got together and decided to get married in just under two weeks—long story, and no it doesn’t involve a shotgun—most people at the party didn’t know my intended. He got grilled—on his childhood, family, education, career, even past girlfriends. And he passed with flying colors, until the moment when he revealed his astrological sign.

A cancer? Eyebrows were raised. Mutterings were heard. Moodiness. Intensity. My friend’s Austrian grandmother leaned over and told me, “When the moon is full, you need to take him outside so he can cry.” We looked at each other and laughed. Who needs to cry when you’re falling in love?

Flash forward 15 years and—like clockwork—my kind and wonderful husband turns moody and intense each time the moon is full. Only now he’s joined by my daughter, whose birthday is three days after his, and whose monthly moody intensity puts him to shame.

Remember all those John Hughes movies filled with drama and teenaged angst? That’s my daughter, about four days out of the month. Sobbing frenzies predicated by a far-flung brush and “I hate my hair!” A room full of clothes and nothing to wear. Crying jags over misunderstandings.

She’s nine.

But a new study has me wondering if this monthly moodiness has less to do with her astrological sign and more to do with PMS. An August, Pediatrics published a study that found one in 10 girls have already begun developing breasts—the first sign of puberty—by the age of eight and that the cause may be exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA), found in plastics and food-can linings, as well as preservatives, surfactants, pesticides and plastic additives. The problem, it seems, is that these chemicals mimic estrogen in the body, thus tricking it into starting the process of puberty earlier than necessary.

The bigger problem is that our government hasn’t passed any toxic substances regulation since 1976, so chemicals like these can be developed and added to products without any requirement for safety testing. My daughter’s exposure to BPA from a water bottle or pesticides on the soccer field grass may be low in each case, but the cumulative effect of these exposures on her small body is huge. Early puberty means early breast development, which puts her at a higher risk for breast cancer.

Breast cancer from a bottle? This is scary stuff. And if you’re as scared as I am, let’s do something about it.

1. Get involved with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and support the Safe Chemicals Act and the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act—pending in the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively—which demand new science that will bring our chemical policies up to date.

2. According to Healthy Child Healthy World, these chemical reform acts won’t address BPA in bottles—only in receipts. (They coat paper with the stuff. Who knew?) HCHW has their eye on the Food Safety Modernization Act, which may include an amendment proposed by Senator Feinstein to ban BPA from bottles and cans, and recommends that you call your Senator and expressing your support for the bill.

Actions like these cost virtually nothing. They require mere minutes of our time. And they can make a huge difference. Because I’d rather blame my daughter’s moodiness on the moon. Wouldn’t you?

Find Out More:

• Urge the Senate to Ban BPA
• The 411 on Calling Your Elected Officials: Have You Picked Up the Phone?
• Tips and Tools for Taking Action