(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best health, fitness & dieting books

> I merely confused the concepts, I'm not Hindu.

No worries. Plenty of Hindus would view that as straight-up dharma. Spiritually, I view carrying out the functions of one's occupation as artha first & foremost, but since everything in one's life should be motivated by dharma... they will naturally intersect.

eg, a police officer who makes a ton of arrests compared to his fellow officers could be viewed as very efficient and potentially 'good' at his occupation..... but that is not automatically the sign of a righteous individual. But a police officer who forgives every criminal offense he comes across and lets the perpetrators go by the grace of God isn't nessecarily upholding his dharma either.

So it is a bit of a cosmic & divine balancing act if that makes any sense?

> But we seem to be talking about roughly similar things. I believe in Natural rights, that people are born with inalienable rights that cannot be infringed upon by any human power. This you might say is Dharma or is at least for our purposes similar enough in idea.

Yes, I would have to agree with this for all practical purposes. I also believe that anytime faiths can unite over a shared universal truth that God and humanity are always the victors.

> Its more than just a set of principles that we follow because Natural rights are innate, they do not come from following a set of doctrines nor are they given to us by any human power. Any law that infringes upon these rights is intrinsically unjust and cannot even be seen as legitimate. All legitimate authority must be within the bounds of Natural law, in my eyes.

This is why I find dharma both wonderful as well as wonderfully perplexing. It is not a list of divine commandments or laws to follow... Dharma in and of itself is divine law.

> I phrased my second question that way because I was aware that it is generally considered moral to disobey laws that are unjust- such as laws aimed at the extermination of jews. But if it is shown that a law that may be politically contentious or divisive does not violate the natural rights of those affected in either its ends or its implementation, then it is a moral imperative to obey the law.

Yes, obeying a moral law is perfectly fine the vast, vast majority of the time.

> Because the deportation of illegal immigrants is not, in my view, a violation of the illegal immigrants human rights I believe it is a moral imperative of the country's citizens to obey the law. If they disagree with the law, they are to voice their disagreement lawfully through the political process. That's my contention.

That's where we would disagree. I can and do accept that you honestly think & believe that the law is not specifically immoral. I can also understand that a convoluted immigration process, while perhaps excessively bureautcratic, could be viewed as somewhat neutral (as often is bureacracy's goal) in terms of morality. But even if I can come to view the law itself as neutral, I have to view the enforcement of it as immoral. I could not willingly support sending a person or family back to an unsafe environment they escaped from, simply to uphold a law that is 'not nessecarily immoral'.

> It might of been a mistake to use Hindu terms since I'm far from an expert in Hindu theology.

Neither am I! Very often we learn unexpected knowledge and gain new perspectives when we take chances with our communication, so I commend your effort!

> Who ordained Dharma? How do you know whether something dharma or not? You said it was "divine law", but what does that mean exactly? Did Shiva/Vishnu/whoever give someone tablets engraved with the law? Is it something defined through jurisprudence, as in Sharia?

Short answer: God. Long answer: Hinduism is not a revealed faith, so no one has 'the answer' to any question(s) nessecarily. Whereas Christianity has prophets whom God specifically delivers messages and decress to, Hinduism has rishis who instead 'hear' God and the divine.

> I know that no matter what answer you give on the above I could find someone else who gives a totally different interpretation. How do you reconcile the many divergent and often conflicting views of Hinduism as a whole?

Honestly? I follow the stuff that I believe in my heart & mind to be true and disregard the rest. Same deal with myself and Christianity. Agree with some, ignore some. I don't try to reverse engineer conflicting beliefs systems, for me it's just more important to follow and do what is right.

> What kind of Hindu are you?

The very liberal kind. Even though he's not my hero or source of inspiration or anything, a lot of what Gandhi said and believed is in-line with many of my beliefs.

> Are you a member of a specific denomination, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism etc.

Nope! I am specifically non-denominational. I do not believe that there is one supreme manfestation of God. God is God, and defies our understanding and comprehension. The aspects (Shiva, Vishnu, Christ, the Trinity, Krishna, Allah, Durga, Yahweh, etc, etc.) we worship help us to begin to wrap our heads around the very concept of God in practical ways that we can apply to our lives.

> How did you become Hindu? Where you born a Hindu, did you convert etc.

I first tried to become a Christian. Baptism, Nicene Creed, classes on how to be a super-good Christian... and so on. It didn't stick. I really tried... like, really. It made less and less sense, and the more I tried to understand the more distant I found the Christians around me. I had always had a general interest in Hinduism from an early age and began reading more about it... and once I devoted the same amount of study to Hinduism that I did to Christianity... it was like my mind & soul both exploded. Suddenly all of the divine zeal that all the people around me in Church felt about Jesus Christ.... I felt too! (Just via Christ specifically.)

> Would you recommend any books or English translations on this subject?

If you want to really feel dharma... then I would, without a doubt, recommend The Bhagavad Gita. I have the copy by Eknath Easwaran, which does a good job without formatting, commentary and so on. Whereas I loved the message of Christianity (love God, love thy neighbor) I always struggled with how to apply this (and the Christians I was surrounded by weren't much help). The Bhagavad Gita taught me how to live. Not just for myself, but for God and God's cause. A day has not gone by that I have not been actively grateful for having read its words. So, obviously, I highly recommend it! and it's only, like, $6!

> What's your favorite Ice-cream flavor?

Pistachio! (Yours??)

>BULKING 101: HOW TO EAT FOR MAXIMUM MUSCLE GAINS

>As you know, if you’re in the 10 to 12 percent body fat range and looking to put on muscle as quickly as possible, you want to bulk.

>Yes, you’ll gain some fat along the way, but if you do it right, it won’t be excessive, and it’ll come off easily once you’re ready to cut.

>Based on my experience working with thousands of people, the average guy on a proper bulk will gain muscle and body fat at a ratio of about 1:1 (1 pound of fat gained for every pound of muscle).

>In terms of weight gain while bulking, you want to see your weight going up at a rate of 0.5 to 1 pound per week. Any more than that, and you’ll be gaining too much fat.

>If you’re new to weightlifting, however, then you’ll probably gain 2 to 3 pounds per week for the first few weeks while your muscles fill up with water and glycogen. This doesn’t mean you’re gaining too much fat, and you should see this number settle into the 0.5 to 1-pound range within your first four to six weeks on the program.

>When you have your bulk dialed in, you should be increasing reps on your major lifts every week and weight on the bar every three to four weeks.

>CALCULATING YOUR BULKING DIET

>As you know, a proper bulking diet requires that you eat more calories than you burn every day.

>While this sounds like a great idea now, don’t be surprised if you get sick of eating “all of this food” at some point along the way. You won’t be slamming down thousands of extra calories every week like some programs would have you doing, but even slight overfeeding over time can get a little uncomfortable.

>You can also expect to hold more water than normal, as you’ll be eating a substantial amount of carbohydrate every day. This makes you look kind of “puffy.” Again, it’s just part of the “price” you have to pay for optimizing muscle growth.

>So, let’s get to the actual dietary numbers for bulking. Here’s where you start:

> 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day

> 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day, and

> 0.4 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day.

>That’s where you start. For a 150-pound guy, it would look like this:

> 150 grams of protein per day,

> 300 grams of carbs per day, and

> 60 grams of fat per day.

>This would be about 2,340 calories per day (remember that protein and carbs contain about 4 calories per gram and fat contains about 9), which is the right place to start bulking for a 150-pound man.

>Chances are these numbers are lower than other recommendations you’ve seen on the Internet. That’s because many bulking programs out there are just overkill. They put you in a huge calorie surplus with the explanation that you have to “eat big to get big.”

>Well, while it’s true you have to eat more than you normally would to maximize muscle growth, you don’t have to eat nearly as much as some would have you believe.

>GENERAL BULKING RECOMMENDATIONS

>When I’m bulking, I try to be within 100 calories of my daily target, and I err on the high side (it’s better to be over your target than under).

>Don’t think of a bulk as a license to eat whatever you want whenever you want it, as this will inevitably lead to excessive overeating and thus excessive fat storage, which will slow down your gains in the long run.

>You can have a cheat meal every week, but keep it moderate. We’ll talk about why soon, but a high-protein, high-carbohydrate cheat meal is preferable to a high-fat one.

>I recommend eating plenty of meat while bulking because it’s particularly effective for building muscle. Generally speaking, I eat two servings of meat per day (lunch and dinner) and alternate between various types such as ground turkey, chicken, lean beef, and fish.

>ADJUSTING YOUR NUMBERS

>The numbers given in the formula above are starting points, and there’s a chance that you will need to eat more to effectively gain strength and muscle (especially if you have an ectomorphic body that is naturally skinny and lean). Part of the game is finding your body’s “sweet spots” for bulking, cutting, and maintaining.

>Fortunately, this is easy to do. Most guys will find their sweet spots to be within 10 to 15 percent of the targets they originally calculated, but some need to eat more to steadily gain weight (it’s rare for a guy to gain fat too quickly on the above recommendations and have to reduce intake).

>So, if, after seven to ten days, your weight hasn’t gone up despite pushing yourself hard in your workouts, you’re just not eating enough. Increase your daily intake by 100 calories (by adding more carbs, preferably) and reassess over the next seven to ten days. If this doesn’t result in weight gain, increase again and repeat the process until you’re gaining weight at a rate of about 0.5 to 1 pound per week.

>If you’re like most guys, here’s how it’s going to go: you’re going to start with the above formula and gain weight for the first month or two, and then you’re going to stall. You then will increase your daily intake once or twice and start gaining again. At some point, you’ll probably stall again, increase again, and start gaining again. After a bit more progress, your body fat percentage will eventually reach the 15 percent range, and you’ll have a month or so left to bulk before you cut to strip away the fat and repeat the process.

>You can reduce your calories to a maintenance level on your rest days if you want, or you can stick to your bulking numbers. The small reduction won’t make a difference in terms of overall fat storage, but some guys like to take a break from all the eating a couple of days per week.

Matthews, Michael (2014-01-05). Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (The Build Muscle, Get Lean, and Stay Healthy Series Book 1) (pp. 122-123). Oculus Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

This thread has been around for a few hours so I'm afraid this comment might get buried, but since nobody who has commented so far on this thread is actually Catholic, I'll bite.

There are a few fundamentals that need to be cleared up before I can progress to considering the four questions you posed.

Firstly, I am not sure as to whether or not Catholics are actually required to believe in the existence of a literal Adam and Eve. Though in Humani Generis Pius XII wrote that the faithful were to affirm the historicity of "a sin truly committed by one Adam," John Paul II made no mention of a historical Adam and Eve in his "Message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Evolution" (typically when a pontiff disagree with previous pontiffs, they do not call them out directly, but rather omit that with which they disagree from their own teaching).

The story of Adam and Eve is meant to implicate all humanity: before the fall they do not even have proper names but are rather referred to in the Biblical text simply as "man" and "woman" (seriously, go take a look). It is, then, entirely correct to affirm that these two literary characters, this primordial couple who disobeyed the will of God represents all humanity. Whether or not we can therefore claim that the story is completely allegorical and that Adam and Eve as such did not exist is beyond my competence, but for my part I do not think that the belief that they exist is technically required.

Secondly, original sin is a descriptive term for the fact that human beings are born with something deficient in their wills. This fact is obvious: human nature includes a desire to seize, possess, to advance the interests of the self over the interests of others, to elevate the ego (as Augustine observes in his Confessions). This, I think, is indisputable, and this deficiency, this willingness to prioritize the self over other people and over the good, is precisely what the term "original sin" means. The word "sin" in the term "original sin" does not mean that people are born with personal sin, that people enter the world already guilty of wrongdoing; rather, the word "sin" refers to a condition in which not everything is as it should be, in which something is lacking.

1. Evolution might have happened randomly, but at some point beings existed that had rational capacity and thus also the capacity for moral action (morality being a function of reason). Rational capacity, though perhaps a product of biological processes, presupposes the ability to act against instinctual urges for the sake of what one knows cognitively to be right. Thus evolution cannot be thought of as abjuring choice: if we have evolved to be rational creatures in a non-deterministic universe (as the Church believes we are), then the rational capacities we evolved necessarily entail our freedom in making our own choices.
   
   Perhaps the greatest revelation that Christianity brought into the world, the greatest "religious innovation," so to speak, is this notion that God is love. God wishes us to be united with him in love and does not wish to punish. Yet love to be real must be freely chosen; a love that is forced is by its very nature not love. If God allows us to participate in his being by loving, he is required to give us the choice of not loving.
   
   Thus I think the "sin" component of "Original Sin" is entirely coherent. The difficulty lies instead with the "original" aspect—how exactly is it that previous sin entails that the rest of us also enter this world in a state in which something is lacking in our wills? I am not entirely sure (and the Catechism itself says that "the transmission of original sin is a mystery"), but my personal theory is that any sin, by its very nature as a turning-away from God, effects a separation between the physical and the divine realms such that when sin entered into the physical world, the physical world became imperfect. If this realm of existence has become tainted, we who come after the tainting enter a world of imperfection, of lackingness and thus are conceived in lackingness. Something—some element of salvific grace proper to the divine realm—is missing.
   
   
2. Even if early humans "had less thinking capacity," their status as rational animals made them moral agents. According to Thomas Aquinas, conscience itself is an act of the intellect by which a human being can judge the morality of an action, and thus morality depends upon intellect, upon knowing.
   
   Perhaps the point at which human beings became capable of obeying or disobeying God was the point at which one of our ancestors was capable of giving him- or herself fully away, of surrendering himself not for his own good (and not for the survival of his genes either; as Dawkins brilliantly observed before he dabbled into fields beyond his competence, it is the gene that is truly selfish and thus we can observe seemingly "altruistic" behavior in animals like bees, who sacrifice themselves to protect their kin and thus perpetuate their genes even though they die) but rather for the good. The point at which a human being was able to surrender him- or herself for a good cause simply and exclusively because it was the right thing to do seems to be the point at which true love becomes possible, and thus relationship with God as well.
   
   Says Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI:
   
   > The clay became man at the moment in which a being for the first time was capable of forming, however dimly, the thought of "God". The first Thou that—however stammeringly—was said by human lips to God marks the moment in which the spirit arose in the world. Here the Rubicon of anthropogenesis was crossed. For it is not the use of weapons or fire, not new methods of cruelty or of useful activity, that constitute man, but rather his ability to be immediately in relation to God. This holds fast to the doctrine of the special creation of man ... herein ... lies the reason why the moment of anthropogenesis cannot possibly be determined by paleontology: anthropogenesis is the rise of the spirit, which cannot be excavated with a shovel. The theory of evolution does not invalidate the faith, nor does it corroborate it. But it does challenge the faith to understand itself more profoundly and thus to help man to understand himself and to become increasingly what he is: the being who is supposed to say Thou to God in eternity.
   
   -Ratzinger, In the Beginning...
   
   
3. For this question I have no concrete answers, but I can offer some thoughts.
   
   Firstly, God is timeless. Therefore the span of time between the creation of the universe and the appearance of the first rational/moral agent is of no consequence.
   
   Secondly, it appears that this universe is unusually conducive to life. Now, I'm a theologian, not a physicist, and so I may be talking out of my ass here, but as Martin Rees writes in Just Six Numbers there are six fundamental constants that "constitute the 'recipe' for a universe," such that if any one of them were even slightly different, this universe would be utterly incapable of producing the advanced forms of life capable of rational inquiry and moral reflection that are relevant to our discussion. For example, the value of the fundamental constant ε is 0.007, and "if ε were 0.006 or 0.008, we could not exist." Thus I don't think we can say that this is the case of a "laissez-faire" creator; rather, it would seem that this creator ensured that rational beings would eventually come to exist in the universe that he created and that we were thus intended.
   
   Thirdly, God does not disappear from the scene at the point at which beings are capable of acknowledging him. He makes his presence known and is active in history (and with the incarnation he even enters history).

Okay, life has sickness, aging, death and a load of pain in it, these are all inevitable. The suffering/dissatisfaction attached to these and the rest of the "negative" things in life we'd like to avoid( but have no control over what lot we get) can be dissolved, one can get very good at dissolving it, so good the brain stops producing it and experience takes on the form of relaxation. non-reactivity, and ever expansive awareness as its natural state resulting in a powerful consciousness and a deep sense of peace and well-being imbued into your entire experience.

This is made possible by the brain's neuroplasticity and it's cognitive feedback, the brain can learn and optimize itself to be more efficient, use less energy, and produce significantly less stress for this experience.

Now all of these changes happen on a progressive spectrum of time/experience, the greater the amount of this time/experience that is spent practicing the more deeply influenced the proceeding time/experience of ones life becomes by this.

You've tasted the very surface. One can get to complete and utter relaxation. A state of non-reactivity or equanimity in which one can observe experience impersonally and learn to see reality without the conceptual overlays of negativity, to be able to take life on as what it is rather than what our thoughts say what it is.

To get directly to this state one must learn to completely let go of all effort. On the progressive journey towards mastering concentration meditation one develops all of the mental skills necessary to be able to let go of all effort. More time spent in this stillness grants one compoundingly greater insights which allow jumps in ones progress, shifts in perspective that slowly show you how all of your internal reactions and conceptual overlays on experience were absolutely unnecessary, completely optional and the source of all your perceived problems/suffering.

It really doesn't take more than a few months to be able to get access(with proper guidance) to these states and start exercising them and increasing time being able to be spent in them in daily life. This is when life becomes meditation and it just does itself. The fast track to enlightenment. I've personally experienced virtually a complete loss of dissatisfaction with any part of experience and a deep lasting peace that began gradually and started expanding and solidifying into the permanent part of my experience it is now. There are still the products of my previous conditioning, bad habits and reactions that on occasion pull me in and fool me for a few minutes till I realize the silly mental prison I compulsively created. The clarity of perception allows much more efficient corrections as I become more aware of these habits and my brain will simply weed them out and continue relaxing into what it previously tensed up against. The process of learning and expanding is said to be endless. Life has become a smooth enjoyable ride in which I can delight in the ups and downs as my only job is to learn, adapt and most importantly relax.

The best guide around on developing concentration is "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa. It outlines the entire journey from beginning to complete mastery of concentration taking all the guesswork out. /r/streamentry is a community of people on their own journey to complete contentment with a growing number people that have achieved similar or greater results than me. The sidebar there is chockfull of info.

For a slightly longer and more detailed explanation of the path check out my other comment:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/6le4mo/so_um_what_is_the_exact_point_of_meditation/djtp6xh/

You can go as deep or as shallow as you want with this to get however much benefit you like, but it becomes an effortless passion as you reap more and more benefits.

Lastly no, don't set silence of the mind as a goal. That comes as a natural side-effect of getting better at letting go of effort. No effort means no reactivity. Your breath will guide you deeper and deeper into states of less effort. Make sure you have at least 20 good minutes in/beyond those deep relaxed states as thats when the really productive meditation happens. You'll get better and faster at getting to this stillness as well. Once you can engage it like a muscle for momentary bursts of stillness you can practice using it and expanding your time in it in waking life. A place holder for this is the attempt to relax and pacify the mind on the breath during difficult times, it's increasingly more helpful as you get better on the mat. Also as you suggested in your other comment, maintaining awareness of breathe/footsteps (active meditation), helps you learn to extend these abilities to your life by helping you remain calmer and less reactive. You can soon find it's effortless and automatic. If you can understand this you can see there is no difference on or off the mat, only how much stimuli there exists to pull is into reactivity, the habit of non-reactivity dissolves the difference as you can be internally still and speak interact and work anywhere your mind is.

Also this video and the following 2 parts may be helpful.

You asked for how to work on the real problem, this is the only problem which spawns everything else you see. Practice, patience and a radical confrontation and relaxation into every aspect of life is the only solution.

Friend asked for a similar list a while ago and I put this together. Would love to see people thoughts/feedback.

Very High Level Introductions:

• Mr. Tompkins in Paperback
  
  • A super fast read that spends less time looking at the "how" but focused instead on the ramifications and impacts. Covers both GR as well as QM but is very high level with both of them. Avoids getting into the details and explaining the why.
    
    
• Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • This is a great intro to the field of non-classical physics. This walks through GR and QM in a very approachable fashion. More "nuts and bolts" than Mr. Tompkins but longer/more detailed at the same time.
    
    
    Deeper Pop-sci Dives (probably in this order):
    
    
• Quantum Theory: A Very Brief Introduction
  
  • Great introduction to QM. Doesn't really touch on QFT (which is a good thing at this point) and spends a great deal of time (compared to other texts) discussing the nature of QM interpretation and the challenges around that topic.
    
• The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces
  
  • Now we're starting to get into the good stuff. QFT begins to come to the forefront. This book starts to dive into explaining some of the macro elements we see as explained by QM forces. A large part of the book is spent on symmetries and where a proton/nucleon's gluon binding mass comes from (a.k.a. ~95% of the mass we personally experience).
    
• The Higgs Boson and Beyond (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • Great lecture done by Sean Carroll around the time the Higgs boson's discovery was announced. It's a good combination of what role the Higgs plays in particle physics, why it's important and what's next. Also spends a little bit of time discussing how colliders like the LHC work.
    
• Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • Not really heavy on QM at all, however I think it does best to do this lecture after having a bit of the physics under your belt first. The odd nature of time symmetry in the fundamental forces and what that means with regards to our understanding of time as we experience it is more impactful with the additional knowledge (but, like I said, not absolutely required).
    
• Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics
  
  • This is not a mathematical approach like "A Most Incomprehensible Thing" are but it's subject matter is more advanced and the resulting math (at least) an order of magnitude harder (so it's a good thing it's skipped). This is a "high level deep dive" (whatever that means) into QFT though and so discussion of pure abstract math is a huge focus. Lie groups, spontaneous symmetry breaking, internal symmetry spaces etc. are covered.
    
• The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
  
  • This is your desert after working through everything above. Had to include something about string theory here. Not a technical book at all but best to be familiar with QM concepts before diving in.
    
    Blending the line between pop-sci and mathematical (these books are not meant to be read and put away but instead read, re-read and pondered):
    
    
• A Most Incomprehensible Thing: Intro to GR
  
  • Sorry, this is GR specific and nothing to do with QM directly. However I think it's a great book acting as an introduction. Definitely don't go audible/kindle. Get the hard copy. Lots of equations. Tensor calculus, Lorentz transforms, Einstein field equations, etc. While it isn't a rigorous textbook it is, at it's core, a mathematics based description not analogies. Falls apart at the end, after all, it can't be rigorous and accessible at the same time, but still well worth the read.
    
• The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics
  
  • Not QM at all. However it is a great introduction to using math as a tool for describing our reality and since it's using it to describe classical mechanics you get to employ all of your classical intuition that you've worked on your entire life. This means you can focus on the idea of using math as a descriptive tool and not as a tool to inform your intuition. Which then would lead us to...
    
• Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum
  
  • Great introduction that uses math in a descriptive way AND to inform our intuition.
    
• The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
  
  • Incredible book. I think the best way to describe this book is a massive guidebook. You probably won't be able to get through each of the topics based solely on the information presented in the book but the book gives you the tools and knowledge to ask the right questions (which, frankly, as anybody familiar with the topic knows, is actually the hardest part). You're going to be knocking your head against a brick wall plenty with this book. But that's ok, the feeling when the brick wall finally succumbs to your repeated headbutts makes it all worth while.

It's great that you want to study particle physics and String Theory! It's a really interesting subject. Getting a degree in physics can often make you a useful person so long as you make sure you get some transferable skills (like programming and whatnot). I'll reiterate the standard advice for going further in physics, and in particular in theoretical physics, in the hope that you will take it to heart. Only go into theoretical physics if you really enjoy it. Do it for no other reason. If you want to become a professor, there are other areas of physics which are far easier to accomplish that in. If you want to be famous, become an actor or a writer or go into science communication and become the new Bill Nye. I'm not saying the only reason to do it is if you're obsessed with it, but you've got to really enjoy it and find it fulfilling for it's own sake as the likelihood of becoming a professor in it is so slim. Then, if your academic dreams don't work out, you won't regret the time you spent, and you'll always have the drive to keep learning and doing more, whatever happens to you academically.

With that out of the way, the biggest chunk of learning you'll do as a theorist is math. A decent book (which I used in my undergraduate degree) which covers the majority of the math you need to understand basic physics, e.g. Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity, Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics and Electromagnetism. Is this guy: Maths It's not a textbook you can read cover to cover, but it's a really good reference, and undoubtably, should you go and do a physics degree, you'll end up owning something like it. If you like maths now and want to learn more of it, then it's a good book to do it with.

The rest of the books I'll recommend to you have a minimal number of equations, but explain a lot of concepts and other interesting goodies. To really understand the subjects you need textbooks, but you need the math to understand them first and it's unlikely you're there yet. If you want textbook suggestions let me know, but if you haven't read the books below they're good anyway.

First, particle physics. This book Deep Down Things is a really great book about the history and ideas behind modern particles physics and the standard model. I can't recommend it enough.

Next, General Relativity. If you're interested in String Theory you're going to need to become an expert in General Relativity. This book: General Relativity from A to B explains the ideas behind GR without a lot of math, but it does so in a precise way. It's a really good book.

Next, Quantum Mechanics. This book: In Search of Schrodinger's Cat is a great introduction to the people and ideas of Quantum Mechanics. I like it a lot.

For general physics knowledge. Lots of people really like the
Feynman Lectures They cover everything and so have quite a bit of math in them. As a taster you can get a couple of books: Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces, though the not so easy pieces are a bit more mathematically minded.

Now I'll take the opportunity to recommend my own pet favourite book. The Road to Reality. Roger Penrose wrote this to prove that anyone could understand all of theoretical physics, as such it's one of the hardest books you can read, but it is fascinating and tells you about concepts all the way up to String Theory. If you've got time to think and work on the exercises I found it well worth the time. All the math that's needed is explained in the book, which is good, but it's certainly not easy!

Lastly, for understanding more of the ideas which underlie theoretical physics, this is a good book: Philsophy of Physics: Space and Time It's not the best, but the ideas behind theoretical physics thought are important and this is an interesting and subtle book. I'd put it last on the reading list though.

Anyway, I hope that helps, keep learning about physics and asking questions! If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask.

Hi, /u/DeceptiveSpell --

So happy to hear you're invested in learning about where your food comes from and it's far reaching impacts. Really awesome that you're open and aware to a different way of living :)

A few thoughts from me. (I've been Vegan for 1+ year, after being Vegetarian for 3+ years.)

• I don't know if everyone will agree with this analogy, but when making changes to my diet I've always found that it's kinda like someone trying to quit smoking. Yes, you can tapper off the cigarettes, or start taking Nicorette, but in order for it to truly stick, you really have to WANT to quit. Because it's a real lifestyle change. You have to really make that decision within yourself and...commit. Just.. quit. Just don't do it anymore. Not saying it will be easy or you won't have cravings for a while (which will pass over time, I assure you). But gradually tapering off may not actually be the "easier" way to go about committing to this.
  
  
• After 3+ years of being Veggie, the thing that changed my heart, my intention, and my commitment to this way of eating was research. Educating myself. I love learning, and reading more about these subjects forever changed my mindset. It was almost like The Matrix - once I knew the truth in my heart, I could never go back to the time before I knew that truth. Highly recommend the books [Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows] (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054) and The Humane Economy as starters.
  
  
• See if there are Vegan variations on the foods and recipes you enjoy eating. I for one love jackfruit and eat it often as a shredded meat alternative in things like burritos, nachos, pulled pork, etc. Also I adore Beyond Meat which you can get a Whole Foods for ground beef alternatives. Just made an awesome spaghetti bolognese with it! Lots of Indian and Asian can be easily made with no meat. And falafel sandwiches are another favorite. I promise as your body detoxes, you will crave meat less and less. With the exception of lox and bagel, which I still crave and am trying to find Vegan alternative, I honestly have no cravings for meat, cheese, etc. anymore. Just that damn lox...
  
  
• Be warned, the first couple months of transitioning to this kind of diet is not particularly easy on the gut. The struggle with gas is real, but your body normalizes after a few months. Haven't had any issues with it for a while.
  
  
• Finally, even though I stand by my first point, transitioning is not 100% easy 100% of the time. Don't be too hard on yourself if you take a misstep and say, eat a sandwich without realizing it had a mayo aioli on it. We all make mistakes, and our mistakes are valuable because they teach us, so that next time you remember to read the label more carefully, or ask the waitress a few follow up questions.
  
  Good luck! Happy to help if you have follow up questions - just PM me :)

On the advice of friends, I got a Pack and Play to use as a cosleeper, as well as an extra one for the living area. I'm getting two cribs that can convert to toddler beds, but we plan to only set up one at first. My ideal set up would be to have a non-mini Arm's reach cosleeper in the bedroom, but I haven't yet found one at reasonable price.

Some babies love swings and others dislike them, so I'm starting with one swing, a rock n play, and a vibrator/bouncer and I'm going to see which item is most popular. I've been told that all of those can cause head deformities if the babies are in them for too long, so I have two maya wraps, two slings, and an ergo so we wear them.

I went with the Chicco keyfit car seat wise since it had the highest rating on consumer reports and, after playing with what friends had, I liked it the best. The chicco cortina together is very nice and I loved it when I tried it out, but it wouldn't fit in my car, so I found a used Snap N Go for $25 instead. I decided to get that style instead of the side-by-side because I've heard of people having problems fitting the side-by-side in small doorways.

In addition to the double stroller, I also got a Chicco keyfit caddy because I plan on wear one baby and push the other around.

I decided to get the car seat strollers for when they are young because I want to make things as simple as possible when I'm still new to this whole parenting thing. I also want to try out a single versus a double stroller since I know people who prefer each, and the frame strollers are small enough that I can fit both in my car.

I've been using craigslist, a local message board, and Mothers of Multiples consignment sales to get good deals on a lot of items, so in the end, I expect to spend less on my strollers than many people pay for one new one. I'm buying the crib and carseat new, and I've gotten a few other items as gifts, but everything else is used because I'd rather be overstocked and try out items than find myself lacking something useful later.

As far as books go, I highly recommend When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets and Quads because of its scientific, fact filled approach. Mothering Multiples for breast feeding techniques. I'd also recommend going to your library and checking out various books on raising twins. I can't remember all of the books I found helpful because I read so many. For general child care, Happiest Baby on the Block is a must read (or see, there's a DVD). My friend who had a premature baby said that this book saved her life. At first she thought her daughter just didn't like being swaddled, but it turned out that you are supposed to swaddle premature babies differently than full term ones. Now that her daughter is properly swaddled, she's much calmer. That book also inspired me to spend the money on a sleep sheep which is currently kidnapped by a friend.

Another thing that you may want to consider is cloth diapering. I've attended a few Mother of Multiples groups, and cloth diapering has been repeated many times as a way to save money on diapers. Even though I live in a small town, there are local stores and groups for parents to share techniques and tips on cloth diapering. Mine are due to November, so I haven't personally tried it out, but on the advice of other multiple members, I have a bunch of premature diapers for when they are newborn, and a growing collection of cloth (bought used to save money) for once they are bigger. Since I'm having two boys, I'm also making/buying cloth wipes so I can avoid pee mishaps during changing time. You can also buy wash cloths in bulk that perform a similar function, but I've priced making my own or buying used as cheaper.

Congrats!

Not all of these are "parenting" books, but they get at various aspects of what you might be looking for/need to help you prepare (in no particular order):

• Bringing up Bebe - Tells the parenting story of an American expat. living in Paris, and how she observed different parenting techniques between American and French families, and how that plays out in children's behavior. It is a fun "experience" story and I think it lends some interesting insights.
  
  
• Pregnancy, childbirth, and the newborn - I think this is the most informative, neutral, pregnancy book out there. It really tries to present all sides of any issues. I can't recommend this book enough. From here, you could explore the options that best fit your needs (e.g. natural birth, etc.)
  
  
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility - Look into this if you find you are having trouble conceiving, or if you want to conceive right away. Really great tips on monitoring the body to pinpoint the most fertile times and stay healthy before becoming pregnant.
  
  
• The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - This is published by Le Leche League and really has everything you need to know about breastfeeding, pumping, etc. After baby is born, kellymom.com is a good resource for quickly referring to for breastfeeding questions later, but seriously don't skip this book - it is great!
  
  
• Dr. Spock's Baby and Childcare - Really comprehensive and probably the most widely read book about every aspect of child health and development (and also a lot of what to expect as parents.)
  
  
• NurtureShock - by far the most interesting book I've ever read in my life. Basically sums up research on child development to illuminate how many parents and educators ignore research based evidence on what works well for raising children. If you read nothing else in this book, at least read the sleep chapter!
  
  
• What's Going on in There? - This book was written by a neuroscientist after becoming a mom about brain development from pregnancy through about age 5. It has some of the same research as NurtureShock but goes way more in depth. I found it fascinating, but warning, I could see how it could scare some people with how much detail it goes into (like how many people feel that "What to Expect When Expecting" is scary.)
  
  
• Happiest Baby on the Block - There is a book, but really you can/should just watch the DVD. It has 5 very specific techniques for calming a fussy baby. Here are some recent reddit comments about it. Someday I will buy Dr. Karp a drink - love that man!
  
  
• The Wholesome Baby Food Guide - this book is based on a website which has some of the same information, but the book goes way more in depth about how to introduce food, with particular steps, to set baby up for a lifetime of good (non picky) eating habits.
  
  
• A variety of sleep books, so you can decide which method you might be comfortable with (I believe the Baby Whisperer and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child are pretty middle of the road, but you can look into bedsharing (The Dr. Sear's books) or the other end (Babywise) as discussed in other comments already here, etc. - these last two links I am letting my personal bias show - sorry, but I just think it is good to know all sides of an issue.)
  
  
• Huffington Post Parents section often has "experience" articles, and browsing subs like this can help with that too.
  
  
• A lot of people love the Bill Cosby Fatherhood book too, but my husband and I haven't read it, so I can't say for sure what is in it, but I imagine it is "experiences" based
  
  
• The Wonder Weeks - describes when and how babies reach developmental milestones, what to expect from those, and how to help your baby with them.
  
  Edit: I wanted to add brief descriptions and links (I was on my phone yesterday when I posted this.) I also added in the last book listed.
  
  I have literally read hundreds of parenting/child dev. books. I consider these to be the best of the best in terms of books that cover each of their respective topics in depth, from almost all perspectives, in as neutral of a way as possible, so that you can then make decisions about which more extreme (I don't mean that in a bad way) parenting styles might work for you and your family (e.g. attachment parenting, natural vs. medicated birth, etc.)
  

I'm going to sound like a broken record on this site when it comes to sleeping, but everyone whose ever told me about the sleeping problems of their child gets a copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child."

Here: http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0449004023

The problem you have sounds like one our friends were having when the child was seven. The book explains sleep, the importance of sleep, and the evolution of healthy sleep habits that has helped literally everyone I know who has read the book and followed through. Your situation was solved by my friend in seven days after five years of frustration. I personally think her victory came because she was given a very educated explanation of why it would work and she stuck with it. Process was a lot of it, but the real lesson is, stick to what you find working until it works. Don't give up. It may take two weeks, but then you are done forever.

For your particular sleep routine, I believe the book would recommend sitting in a chair right beside the child's bed until they fall asleep. No talking to them, just gentle putting them back in bed when they try to 'escape'; no real interaction other than a gentle 're-tucking-in' to mimic your initial tuck and establish the continuity for later when your child finally gets it.

My friend's child was seven and she sat by the bed 2.5 hours the first night reading (today we would have an ipad and reddit vs. a book, times change). Something quiet and out of sight (and interest) to the child. The next night, she did the same thing for about an hour and a half; less the third and fourth night but I remember her showing amazing resolve for four nights. On the fifth, sixth, and seventh nights respectively, she was staying in the room less and moving the chair closer to the door. Night Eight, she was outside the room with the door cracked for about twenty silent uneventful minutes and the child dozed off. Night nine, she got a good nights sleep and my wife and I got two comp'd airline tickets anywhere in the continental US. Woot!

I have recommended/given this book to perhaps thirty couples. Some get offended at the thought of getting a book to rear a child, but I really champion sleep habits as I've seen the impacts on the families who try the book; the relationships between parent and child and the interpersonal relationships between spouses. We've seen 'tough' children take a toll on everyone involved including grandparents who won't watch the kids and friends who avoid another's house around bedtime, dinner time, eating out, etc. The beauty of the book is the "quick tips" sections at the end of each chapter so you can start in minutes and 'catch up'. We were behind with my first child and literally by the book with our second. We spent a grand total of six nights on developing the sleep habits of two children that are still strong today at ages 8 and 9.

One thing that I hear a lot, and not trying to instigate in anyway, but it is an underlying theme of the book that I observe to be true in all families: "we've tried everything". Children are taught AND parents are taught. The child wants attention at bedtime and that is what you have to be disciplined enough to remove. No interaction. The friend I described above had the oldest child I've known these lessons to work on. He was seven, and I think she had the toughest challenge I've seen and showed the best discipline in 'ignoring' the child. When her child resisted initially, she would firmly and gently hold him in place until he stopped. The woman was a saint.

The "total meltdown" you describe is the payoff for the child. They don't infer victory, but there is an innate need that is fulfilled by that attention and if it never comes, it does subside. Remember that you've been taught how you are going to act at bedtime by your child for two and a half years and it may take a bit of reprogramming for both of you, but each time you stray from the continuity of the lesson, you are actually succeeding in teaching a different lesson. I really hope this helps. You need some rest!! (this will work for /u/underthewisteria as well, I believe) Good luck all!

Good for you man. The classic lifts are a ton of fun! Here are some thoughts that you'll hopefully find helpful.

1. With those weights you are strong enough and skilled enough on the slow lifts to get into weight lifting. Go for it!
   
   
2. The classic lifts are very nuanced and technical. A bench press or a squat can be learned to proficiency in ~30 minutes. The classic lifts take weeks to become competent and years to master. You'll have to do a lot of technique training before your O lifts catch up with your slow lifts. This isn't meant to discourage you but to give you some idea of what to expect. Don't worry that you won't be playing with big weights for a while.
   
   
3. I highly recommend this book. It is long but very worthwhile. Buy it, read it, and do the training drills in it. Also, even though your program doesn't end until April, start teaching yourself the movements now (with just the bar). http://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Complete-Athletes-Coaches/dp/0980011116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420978850&sr=8-1&keywords=greg+everett
   
   
4. Watch, watch, watch! Remember that part about the lifts being technical? Humans are visual learners. I've spent hours upon hours watching guys from Cal Strength to Olympians on Youtube. Just watching them helps so much in picking up the lifts.
   
   
5. Stretch! Every day! I cannot stress this enough. The classic lifts require more flexibility and range of motion than the slow lifts. They are also more intense on your joints and tendons because of the increased RoM and ballistic nature of the lifts. Stretching is essential for being able to do the lifts and keeping yourself injury free.
   
   
6. Switch to squatting high bar and going deep into the hole (if you don't already). Also, build up your front squat. Your legs will already have the strength needed but there is musculature in your shoulders and back that the back squat has neglected and that you need to build up in order to front squat heavy loads.
   
   
7. Find good resources for help. You don't need a coach to teach the lifts. But it does help to have access to good information and some people in "the know." Catalyst Athletics is a great site that is full of useful information (http://www.catalystathletics.com/). /r/weightlifting is also a good place to hang. Make friends with people that know what they're doing. Also, watch out for all of the advice from crossfitters out there. Some of it is good, some is bad, and most isn't up to par with the guys training for O lifts exclusively (i.e. Everett and Catalyst).
   
   
8. If you don't have them already, buy oly shoes. They are a gift from the gods. I personally use AdiPowers. A little expensive but well worth the cost imo.
   
   
9. Hook grip is necessary for the clean and the snatch. Start using it. When you first start to use it it will be extremely painful. Your thumbs will feel like they're being smashed and pulled out of your hand simultaneously. Don't worry though, that will go away in a week or two. Just keep using hook grip for all of your pulling exercises.
   
   Best of luck mate!

So glad you found this helpful. I would say that the book mentioned above is better suited for very advanced meditators. I found it very interesting but am not yet in the position to take advantage of the maps it provides, although it explains the difference between concentration and insight very well. It has maps of each path and how they interplay.

There are a few books that I have found quite helpful. I tend to divide them into 2 categories, motivation and instruction.

I read the motivation books first. These books, along with my LSD experiences, really helped motivate me to establish a daily meditation practice. I read quite a few but these are my top 2 by a good margin.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle : This was the first book I read and really set me off on this path. It is somewhat surface level but to a former athiest it was enough to make me realize that there is something real there. It is explained in a way that anyone can appreciate and won't scare anyone off.

Be Here Now by Ram Dass : This completely blew me away. If I had read this first without any psychedelic experience, I might have dismissed it as the ravings of a mad man. This really opened me up to possibilities that I never would have considered as a life long atheist. After I read this, I had to let go of my atheism.

You may have had enough experiences that you don't need any more motivation (I would still read Be Here Now for fun because it is a trip in and of itself). As far as instruction, the best book hands down that I have found is "The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science" by Culadasa. It takes you through the process step by step, shows you the theory behind what you are doing and what you need to work on at each stage. It is a balanced approach between concentration and insight. I believe this is the best approach for most people. Straight insight as advocated by the noting method in "Mastering the Core Teachings" seems to be the fastest path to enlightenment but one is more likely to get stuck in a long "dark night of the soul" period without sufficient concentration power.


Some other very good books:

Tao Te Ching

The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley


> Lastly, on a side note, I had always thought that the final attachment is to ourselves, and that is what keeps us alive. In a rudimentary way, keeping us from killing ourselves, or letting ourselves die passively from lack of taking care of ourselves. Maybe perception is the second attachment? Just a thought and wondering if anyone else had ever considered this.

As you progress along this path, you begin to understand that the "self" is not a "thing". It is an "activity" that we do, and you can learn to stop doing it. A common misperception is that we would want to kill ourselves without this. The reason for this misperception is that people equate "attachment" with care or love. One of the results of the process is that you realize that you can be unattached to something but still care for it. So we may become unattached to the idea of the self as a separate thing, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't care for ourselves.

During the "dark night period" people often get this feeling that nothing has meaning, because they have picked everything apart with insight until they are left with nothing. Every sensation has been stripped of its conceptual meaning until it is just a blur of moments of perception. But beyond this feeling of "nothing has meaning", one gets to the point where they realize that "everything has meaning" and this shift in perception marks the exit of the dark night. I believe that the ultimate paradox that you can understand once you are enlightened is that determinism and free will are both true and are not mutually exclusive. That is just my own personal theory but my intuition is that this is the crux of it.

I know I am not explaining this well, it's very difficult to explain in objective logic. You can probably get a better idea by reading "The Way of Zen". There are a lot of paradoxes involved that can only be truly understood from an enlightened viewpoint but the way he explains it you can kind of see what they are talking about. Because certain truths cannot be explained in objective logic, they sort of "point a finger at it" but the student has to look at where they are pointing instead of at the finger itself. In the end one has to let go of trying to understand it with the thinking mind and just practice.

Just a few things that come to mind:

Self-Awareness> There are a lot of ways to work on this and most of them are worth trying. An effective goal might be to find some things that work for awhile, and prepare yourself to seek out other options when those don’t offer the same effectiveness. I’m pretty sure that when we dedicate the time to it, we provide ourselves with information that empowers us to make the decisions that bring about our idea of success.

Expectations> Most of us don’t want to fail. A lot of us feel like if we don’t meet the expectations that we’ve set for ourselves then we’re failures. This often causes some of us to avoid things that we feel we won’t “succeed” at. Hey, I’m not saying we shouldn’t set high goals for ourselves... but when we don't meet our expectations, maybe we could slowly get better at treating ourselves with the kind of love and encouragement that we would extend to our most loved of loved ones when they "fail."

Exercise> God damn it I hate exercise. I wore a button in fifth grade that said: I’m too out of shape to exercise. I’m thirty-nine now and I’ve still never had a consistent workout regimen. For a lot of us, this shit is probably harder than everything else we’ll consider in this thread. But there’s plenty of evidence to show that when the rest of our body is functioning at a more optimal level that we have more tools to work with, and that our tools are more effective. I hate exercise.

Group Discussion> Last year I attended an intensive outpatient group therapy program. This was my first experience with group therapy and I freaking love that shit. I learned that the gems to mine from this experience have very little to do with whoever is leading the group or which organization is providing the facility... as long as you feel like everyone is given the opportunity to share without reproach. Empathy is what it’s all about. The more courageous you are about sharing your struggles, the more empowered your fellow group members will be to do the same. When empathy is flowing freely most people are able to recognize some of their own cognitive distortions, AND help others find their own. Not every group is going to function well, but I think it’s well worth the effort to find on that does. You might start with looking into a DBSA group near you. My advice would be to look for one with 10-15 attendees. If you've got insurance that will cover it, you might check into an Intensive Outpatient Group Therapy program offered by a local hospital.

Books> These are just a few that have offered me some help—and a few that I just acquired but haven’t read yet.

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy



Also, this is me patting you on the back lovingly and then turning it into a hug:



Did you feel it?



Disclaimer: I’m currently doing pretty poorly at all of these things.

Sure thing! The great, and not so great, thing about learning about evolution is that there is so much information out there it can be a bit overwhelm at times, and it is not always easy to know where to start. The best place to start it probably a university class, but that is not always an accessible resource. In lieu of that, I will strong recommend learning from biologist Richard Dawkins. While he is currently well-known for his stance on religion, he has devoted his life to teaching about evolution to the public. I'll give you a few of my favorite references of his. They are arranged in terms of the length of time they will probably take you. Also, so that you won't be intimidated, they are not references in which he explicitly denounces religion or anything; although, as you will see, he does explain evolution in contrast to some of the claims of creationism. I hope that is not a problem, as it is kind of necessary to learn why biologists take one view as opposed to the other.

Anyway, here are the references! =)

This video (5 parts, 10 min each) is a great introduction to some of the basic concepts of evolution, and was really eye-opening for me.

This lecture series (5 episodes, 1 hour each) goes into much more detail than the above video, gives much more evidence, illustrates some of the arguments, and has many fun and beautiful examples.

The Selfish Gene is a book that answered a huge number of questions about evolution for me (e.g., how can a "survival of the fittest" scheme give rise to people being nice to each other? The answer, it turns out, is fascinating.)

The The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution May be the book you are looking for. This book clearly lays down the evidence for evolution, complete with wonderful illustrations. It is very detailed, and very readable.


There are many other great authors besides Richard Dawkins, but this is a great place to start. You are about to go on a very beautiful and moving journey, if you decide to take it. I envy you! I would love to do it all over again. Enjoy!

You have a lot of work ahead of you for sure, but this is not an impossible task. First off, I wouldn't worry too much about the Nambu-Goto action right now. Instead, you're going to need to develop quite a bit of background knowledge and mathematical tools.

Sites like Brilliant, and Youtube lectures are valuable resources, but if you're going to be successful in this endeavour, I'd recommend that you put some serious effort into learning from textbooks. The ability to learn from a textbook does not come naturally to most people, but it is a skill that can be developed and will be necessary for you to make much progress in this direction. In fact, I'd say that perhaps the most valuable thing I gained in my undergraduate degree was the ability to sit down and actually learn from a textbook in a systematic way.

The book on String Theory by Zweibach is probably going to be the best resource for you as it's a quite approachable low level string theory book designed for advanced undergraduate students. In order to read and understand it, you'll need to first gain at minimum a popular level, hand-wavy understanding of general relativity and quantum field theory and a mathematical understanding of special relativity, quantum mechanics and electromagnetism.

One book I can't recommend enough to non-professionals wanting to get a semi-serious mathematical understanding of modern physics is The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose. In my opinion, the book is a masterpiece. He starts off with "what is a number", and by the end of the first half of the book has given a serious account of fibre bundles using only the ideas introduced in the book. His explanations are lucid, engaging and very deep. The second half then uses the mathematics introduced in the first half to describe much of modern physics. He has a section where he talks about String Theory, but he isn't much of a fan of it so doesn't spend a lot of time on the topic. However, the mathematics he introduces in the first half are invaluable for understanding quantum mechanics, relativity, quantum field theory and string theory. Roger is a bit of a maverick and has some 'cooky' ideas and opinions that would make many professional physicists blush with embarrassment, but throughout the book he is very careful to clearly say when he is making a controversial statement.

I think if you pick of the Road to Reality, and manage to seriously read the first 15 chapters while also reading (or watching) introductory books / lecture series on quantum mechanics and special relativity and electromagnetism you'll be in a great place to try and get into the basics of string theory.

You might be interested in an introduction to evolutionary stable strategies, such as The Selfish Gene talks about. Basically, opponents develop different strategies over time. At any point in time, the current strategy ("meta") may not be the ultimate optimal strategy, but it beats how other people are currently playing. It's kind of like a big rock paper scissors.

As LoL pros and econ students have said, each LoL match comes down to which team gets the most gold and takes the most advantage of it. There was once a meta of solo top, solo bot, triple mid.

Over time, players learned that giving more gold to solo mid APC and ADC on bot was a better strategy, as these kinds of champions scale so much more in damage than other champions, and a good way to ensure these players get gold ("fed") is to protect ADC with a support, and for a jungler to help mid / top get kills (and for top to tank and help peel for ADC). Eventually, this strategy won out, and there hasn't been much variation since.

This applies well to Summoner's Rift, but even in Twisted Treeline and Howling abyss, we see metas emerge: tanks and early game champs are better in Twisted Treeline; Crowd control abilities and tanks are great in Howling Abyss.

Riot tries to prevent a single meta from becoming too set in stone, because that makes the game solved / boring. They'll tweak jungle camps, for example, to make jungling more or less viable.

With any luck, we'll see a new meta in a season or two. I'm frankly fascinated by different playstyles in a game, makes esports much more fun to watch.

1. The Bible: Eh. I can sort of get behind this, but not for the reason he gives. The Bible's just really culturally important. I also wouldn't bother reading all of it. When I reread the Bible it's normally just Genesis, Exodus, the Gospels, and Eccelesiastes. A lot of it (especially Leviticus) is just tedious. The prophets are fun but I wouldn't call them essential.
   
   
2. The System of the World: Newton intentionally wrote the Principia to make it inaccessible to layman and dabblers. I really don't think you should be recommending a book like this to people who aren't specialists. Sagan's A Demon Haunted World will probably fulfill the stated purpose Tyson sets out better.
   
   
3. On the Origin of Species: A good book that's held up remarkably well, but a more recent book of evolution might be better. The Extended Phenotype or The Selfish Gene would both probably do a better job.
   
   
4. Gulliver's Travels: This is a great book. I support this recommendation.
   
   
5. Age of Reason: Haven't read it. I like Paine otherwise though. No comment.
   
   
6. The Wealth of Nations: Similar to On the Origin of Species. It's still a great read that's held up really well and offers an interesting historical perspective. That said, economic theory has made some pretty important advancements in two centuries (the Marginal Revolution, Keynes, etc). Still, if you want to stick to the time you'll probably get more out of reading Ricardo's Principles of Political Economy.
   
   
7. The Art of War: Very good book. I have nothing to add.
   
   
8. The Prince: Same as the above. Fantastic book.

Looks like you got a jump on the basics but depending on how much you've researched the ethical topics below are some great resources to help keep you motivated. And once you understand the ethical necessity of a vegan lifestyle you'll find it is really a breeze!

earthlings - very graphic film but helpful to remove any doubts one might have regarding how we treat animals

eat like you care - a short and concise framing of the logic behind the ethical rational for veganism

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows - another relatively easy read which lays out a bit broader argument

There are loads of other great books and films out there and I really suggest taking the time to educate yourself about the way we use animals as it will make the transition so much easier.

Good luck and welcome!

Books I've read and/or am reading.

1. Bigger Leaner Stronger ^link Basically a book version of the /r/fitness wiki plus a good variation on 5-rep workouts, which I made solid gains. Took my bench from 245 to 315 in 7ish months on this program alone.
   
2. Destroy the Opposition ^link Slightly different take on powerlifting training. Jamie Lewis is a bit crude, but it's an interesting read. I did not try out his program at the end of the book, but I enjoyed the read. The tl;dr is "use lots of volume and find the form that fits your body".
   
3. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training ^link Just started reading this now, looks promising. Basically a good resource on building a program if you plan on being self-coached. It's based on starting from scratch, so it might not be 100% relevant. Get the previous edition (linked) used to save some money. I found one in good condition online for like $10 on ebay, but they're like $12-15 on Amazon and other bookseller websites.
   
4. Strength Training Anatomy ^link It's useful as an extra guide for perfecting form and optimizing stretching.
   
5. Starting Strength ^link I'm a little hesitant to recommend this, because while it did get me going and making some good early gains, I've had to correct my squat and deadlift form a lot. However, my bench form is pretty decent coming out of this so it's a bit of a toss-up. If you can get it used/cheap, it might be worth reading.
   
   If you're going into a 5/3/1 program, Jim Wendler has books on that. Most programs have a good write-up somewhere so try and read the rhyme and reason behind what you're doing, as well as investigating the core concepts if they're not explained well (linear progression, progressive overload, and periodization are all concepts that most programs are based around. PM me if you have any other questions.

I am not totally sure what you are asking for actually exists in book form...which is odd, now that I think about it.

If it were me, I would think about magazines instead. And if you really want to push him, think about the following options:

1. Science News, which is very similar to the front-matter of the leading scientific journal Science. This includes news from the past month, and some in-depth articles. It is much better written -- and written at a much higher level -- than Scientific American or Discover. For a very intelligent (and science-interested) high school student, this should pose little difficulty.
   
2. The actual journal Science. This is weekly, which is nice. In addition to the news sections, this also includes editorials and actual science papers. While many of the actual papers will be beyond your son, he can still see what passes for presentation of data in the sciences, and that is cool.
   
3. The actual journal Nature. This is also weekly, and is the british version of the journal Science. In my opinion, the news section is better written than Science, which is important as this is where your kid's reading will be mostly done. IN addition, Nature always has sections on careers and education, so that your son will be exposed to the more human elements of science. Finally, the end of nature always has a 1-page sci-fi story, and that is fun as well.
   
4. If you must, you could try Scientific American or Discover, but if you really want to give your kid a cool gift, that is a challenge, go for one of the top three here. I would highly recommend Nature.
   
   If you insist on books...
   
   I see you already mentioned A Brief History of the Universe, which is an excellent book. However, I am not sure if you are going to get something that is more "in depth." Much of the "in depth" stuff is going to be pretty pop, without the rigorous foundation that are usually found in textbooks.
   
   If I had to recommend some books, here is what I would say:
   
   
5. The selfish gene is one of the best "rigorous" pop-science books out there. Dawkins doesn't really go into the math, but other than that he doesn't shy away from the implications of the work.
   
6. Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Dennett is a great book. While not strictly science, per se, it does outline good philosophical foundations for evolution. It is a dense read, but good.
   
7. On the more mathematical side, you might try Godel, Escher, Bach, which is a book that explores the ramifications of recrusiveness and is an excellent (if dense) read.
   
8. You could also consider books on the history of science -- which elucidate the importance of politics and people in the sciences. I would recommend any of the following: The Double Helix, A man on the moon, The making of the atomic bomb, Prometheans in the lab, The alchemy of air, or A most damnable invention. There are many others, but these came to mind first.
   
   Hope that helps! OH AND GO WITH THE SUBSCRIPTION TO NATURE
   
   edit: added the linksssss

Yeah, she was "in DKA." That's what we say. Tough few days I'm sure, but I hope you have been able to take a deep breath and see that as nuts as this all probably seems right now, you'll learn to live with this and it will be ok.

I was also 6 when I was diagnosed, and almost 32 years later I am doing just fine. I identify as a person with diabetes--that's part of my identity--but it is just one aspect of who I am. Everyone has their struggles, and this happens to be ours, but it certainly didn't ruin my childhood or anything. The technology is so much better now too.

One thing to keep in mind is that you and she have plenty of time to learn how to get this under control. Until you have a feel for it, her control is not going to look like the superstars with the A1c's in the 4's and 5's that you sometimes see on here, and that is totally, perfectly ok. Insulin needs may also change a lot in the first year or two as she exits the honeymoon phase. Obviously you'll want to do what the doctors say, but in the near future there is no need to beat yourself up at all over BG control that isn't quite dialed in yet. Focus on getting used to T1D and integrating the treatment into your lives. That mindset sort of continues into the long term too: there are tons of things that impact BG, and there are going to be days that look really ugly control-wise. That's totally fine. The key is to focus on average BG and time in range over weeks and months, and not to get too hung up on the individual days. This is really hard, but just try to keep celebrating the good days and approaching the bad days with a sense of curiosity about how to do things differently next time, never with any blame or guilt.

I think the single most important thing for me early on was developing a great relationship with my endocrinologist and especially my diabetes nurse educator. I stayed with them for 25 years--grade school, high school, college, graduation and my first job... if it's good, that relationship can be hugely impactful.

Inevitably you'll have some thinking to do about CGM and insulin pumps at some point. I personally love my pump and CGM and wish that I had access to them (particularly the CGM) 31+ years ago. At the same time, I think it would have been very difficult for me to have my parents remotely monitoring my BGs all the time, especially as I got older. I don't know the answer for that situation, but something to keep in the back of your mind. As far as having a thing attached to me with a tube, it's part of my life. I don't really notice it that much. It beats having to carry around an insulin pen.

This community is extremely supportive, as are r/diabetes_t1 and r/diabetes. As far as books, lots of people recommend Think Like a Pancreas, and I think Bright Spots & Landmines is a good one too. Good luck, and hopefully we'll continue to see you around as questions come up.

some amazing books I would suggest to you are:

• Godel Escher Bach
  
  
• Road to Reality By Roger Penrose.
  
  
• Code by
  Charles Petzold.
  
  
• Pi in the Sky by John Barrow.
  
  All of these I would love to read again, if I had the time, but none more so than Godel, Escher, Bach, which is one of the most beautiful books I have ever come across.
  
  Road to Reality is the most technical of these books, but gives a really clear outline of how mathematics is used to describe reality (in the sense of physics).
  
  Code, basically, teaches you how you could build a computer (minus, you know, all the engineering. But that's trivial surely? :) ). The last chapter on operating systems is pretty dated now but the rest of it is great.
  
  Pi in the Sky is more of a casual read about the philosophy of mathematics. But its very well written, good night time reading!
  
  You have a really good opportunity to get an intuitive understanding of the heart of mathematics, which even at a college level is somewhat glossed over, in my experience. Use it!

I wish I could tell you that all you need to do is to stop believing in God and suddenly things will become much clearer. Unfortunately, this is not really the case.

Think of the God idea as a piece of malware, which is running on the computer of your brain. It's malware because it takes up your resources to do something that isn't beneficial to you. Once upon a time you installed the Loving Parents And Social Circle software, and it asked you to install the God program as part of it. You clicked OK at the time, but now you've figured out it's malware, and you need to find a way to get rid of the malware, but you don't want to uninstall the Loving Parents And Social Circle software too.

This is a very touchy process and I can't guarantee you'll be successful. Some people give up and simply decide to go without the Loving Parents And Social Circle software, because the licensing requirements are just too restrictive. I don't recommend this path. Even if the requirements are pretty rough, it's good software.

But here's the kick that no one tells you: by getting rid of the malware, you don't just suddenly have an awesome computer you can use for anything. You have to find and download lots of other software now. Getting rid of the malware was just the beginning, and now the real work begins. You're already way behind people who got rid of their malware ages ago, or maybe never had it to begin with. You need to play catch-up.

Here's the good news: most people, once they've finally gotten rid of the malware, wake up the next day and get really excited about all the new things their computer can potentially do, and they find themselves staying up all night downloading and running new stuff. There's a burst of energy that comes with suddenly finding all these free resources.

Maybe there's some old software sitting there that you never really used, and now you can run it much better than you did before. That was the case with me, and this was the software I ran. Then I started downloading more and more and more. Now I feel like my speeds are better than most and about as fast as the people I find interesting to talk to.

> One thing I am stuck on is how to proceed with bulking/cutting phases.

Here's what it says about that in Bigger, Leaner, Stronger:

​

>I always recommend that guys don’t bulk if they’re over 15 percent body fat and that they end their bulks once they reach 15 to 17 percent and begin cutting (as this is where the above problems start to kick in). Then, once they’ve reached the 10 percent body fat range, they’re ready to bulk again and add more muscle to their physiques.

>I recommend that you juggle your cuts and bulks to remain in the 10 to 15 to 17 percent body fat range until you reach a point where you’re absolutely satisfied with your overall size at 10 percent, and then cut below this point. In fact, many guys (including me) find that they need to reach a point where they feel they’re too big at 10 percent to have the look they want at 7 percent.

-----

​

You may benefit from reducing the weight a little and increasing your reps, as this will burn more calories and allow you to get to 15% faster.

​

>I made it 25 days NO-fap. On Friday night I drank a lot Downtown and jerked off when I got back. Once I broke willpower once it became easier and easier to do and it spiraled downwards and I ended up doing it like 5 times on Saturday throughout the day. Strangely enough, the nightly devotion I did with my wife that night talked about addictions; particularly pornography; and Sunday’s message at the church I went to was about going out with the old and in with the new. God helped me get back on track. I just took a mental note of it because it is something that is very easy to fall back into if you allow yourself to.

​

Amen, God has a way of getting our attention, doesn't He? In addition of "taking a mental note of it," you should confess it to Him in prayer (God, I know this was sin and I know I displeased You) and then repent and forsake it. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

​

>I did find out some interesting things on Friday night as well. I wingmaned some of the guys in my group who were having approach anxiety and were making up excuses. They said they did not know what to do, what to say, etc (They were all from small towns where a 5 is like an 8) and beauty was intimidating them so I showed them. I got up, walked over to a table, pulled out a chair (asking if the seat was taken? They said no, I sat down and started talking like it is no big deal. I was surprised I actually still have a little game. The girl I sat next to eyes lit up the second I sat down.

​

Awesome, way to take charge and show the young bucks how it's done!

​

>She noticed I was married within thirty seconds and I found out she was as well. Shortly after two of the other guys finally joined me at the table. The married woman was getting pretty touchy after a minute or so I called her out on it in a funny way as I was watching the other guy’s interactions. We had a good conversation with me making fun of Arkansas and her making fun of my southern accent and other stuff I cannot remember.

​

AWALT bro. You aren't really surprised are you?

​

>The biggest irritation I have had is she does not know what she wants and for each of her suggestions I describe what that would look like logistically and it stresses her out and she breaks down.

​

WOTSM has a chapter called "Don't force the feminine to make decisions." You should read that.

​

>MY PLAN I have communicated and she recently came on board with is to stay at the APT for another year if they do not increase our rates too much. If they do, I would rather rent a house for at least two years around that same price range until we have enough saved up to buy a house. But buying a house right now is not a smart option.

​

This is a good approach. Best to tell her "this is what I plan on doing" and letting her disagree with you if she wants - THEN you can discuss options. Give her the chance to trust you and follow your leadership rather than asking what she wants. If she wants something different, she's a big girl and will say so.

​

>Kids were mentioned again and I am happy she is more in my frame and sees eye to eye with me on this now. I want kids, but I also do not want to consider my kids as a burden. I want to get some other goals in place on my MAP before we should take that step.

​

Good call here.

​

>Then her car has been acting up again and she was stressing about that saying she doesn’t know what to do. I told her to take it to the shop. She says she doesn’t want to because mechanics take advantage of women. Then I was like there is nothing I can do then I am not there. Then she starts crying and hyperventilating and hangs up the phone. She calls me back 5 minutes later saying she feels helpless. I calm her down and thankfully her car has been fine since then (this happened last Thursday.)

​

Since you're limited in what you can do when you're not there, take some time when you come home to ask around and see if any of your friends or acquaintances have a mechanic that they trust, and give her the info so she can use them next time. You need to lead here Captain. Because she's right: she will probably get taken advantage of.

​

>My relationship with God has grown a lot this week. I find myself praying more and talking with him.

>Me and my wife have done well keeping up with our bible reading as well and we are done with 1st and 2nd Corinthians.

​

Excellent!

>I don’t regret having one, just extremely ashamed of being sexual and communicating it to girls and also showing it to the world. Attracting girls’ attention and whatnot isn’t very hard but progressing things to dating, holding hands and eventually sex is impossible. I can’t even call them or message them on Facebook or Whatsapp because I just feel like an idiot for doing so. Making a move in clubs and bars is also difficult although I once got close to leaving with a girl but she didn't want to. I got made fun of a lot growing up for not having a girlfriend and this made me feel like i do not deserve one. It doesn't matter if I've got the green light to go ahead I just feel really ashamed do it. Even something like looking at a fit girl wearing a short skirt makes me feel bad for checking her out and that I shouldn’t be doing it.


I know what you mean. I've been there myself, but even when I was there I was entirely self-aware of my shame and I was skeptical of the validity of my emotional reactions; I realized they were ingrained. Being aware of your emotional reactions allows you to be emotionally proactive. Your sex-negative problem is mostly an emotional issue, and not much else, right? I've been there. I wouldn't doubt that you are also decent looking and have both latent and actualized social skills. Most intelligent introverts have a lot of potential to be who they want to be because they know themselves more deeply than others. You must use your introverted nature to your advantage and recognize the differences in others and yourself. In all honesty, there are an infinite number of unwritten rules; everyone's abstract/emotional logic is different. Many of them are foundational and predictable, however; including yours and mine. Like anything else, being emotionally predictable is not a black/white issue. It is a grey area, and you have to balance your reliability with creativity.


Being made fun of for not having a girlfriend is just as sexist as being made fun of for not having a boyfriend; gender equal too. Were you ever shamed for not having a boyfriend? It's clearly a matter of groupthink and extroverted style; not for everyone. Dating relationships, for extroverts especially, are often attention-getting and showy. They wear their relationships like trophies won. Usually introverts prefer a more private relationship because they have less social desire and are often shamed because of it. Introverts are “themselves” more often in private. Extroverts are “themselves” more often in public. There is no shame deserved either way, regardless of popular opinion. Both styles have their strengths and weaknesses, and you should try to introject some of the traits that you enjoy in others; regardless of type. That is how you become balanced.


>I’m receiving counselling from a pastor who advocates the whole “no sex before marriage” thing and believes that people should only date to get married and sex is only for making kids which is stupid IMO because I do not plan on getting married anytime soon.


Counseling from a Catholic pastor? Watch out, that is one of the most notorious sex-negative societies out there. They own the abstinence-only charade while they parade horribles. Marriage is not the answer to anything; it is an institution of the state. Anything else attached is sentimental.


If you haven't already, I recommend doing an in-depth study of animal sexual behaviors; especially the most intelligent animals. All animals have sex for pleasure, but some animals are only driven to have sex at certain times of the year; humans are on a 24/7 system.


>I’ve tried the no fap route and gotten very high days counts but that hasn’t really helped me at all.


Sexual frustration doesn't help anyone. If you are mindful, then you can use your libido to further your goals, but it is not an all-cure.


>Got any sources to help overcome sex-negative perspectives? I’m interested in recreational sex not baby making sex.


Absolutely. I recommend starting with actual sex science and learning about male and female psychology and neurology. Then work your way into reading about sex culture. You should also study developmental psychology as you will probably need the clinical context in order to objectively self-evaluate your childhood influences; it is necessary for self-therapy. The best therapy will always be self-therapy; no one will ever know you better than yourself.


Evolutionary Science and Morals Philosophy:

The Selfish Gene

The Moral Landscape

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?


Sex Psychology, Science, and Neurology:

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

The Female Brain

The Male Brain

Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love

What Do Women Want

Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)

Sex: The world's favorite pastime fully revealed


Behavioral Psychology and Abstract Economics:

How Pleasure Works

Freakonomics

Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking

Thinking Fast And Slow

We Are All Weird


Developmental Psychology:

Nurture Shock

Hauntings: Dispelling The Ghosts That Run Our Lives


Empathy Building:


Half The Sky

The House On Mango Street

Me Before You

The Fault In Our Stars

Also check out James Hollis' Understanding The Psychology of Men lecture if you can find it.



Movies: XXY, Tom Boy, Dogtooth, Shame, Secretary, Nymphomaniac, Juno, Beautiful Creatures, and The Man From Earth.



All of these things are related, but it is up to you to make the connections; pick and choose which material suits your interests best. These are the things that came to mind first, and they have all influenced my perspectives.

Short answer: figure out what you like when masturbating and then do that with someone else who you like and trust and have fun with. Don't set goals or deadlines, just mutually mess around and have fun. Things will become more and more fun; like any sport or hobby, the more you do it the better you get, and everyone has their own style.

Long answer:
Start with mutual masturbation. What feels best, what makes you excited? Talk to your partner, do those things. Ask your partner what they like. Try those things. Touch each other, play with each other, get each other off without penetration. Have fun.
Don't pressure yourselves. Use protection, have a pack of Plan B before you need it (a girlfriend might need it, you can be a real hero!) and have fun.

Also, don't be surprised if your partner loses their erection; guys get nervous too, and it can be a real ego-crusher to him when Mr. Happy doesn't do his thing.



Also - don't mean to insult your intelligence, so please understand that this is a fantastic book that I have recommended to adults. Ok?
Some of this stuff will be things you already know, but some will not be. Most Libraries will have it

Last thing; I recommend watching the Midwest Teen Sex Show - it's something like Saturday Night Live meets Sex Ed, and when I found it (I'm 44 - found this in my 30's) there was stuff I didn't know. They talk about all the nuances of sex that were never covered, and they also are frank and factual and just damned outstanding.

I'm a former Librarian, an Aunt to 4 kids, and the Social Aunt to many more - who explained things to kids with parents who couldn't.

If you have any questions about websites or places to learn more, lemme know. My personal experiences won't help, because we're all very different.

TL;DR - go back and read it. Also, double up on protection
(pill + condom OR IUD + condom OR diaphragm + condom... but always always use a condom!)

Much luck, hon. It's great good fun once you've figured things out and have someone awesome.

Overviews of the evidence:

The greatest show on earth

Why evolution is true

Books on advanced evolution:

The selfish gene

The extended phenotype

Climbing mount improbable

The ancestors tale

It is hard to find a better author than Dawkins to explain evolutionary biology. Many other popular science books either don't cover the details or don't focus entirely on evolution.

I will hit one point though.

>I have a hard time simply jumping from natural adaption or mutation or addition of information to the genome, etc. to an entirely different species.

For this you should understand two very important concepts in evolution. The first is a reproductive barrier. Basically as two populations of a species remain apart from each other (in technical terms we say there is no gene flow between them) then repoductive barriers becomes established. These range in type. There are behavioral barriers, such as certain species of insects mating at different times of the day from other closely related species. If they both still mated at the same time then they could still produce viable offspring. Other examples of behavior would be songs in birds (females will only mate with males who sing a certain way). There can also be physical barriers to reproduction, such as producing infertile offspring (like a donkey and a horse do) or simply being unable to mate (many bees or flies have different arrangements of their genitalia which makes it difficult or impossible to mate with other closely related species. Once these barriers exist then the two populations are considered two different species. These two species can now further diverge from each other.

The second thing to understand is the locking in of important genes. Evolution does not really take place on the level of the individual as most first year biology courses will tell you. It makes far more sense to say that it takes place on the level of the gene (read the selfish gene and the extended phenotype for a better overview of this). Any given gene can have a mutation that is either positive, negative, of neutral. Most mutations are neutral or negative. Let's say that a certain gene has a 85% chance of having a negative mutation, a 10% chance of a neutral mutation, and a 5% chance of a positive mutation. This gene is doing pretty good, from it's viewpoint it has an 85% chance of 'surviving' a mutation. What is meant by this is that even though one of it's offspring may have mutated there is an 85% chance that the mutated gene will perform worse than it and so the mutation will not replace it in the gene pool. If a neutral mutation happens then this is trouble for the original gene, because now there is a gene that does just as good a job as it in the gene pool. At this point random fluctuations of gene frequency called genetic drift take over the fate of the mutated gene (I won't go into genetic drift here but you should understand it if you want to understand evolution).

The last type of mutation, a positive mutation is what natural selection acts on. This type of mutation would also change the negative/neutral/positive mutation possibilities. so the newly positively mutated gene might have frequencies of 90/7/3 Already it has much better odds than the original gene. OK, one more point before I explain how this all ties together. Once a gene has reached the 100/0/0 point it does not mean that gene wins forever, there can still be mutations in other genes that affect it. A gene making an ant really good at flying doesn't matter much when the ant lives in tunnels and bites off its own wings, so that gene now has altered percentages in ants. It is this very complex web that makes up the very basics of mutations and how they impact evolution (if you are wondering how common mutations are I believe they happen about once every billion base pairs, so every human at conception has on average 4 mutations that were not present in either parent)

This all ties back together by understanding that body plan genes (called hox genes) lock species into their current body plans, by reducing the number of possible positive or neutral mutations they become crucial to the organisms survival. As evolutionary time progresses these genes become more and more locked in, meaning that the body plans of individuals become more and more locked in. So it is no wonder that coming in so late to the game as we are we see such diversity in life and we never see large scale form mutations. Those type of mutations became less likely as the hox genes became locked in their comfy spots on the unimpeachable end of the mutation probability pool. That is why it is hard to imagine one species evolving into another, and why a creationist saying that they will believe evolution when a monkey gives birth to a human is so wrong.

Hopefully I explained that well, it is kind of a dense subject and I had to skip some things I would rather have covered.

Steven Pinker shares this article that challenges some of Peterson's assumptions.

An excerpt:

​

>
>
>Dostoevsky Distraction — Abandon Judeo-Christianity at your peril:
>
>“Crime and Punishment is the best investigation, I know, of what happens if you take the notion that there’s nothing divine about the individual seriously.”
>
>Deconstruction #1 — Jordan repeatedly cites the character Raskolnikov as being the poster child for what happens when a person gives up a belief in the divinity of other humans; or, as he and Dostoevsky define it, an atheist. Except, and as a psychologist, he knows that someone who determines other people have no intrinsic value “is the psychopath’s viewpoint.” That he conflates atheism with psychopathy is disingenuous, intellectually dishonest, and professionally irresponsible.
>
>Deconstruction #2 — Like Jordan, Dostoevsky was a committed Christian who viewed the abandonment of Judeo-Christian values as an ill omen, and sounded the warning. However, Jordan omitted the inconvenient truth that his literary hero was an avowed Christian socialist who proclaimed: “If everyone were actively Christian, not a single social question would come up.”



Moral Atheist Mystification — If you act in a moral way, you’re acting out religious values:

>“As I said at the beginning, the atheist types act out a religious structure.”

Deconstruction #1 — As pointed out in the Deuteronomistic Paradigm, moral values preceded their codification in religious texts, and in the Dostoevsky Distraction, that Jordan has his own, unique, definition of what atheist means, it is irresponsible for Jordan to fuel the flawed perception that atheists are immoral.

Deconstruction #2 — Despite Jordan’s ominous warnings that leaving religion behind is bad for society, there is a clear correlation between countries with increasingly secular tendencies and the happiness of its citizens.

Deconstruction #3 — Again, also despite Jordan’s warning of putting the Judeo-Christian traditions out to pasture, is the idea that atheists are calling for anarchy and immoral behaviour. In conjunction with this perspective, is Jordan’s wholesale ignoring of the immoral acts listed in the Bible (drowning the planet, Abraham’s willingness to murder his child, the Passover slaughter of innocent Egyptians to make a point, Job, etc.); and the fact that most parishioners do not read these stories metaphorically, as Jordan claims religious passages should be understood — not literally, but figuratively — for the morals of the story.

Deconstruction #4 — Jordan’s obsession with the nihilism of Nietzsche is unwarranted, and, indeed, bordering on Chicken Little; especially in light of the facts of deconstruction #2.

It appears contradictory, to me anyway, that if the values contained within the Judeo-Christian tradition preceded the tradition (part 4), then why should Jordan be worried if people are simply abandoning the vehicle which, successfully, conveyed the values? The values are the important factor, the ones that emerged from the unconscious, not the transmission mechanism. “Adamant anti-religious thinkers” are not advocating that we abandon morality, or “our immersement in the underlying dream,” so the values themselves will remain intact. Another Canadian psychologist, Steven Pinker, makes this point in Enlightenment Now:

>“If the positive contributions of religious institutions come from their role as humanistic associations in civil society, then we would expect those benefits not to be tied to theistic belief, and that is indeed the case.”

Steven, as the subtitle of the book alludes, made “The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress,” that society is not in any danger — contrary to Jordan’s dire warnings — from increasing secularization:

>“Evolution helps explain another foundation of secular morality: our capacity for sympathy (or, as the Enlightenment writers variously referred to it, benevolence, pity, imagination, or commiseration). Even if a rational agent deduces that it’s in everyone’s long-term interests to be moral, it’s hard to imagine him sticking his neck out to make a sacrifice for another’s benefit unless something gives him a nudge. The nudge needn’t come from an angel on one shoulder; evolutionary psychology explains how it comes from the emotions that make us social animals…Evolution thus selects for the moral sentiments: sympathy, trust, gratitude, guilt, shame, forgiveness, and righteous anger. With sympathy installed in our psychological makeup, it can be expanded by reason and experience to encompass all sentient beings…
>
>A viable moral philosophy for a cosmopolitan world cannot be constructed from layers of intricate argumentation or rest on deep metaphysical or religious convictions. It must draw on simple, transparent principles that everyone can understand and agree upon. The ideal of human flourishing — that it’s good for people to lead long, healthy, happy, rich, and stimulating lives — is just such a principle, since it’s based on nothing more (and nothing less) than our common humanity.
>
>History confirms that when diverse cultures have to find common ground, they converge toward humanism.”

I love, love, love the book It's Perfectly Normal, and it's what my daughter and I read together. (I gave her the choice of reading it on her own, and she chose to read it together.)

It's not only sex positive, but it is very inclusive about non-heterosexual relationships. The section on masturbation is lovely. I appreciate that there's a two-page illustration of tons of naked people (pseudo-realistic cartoons), and it's every kind of body you can imagine—elderly folks, handicapped, various ethnicities, skinny, fat. It gives a great sense of how we're different, yet so much the same.


I also appreciate that it has a sense of humor while keeping it very real. The title says it all, really, and "It's perfectly normal" is a theme that runs throughout the book.


Edit: Wow, just checked out the one-star reviews on Amazon. The fact that people have their panties in a bunch about it should be proof enough that it actually tells the honest truth.

The only way to self-teach them is to film yourself CONSTANTLY.

I would also recommend Everett's book, found here.

What really has to happen is that you, as a trainee, need to understand the mechanics of the movement, visualize it, and furthermore, find cues that make sense to you. A lot of cues are sort of abstract; Don McCauley has a video explaining his "catapult" technique. This shit made zero sense to me, but my friend understood it. When I explained this technique and my interpretation of it to a semi-coach, he put it in different terms/cues, and now they are what I use.

To be honest, there is too much information out there for these lifts. There are different styles in terms of how they're approached and executed, so if you gather information from too many sources, you may find yourself taking in cues and positions from various sources that do not apply to one another. In the end, a lifter has to adapt these movements into things that work for their body and brain. This is where a coach is handy, because he can say, "try this" or "try that." If you're on your own, you have to film yourself, and diagnose what looks awkward and/or sub-optimal, then fix it.

It could be beneficial to mimic a lifter that is in your weight class and roughly the same height; if you try to mimic a lifter, you may fail. But emulation is part of the learning process.

I would start with Everett's book. I think he has an English degree. He's a pretty clear writer and there are a lot of pictures guiding you.

As for the snatch and clean, they feed off one another. Everett teaches the snatch first. In my experience, people gravitate towards one or the other. The same friend who understood the catapult technique has a really awesome bar path in his snatch, and for whatever reason, always has. It puts mine to shame. However, on the other hand, my cleans make him look goofy. It's probably part how we're built, but still, what works for him does not work for me. He also can only split-jerk; I have never felt comfortable in that movement so eventually I started push jerking and that is something that he struggles with.

One thing I will say, is ALWAYS learn the full movement first. IE, learn the full clean first, then the power clean. If you ONLY power clean, you will develop a motor pattern that says "catch the weight here." If you develop the clean first, your instinct will be to get under the bar, which translates into a superior power clean as well.

The same applies to the snatch, assuming you're flexible enough.

I've found the biggest reasons people quit veganism after deciding that it's the right thing to do is:

1. Not knowing what to eat or how to prepare it
   
2. Losing motivation
   
   I think that #1 is most important to nail down, because if you're already convinced that veganism is the right thing to do, you shouldn't have much problem sticking with it unless you run into food-related problems. This video covers just about everything you need to know about vegan food. Basically:
   
   

• Eat enough calories
  
• Have a few go-to recipes for each meal
  
• Use happycow.net to find vegan-friendly restaurants (virtually everything at Asian restaurants can easily be veganized)
  
• B12!
  
  Eating vegan won't feel hard or restricting at all if you know how, and what to cook. Just like non-vegan food, vegan food can taste disgusting or flat-out amazing. Don't be discouraged if the first vegan food you make turns out terribly, because it probably will. Figure out what you didn't like about what you made, and try to improve it for next time. Vegan cooking can be very different, and it will probably take getting used to.
  
  If you're willing to buy a cookbook, But I Could Never Go Vegan! should be perfect. It's recipes are split up based on common excuses or worries people have when it comes to vegan cooking ("But I love sea food!", "What about cheese?", "Why does vegan food need to be so healthy!", etc). Thug Kitchen also has a lot of great, and healthy, recipes. They have a trailer if you're interested in seeing the, uh, "tone" of the book. Lastly, there's Isa Does It. I'd say her recipes are a bit fancier and take a little more effort to prepare, but if you're willing to learn she'll teach you everything from what to stock your pantry with to how to the different ways to chop tempeh. There shouldn't be any problem following anything in any of these books if you're willing to read the directions.
  
  I don't personally watch a lot of vegan cooking channels on youtube, but it might be worth checking out TheVeganZombie, Peaceful Cuisine for asian food, and the channels here.
  
  On staying motivated, I think it's pretty much required to constantly be reminded by why you want to be vegan in the first place. Regularly visit vegan communities like here, watch vegan, environmental, or animal rights-related documentaries like cowspiracy, earthlings, or Forks Over Knives, subscribe to vegan youtube channels like Bite Size Vegan or The Vegan Activist. It takes a lot more willpower than most people have to stay vegan in a community where everyone around you hasn't given the ethics or environmental aspects of meat production much thought. Worst of all, they might even view you as... weird... for even bothering. Just try to keep in mind the reasons other people get defensive, or even hostile when bringing up veganism, stay calm, and all will be well.
  
  I wish you the best of luck, hopefully you found some of this wall of text useful :)
  
  
  

Lots to unpack here! I think you've done an excellent job of listing all the things that are contributing. With this list, it is no surprise that sex is suffering. Sex/intimacy can often be an early indicator (canary in the coal mine) that something is wrong.

It really feels like you both need some help with body, mind, and soul. I could post what I use, but that's a novel.

I know that when finances are rough, it effects everything and makes everything much harder. Maybe you can both work as partners to address this as the highest priority--with the statement that you will work on more than one thing, but bills gotta get paid.

The other part of this is that we all need a purpose. Can he get a $15/hr job and really work on showing up and keeping that job? It can have a massive mental boost.

35? I highly suggest that you put whatever you were in the past...in the past. It doesn't matter if you were HL or if he was. Our bodies change, our responsibilities change, and our New Relationship Energy for our partner goes away. We're left with having to figure out how to be real adults and actualize our best self, and figure out how to long term couple.

I recommend (a lot) a few experts to watch and read up on. One might have a voice that speaks best to you. None of these links are long, but they all can make it clear that it is not hopeless, and what you are going through is common.

I'm very optimistic because of the positive changes I've experienced. I'm happy to discuss more if needed.

Recommendations:

• On what marriage really is.
  
• On how our view of sex is often wrong. This and This.
  
• On women's sex issues particularly.
  
• On him growing into an actual adult. This book can be a bit hard to understand, so here is a pretty good overview of the concepts....which should resonate with you as what you want from him
  
  

Hi! Over the years I've found a few good activities to assist my daughter with HUGE memory problems (amongst other things) with reading.
I think the thing she loved most was Starfall. It's a website that has different rhymes and stories for different reading rules, a lot of people recommend it.

I used the book, How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons. Which was helpful to a point, but then progress stalled with increasing word size.

On the review pages of Amazon it was suggested that the Bob books were a better way to go, as the child can read a whole book by themselves, fast - which is pretty motivating!

Good luck, hope you find what works for your step-sister! She's lucky to have such a caring sibling :)

>Which muscle do you think i should focus on before i start cutting?

​

All of them. What is your program? Get on a full-body program and do it every other day. Add high intensity interval training 1-2 times a week.

​

My friend, to get big and lean you have to count calories and watch your macros all the time (most of the time), also when bulking. From your post it seems like you think gaining is chilling and eating and focusing on a specific muscle. You focus on big compound lifts. You focus on increasing your strength in your lifts (as this is the most effective way of building muscle). When gaining you focus on eating the right amount of calories to not gain fat and have the optimal macros as much as possible (while allowing for having a somewhat normal social life unless your friends have really bad habits in which case you have to choose between doing as your friends do or getting bid and lean). You don't have carte blanche to eat a lot of dietary fat and drink a lot of alcohol because you are bulking. Once you get big and lean you will even have to keep watch forever if you want to keep your body that way.

The best thing you can do to get motivated might be to read Bigger Leaner Stronger. https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG

​

He explains all the methods and principles it takes to get big and lean citing scientific studies all the way. He even has a chapter about motivation and what kind of headspace you need to get into to make it. I think you need to internalize this book, because this is not going to cut it:

​

>Which muscle do you think i should focus onknowing that i have good muscle below the fat would help with motivation which is something i completly lack when it comes to eating low-cal.

Good luck! :)

For those of you who have the old edition, the newer edition of the book has a foreword that can be read on the Amazon page.

First Impressions

The first few paragraphs of the Introduction was all it took to reel me in. To explain, I need to provide a little backstory:

There are tons of research papers highlighting exactly what the benefits of meditation are, ranging from stress reduction to mood regulation and more, many of them mentioned on page xiv. In fact, that was my initial motivation for starting a practice several years back, but rather quickly I became confused by the often contradictory instructions online and all the Pali and Sanskrit words everywhere. I ended up doing basic samatha practice, but my motivation waned at times because I didn't have any clue about training the mind. After a while, I settled into a state of strong dullness and had no clue that it wasn't what I was looking for. I remember wondering why I felt spaced out all the time after my sessions.

One of the reasons I no longer frequent the meditation subreddit is because with hindsight I recognize there is a lot of bad advice there from people who don't know any better. I'll share a rather humorous example: I recently read a thread where a guy was clearly experiencing dullness/drowsiness, and the only thing making him aware of this was the fact that his own flatulence startled him to wakefulness. Well, the top few responses were just jokes and everyone who answered him seriously gave bad advice because they didn't know any better.

I just remember thinking that if I didn't have TMI I would've been stuck in dullness forever, probably. I wouldn't have gotten out of it with the help of that sub. So you can imagine my feelings of relief to find this book, and to have my gut feeling be validated.


Key Points

I think overall there are four key points in the Introduction:

• Through meditation it is possible to train your mind and to ultimately achieve awakening.
  
  
• There is (or, was) a strong need for a clear map of the process because with meditation's rise in popularity, fewer and fewer people are even aware of the potential for Awakening through meditation.
  
  
• Both samatha and vipassana are necessary for Awakening.
  
  
• "Brief episodes of samatha can occur long before you become an adept practitioner. Insight can happen at any time as well. This means a temporary convergence of samatha and vipassana is possible and can lead to Awakening at any stage."
  
  I find that last point in particular to be a tremendously powerful idea- one that I've used to great success during my sits. I have a problem with being impulsive. Thanks to meditation it's much less of an issue, but I'm not able to always maintain the long-term view. Being able to remind myself before every sit that if there is sufficient cooperation among the sub-minds Awakening can happen at any moment - that's a very important concept for me. It makes it much easier to cultivate a joyful attitude.
  
  

I have a mild case of ADD, so I can kinda empathize with you. I would reccomend books by Eric Hoffer. They are nonfiction, but still very fascinating. You can pretty much pick up his books and start on any sentence and enjoy his writing.

I would recommend you start with Reflections on the Human Condition or The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, although Reflections on the Human condition is less structured and more ADD friendly.

The advantage to his books is you don't have to finish them. You read what you want and enjoy it. Daydreaming inspired by his books is something I would encourage.

Babies don't eat pizza!!?? Oh yes they do! - I gave my baby girl some crust when she was teething and she loved it. But she REALLY likes food.

Here's my advice, in no particular order:

1. Cut yourself some slack. Like a lot of it. The first baby is a huge adjustment and you're not going to be perfect and that's ok. Love him/her and do your best.
   
   
2. Take care of yourself! Do whatever makes you happy when you have a minute - paint your nails, watch tv, whatever. You will be taking care of baby 24/7 so give yourself as much YOU time as you can.
   
   
3. Babies and kids go through phases. So when you're in the middle of a rough patch, know that it will end. You have no idea when, but eventually it will end. Likewise, when your baby is being super sweet and cute and everything is sunshine and roses, enjoy every second of it cause that too will end!
   
   
4. Buy this book, read it and follow the advice. Many moms recommended it to me over the years, and I didn't buy it until we started having major sleep problems with my 3 1/2 year old. I've been using the techniques on him AND my 9 month old daughter and I so wish I'd used it on him since the beginning. Sleep is such a big deal in parenting and this book made it really pretty simple.
   
   
5. Cradle cap - rub olive oil on babies head, let sit for 10 minutes, scrub off with a comb while baby is sleeping. Works.
   
   
6. Here is a hand drawn chalk drawing by my son of himself and his baby sister. Notice his war wound - sliced his earlobe open last week and got 4 stitches.

This is so normal, so common place, that I'm willing to say you are going through a very normal ( albeit an uncomfortable) phase.

This might sound a bit cliche, but the second you find direction...everything falls into place. Finding said direction is the hard part. But once you get it, it's almost magical how easier things become. Speaking from experience, I'd say that that should be your primary focus if you want to get out of this rut. Look for a place you want to be or a person you want to be and work towards it (give yourself a 203 year plan to get there so you don't beat yourself up when you fall short).

I have a few tips to help you on this trip.

• Stick with good friends. People who make you "feel better" are NOT good friends. People who challenge you, motivate you, and make your life richer are good friends.
  
  
• Throw people you don't like to the curb and never look back. "Nice" is the death of boldness. Be bold, even if it means letting people down, even if it means flat out pissing some people off. Obviously don't go looking for a fight, but if a genuine rotten person enters your life, tell them to go fuck themselves or flat out walk away. Doing this to bullies and assholes makes you feel vastly more confident.
  
  
• Walk in the woods. This clears you head so quickly that it's kind of odd.
  
  
• Hang out with people who are different than you, if only to get a taste of how others live. This includes members of the opposite sex platonically.
  
  
• Do something creative once a week. Write, paint, speak in public, whatever. I personally like to cook.
  
  
• Travel to a place you'd never think to go, annually if you can. Getting out of your town and seeing the world can really, really alter how you see the world. And it'll help you figure out what your major priorities are quickly.
  
  
• Avoid video games. I defend those as much as I can as entertainment pieces, but they are overall not good for you emotionally or socially. And no, online play is not social play. I'm not saying don't play them ever, but you should never consider video games to be a big part of your life or identity. And on that note, avoid "gamers" and people who call themselves that. You don't need that in your life.
  
  I'm assuming you're guy because it's reddit and I know how to work odds, so I'd recommend this book right away. It helped me through my funk and it's a great guide to channeling positive masculinity. I also recommend 'Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus' as a tool to help understand yourself and women, and the book Siddhartha (fucking excellent story of self discovery).
  
  

I feel like Mega Man would work only if they took noted from Alita in terms of action and characterization.

For those who have complaints about Alita, the movie is great considering it took the OVA's and Mangas pacing and packed it into the movie as faithful as possible. It took most of the emotional beats and spirit of the source material and emphasized the characters nicely.

Having Mega Man take a similar approach to the ever growing child like yet positive can-do-ness that Alita has would make him an easier character to take. Dr. Light takes a more old wise man role in the Hero's Journey, and Wiley being this shadow version of Light (Shadow Magician archetype from [King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Douglas Gillette and Robert L. Moore](King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062506064/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_EgVtDbNWBE4WC).)

And then add a tragic foil to Megaman that is Protoman and you have your self a very solid story for families about Fathers and Sons, becoming a real boy, and adapting to one's reality as well as what defines the call of duty.

Thanks for attending my ted talk. Please direct me to the nearest movie writing nerd subreddit.

Wow. The problem is not your son. The problem is this woman has no business teaching kinder. (to be fair, neither do I. 25 or more 5 year olds in my charge day after day would make me cry too) lol

Can you get your son into another class and see if he does better there?

If not, and you want to try homeschooling you can give this book a go:
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/

and the kinder book for:
http://www.hwtears.com/hwt

I also love Math u see www.mathusee.com but am not sure you need it now (or want to spend the money). Just google math worksheets/games for kinder and print some free stuff out.

Also, www.starfall.com is great and has some free stuff

Socialization is not that hard. He doesn't need to be around 20 or more kids his exact age 5 days per week. Sign him up for scouts or karate or something and find a homeschool support group.

If you are near a metropolitan area then finding a group is not hard. Look at meetup.com and yahoo groups. Also look on Facebook

Some groups are Christian only and require a statement of faith to join but there are also lots of "open" groups. I belong to several open groups and we are in Texas!

Each state has it's own "rules" for homeschooling. Most states don't require school attendance until 1st grade, so it may be less of an issue for you. Check out http://www.hslda.org/laws/ to see what you need to do. HSLDA is Christian but will help with legal defense of all homeschoolers.

> My friend from Hunnan province told me that he would never support China being a democracy since then 80% of the country would vote for an extremist hawk-party that would send nukes on America first chance they got.

This is exactly why I can understand some of the party's tight control on media.

Anyway,

Been reading this optimistic book:

https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

thought i'd share to a self proclaimed pessimist :D

Also recently read more deeply into China's more recent leaders like jian zemin (disgusting, corrupt as fuck) and hu jintao (pretty amazing). I was very surprised at Hu's contributions, people dont' really seem to talk about him.

In Hu’s words, "A Harmonious Socialist Society should feature democracy." Such a society, he says, will give full scope to people's talent and creativity, enable all the people to share the social wealth brought by reform and development, and forge an ever-closer relationship between the people and government.

Seems he also greatly increased transparency between the party and the public.

Who knows what xi and the future brings. Xi's father has an interesting background, Dali Lama met him and fondly recalled him as "very friendly, comparatively open-minded, very nice.". He was also responsible for the economic liberalisation in Guangdong, so I'm somewhat hopeful that his son, is comparatively (putin/erdogan) more considerate about his own people than profiting from exploitation.

>I seek to help others through the Bodhisattva Vow to help others reach enlightenment

Indeed, and it is the Noble Way, but remember that the vow of the Bodhisattva is to attain enlightenment for all sentient beings. It is not a vow of altruism, so do not be led astray by your feelings of compassion.

I understand your concern, that in non-attachment we lose our desire to help others; but I promise that is not the case. Non-attachment precludes nothing, compassion and love still shine through. In fact, far more radiantly, they can shine, for without an attachment to how things are or how things should be, compassion and love can more fully pervade all action and all speech. When we act with a pure mind, that is how we can benefit the world.

Furthermore, full awakening is not a requirement either; stream-entry is not a lofty goal, and will be enough for the purpose you seek to fulfill. It does not require becoming a nun or a monk, and is attainable if you are diligent (it all is, in fact), and so, to that end, I recommend this book, for its contemporary language and ease of understanding. It helped me in my meditation practice, and perhaps it may help yours, too.

You are experiencing modern angst. If you had lived only 100 years ago these feelings [for the most part] would not have had a chance to have arisen in the form you are expressing [stardust, universe experiencing itself] - be grateful you can do do it at all [I'm not saying people didn't have these feelings, like Camus, Neitzche, Descartes and others but that most average people didn't have the chance to worry like this, in the information laden way you are spitting it, since most people were busy feeding themselves and their families by farming etc]. So, yes, you are alive and it's all so crazy to think about.

Oh and yes, we do actually understand more than a "spec" of reality.

You say that if I am calm about what your saying then I am missing the point and haven't grasped the full implication of it's meaning. I say truth is relative and the truth of what you're saying is one of many perspectives I can tap into and get lost in. You seem to be hyperventilating only one stream of thought - your existential purpose, validity, meaning.

You seem to want someone to validate your feelings with an equal amount of shock and awe. Well you might get it, so what then? I'm not saying the knowledge you are talking about doesn't lead one to existential angst and confusion, but just remember what the Buddha said about the nature of reality. All is change. All is impermanent. This isn't some lofty metaphysical concept that is impossible to apply to everyday life. On the contrary, it is imminently important to understand so as to get a grip on your situation. If all is impermanent, then your feelings, opinions, knowledge etc.. is all impermanent. You are holding onto the feelings of utter confusion and awe. You have made a mistake unconsciously, that everyone does, when they mistake their immediate phenomenal experience as a permanent "thing" in reality. To be consistent with the Buddha's revelation one must relax, quiet the mind and understand the nature of reality - impermanence.

Read - Buddhism: Plain and Simple and also Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Questioning, the kind you seem to be doing, is just spinning your wheels if not tempered with a calm awareness and composure. Do you want to seek contentment and happiness? Do you want to feel resolve? Then shut your mind up for a moment. Listen to the birds chirp. Sit quietly in your room and watch your breathe. Work with your hands and feel reality in all it's textures. Just be aware. Hopefully you will have a long life to ponder these questions you have but for now don't make the mistake that so many neurotics do; mainly the mistake of attaching oneself to a overly anxious perspective while neglecting other modes of thought that are just as easily attachable. You have control over your mind, and your mind is doing all this anxious thinking.

If you want to have these questions turned upside down and be thrown into a different sort of thought then you must read Krishnamurti and his musings about life, love, truth, intelligence, nature.... "A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person, because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove." Jiddu Krishnamurti - more quotes here.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers” - Voltaire

Apply this quote to yourself. Spend time with it. What are you really asking and what answers are you really searching for?

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” - Buddha

Good luck.

I wasn't going to say anything until I saw this:

> Most of your skills are due to your size don't forget that

And now I feel compelled.

> Most runners are already lean and mean, so it seems taboo to talk about weight in these circles.

When you don't wear your insecurities on your sleeve it's easy to talk about your weight, and we do it all the time. There's a series of books about it.

> Flash back to me running at a lean 190, or 80lbs ago. Running was still hard, it's something I've never been good at.

Because you were overweight then too, with a BMI of around 26. As you later point out, it does not matter if it is muscle or fat. It's extra weight that you must move, requiring greater energy expenditure.

> but I am still much stronger than I was running, especially in the legs from squats and deadlifts

I bet your power-to-weight ratio is worse, not better. But you'll never know, so you can believe what you want.

> Some of you hear 270 lbs and picture me as this huge obese guy, but honestly i'm not THAT big, I have more a of a powerlifter body nowadays so it isnt 270lbs of straight fat.

Every fat man who goes to the gym once in a while is a power lifter.

> I was basically just granny power walking with the very little bit of glycogen I had left in my legs.

You were not out of glycogen. Nothing in a couch-to-5k program is going to put you in that position.

> I wasn't even remotely tired from a cardio perspective, its just my legs can NOT handle this weight.

Were you wearing a heart rate monitor? I am willing to bet you were in at least zone 3 if not zone 4. Lower body discomfort tends to drown out cardio vascular discomfort.

> Put a 75-100lb vest on, and we're in the ballpark.

Actually, no. This is not remotely accurate. As you also pointed out previously and know to be true, because you weigh 270 pounds your legs have adapted to moving that weight just to function day-to-day. I can barely walk while carrying 100 pounds, and I'm willing to bet you would have almost as difficult of a time. I guarantee that you would not be running with a 100 pound weight vest on if you can't handle couch to 5k.

> Imagine how embarrassing it was to see me come in limping across the finish line with a 21:45

For someone who weighs 270 pounds and is only in week 4 of C25k, a sub 11 minute mile is not terrible.

> disgusted with my performance, breathing like I had just run a marathon

But you just said that running doesn't make you tired "from a cardio perspective" so why were you breathing heavy? Also, by the way, marathon pace doesn't induce particularly hard breathing (except maybe in the sub 2:30 elite class?) or particularly high heart rate because it would be unsustainable for the time it takes to run a marathon. You mean breathing like you had just run a 2 mile speed trial. It never gets easier, you just get faster.

> Is it my cardio? Not really, I wasn't even really tired up until the last half mile and I gutted it out

If you weren't breathing hard until the last half mile it means you were not running at the right pace. For a two mile time trial, you should start breathing very hard almost immediately because you should be running above your VO2 max threshold for that short of a distance. It also means that yes, yes, it is very much your cardio. You are not nearly as fit as you think you are. You're fat. The two are mutually exclusive.

> because personally I believe cardio is largely mental.

You would be wrong. Cardio fitness is an incredibly well studied aspect of human physiology. It is not mental.

> y theory is once you reach a certain weight(and this weight is largely based on your height, amount of muscle mass, and training experience) you are absolutely fucked(and I mean bent over the kitchen counter fucked) as runner. I mean it really didn't make sense.

Why wouldn't it?

Did you take high school physics?

This is not rocket science. Try running up a hill. Is it harder than running on a flat surface? Yes it is! Why? Because you have to fight against the force of gravity. Lifting a weight is a lot harder than rolling a barbell around on the ground for the same reason. You must overcome gravity to perform work. When you move a heavier mass it is harder.

> And yet I was still like 20x faster than I am right now

No you weren't. You did not run a 2 mile time trial in less than 1 minutes.

> despite me being much stronger and a more experienced runner.

You cannot become less experienced in running over time. You can lose conditioning but not experience.

> I used to run like a runaway hospital patient. No grace, no form, no technique, no breathing, nothing.

So you were not an experienced runner then? You were a rank amateur? Got it.

> I have breathing down to a T

Which explains why you didn't start breathing hard (e.g., 1 breath per step) for your two mile time trial until the bottom 800 meters, right?

> my legs are stronger,

(but your power-to-weight ratio is lower)

> I have pretty much mastered the POSE technique

The what now?

> and I personally think I run pretty sexy for a massive powerlifter.

Again, you are wrong. I promise you that the way you imagine your fat sloshing around while you run is not the way it actually sloshes around.

> Mostly because I was in the target weight zone

You were about 60 pounds heavier than your ideal racing weight of around 155, or BMI of 21. Show me an Olympic runner in any distance (not sprinters) with a BMI of 26 and I'll eat my words.

> As your weight decreases your running performance goes up. This is what I have seen.

To a point. Most people will tell you that their race PRs are usually at higher-than-usual weight (though typically only 2-3% higher than their normal BMI which is probably 21-23). This is usually because PRs come from tapering down mileage in preparation for an event which causes temporary weight gain due to lower mileage for the same eating habits. And there is certainly a point at which your BF% is so low that weight loss equals muscle loss. It's all about power-to-weight ratio.

> Don't ever get fat.

Preach bruh.

> I am not even closed to being one of the most experienced runners on this forum

But that doesn't stop you from spouting advice now does it?

> Most of your skills are due to your size don't forget that.

... And this is why I'm bringing you back down to earth, because this is literally the least informed thing anyone has ever said on this subreddit and if you've been here for more than the 10 seconds it took you to find the "Text Post" button you'd know that's saying a lot.

Running skill takes discipline, putting in the hard workouts that most people won't do. It means constantly putting yourself in physical discomfort over extended periods of time to work toward a goal.

The beautiful thing about this is that it is almost impossible to put in the level of effort to become a skilled runner and stay fat. All I need to do is look at you and I know instantly that you are not a skilled runner and have not put in the work. You might have been a skilled runner in the past but you sure as shit aren't one now.

> Dont ever talk down to big runners and say they are not trying hard enough.

You have not tried hard enough for long enough or you wouldn't still be big.

> and running fat and being overweight is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.

It never gets any easier. You just get faster.

I have a similar arc and would like to emphasize a few things that I find important. Please take these suggestions with a hefty grain of salt because my journey is ongoing, I've slipped many a times, and each person is unique in their own right so what is categorically important for me may not be the same for you.

1. Please, please, quit chewing tobacco. I did it for 5 years myself while a college athlete. It's gross and worse the damage it can cause to your gums is irreversible. The stuff isn't worth it and one of my biggest regrets is the damage I caused (evident in every smile...)
   
2. Ditch pornography. The single worst thing to ever happen to me was stumbling upon that filth.
   
3. Make it a priority to get a restful night of sleep. Like routinely. Don't skimp on it because really anything less than 7-8 hours and you greatly increase the risk of lapsing back into bad habits.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
   
   That link is a great book changed my whole outlook on the importance of proper rest.
   
   Just to tie this back to fasting somewhat, seeing as it is a fasting sub lol, I, like many others and yourself as well I'm sure, have found fasting to be an incredible way of providing emotional and mental clarity.
   
   Overall, I think what you're doing is awesome! I'm 26, so not too far from you age wise, but I feel like (and i don't mean to come off as elitist or anything) mindsets like this are definitely in the minority in today's society or at least in our age cohort.
   
   Oh and lastly be careful with your reintroduction of food on the longer fasts. This is anecdotal, but I've found that when indulging in my 5 day fast refeeds, I generally will crash, and subsequently find myself prone to start entertaining the idea of going out and buying a tin or firing up my computer and searching some illicit site.
   
   Be vigilant with yourself but don't beat yourself too much if you slip. I've found it's a fine line to walk. Anyways, apologies for the rant. Best of luck in adhering to the plan you've set forth and hopefully it will reap great things for you in the same way that I hope mine does for me as well.

OP I'm here to help you out. You want real advice? You want to avoid the filthy hatred of the other opinions here?

Brendan Brazier. Look him up. Check out his bio.

He has a free site up called Thrive Foreword with a lot of very helpful videos.

He's released probably the best damn nutrition guide ever.

He's also released a Recipe book. and a Fitness Exercise book. I myself was not really impressed with the Fitness book, but the recipes are awesome.

All that said. This is intelligent, well rounded advice for Vegan athletes. Granted, his own techniques were developed for Ironman Triathlon (which is nothing to scoff at), so you'll get a full body strength as opposed to top heavy swole.

But, the advice and ideas in the book are fantastic anyways. It'll help you understand what health and diet really need. You'll just need to work in a better upper body workout on top of this.

The book itself it a hack-job hit piece on men, and Ben Sixsmith's review – which is what's linked – is a great takedown of Plank's "work."

If anyone is interested in further reading regarding actual masculinity and what men face today, here's a small reading list:

• King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine, by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette [Both of these two gentlemen work is generally worth reading but this is the best breakdown of the positive and negative sides of masculinity that I've found. It also equipped me to start tackling my own masculinity in earnest; especially once I had the "immature masculine" models laid out before me in this book.]
  
• The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It, by Warren Farrell PhD and John Gray PhD. [Don't let the title mislead you; Farrell does an excellent job of identifying the overarching issues facing men today and from where they seem to stem. His use of "you're son" in the place of a proverbial "you" takes some getting used to, but it is every bit an eve-opening, depressing, motivating, and forthright read. This was tied for the top of this list with 'KWML. The importance of a present and engaged father cannot be ignored any longer.']
  
• The Myth of Male Power, by Warren Pharrell PhD. [Another hard-hitting contribution from Farrell, this entry challenges the dogma of the entire concept of a patriarchy an does so well-armed with stats, studies, and facts. Men being indoctrinated into being expendable with the illusion of gaining/having power could be (I believe it's VERY likely) a huge contributor to the increasing plight of men in western societies, despite the deluge of rhetoric claiming men are so powerful they oppress everyone else.]
  
  I may even make a separate post for this because it's very important to me. I am in the middle of researching and writing a book that, I hope, does what Plank's drivel claimed to do. The materials here are just a few selections I've come across in my research. Maybe I can elaborate more on my work if I make a more comprehensive 'recommended reading' post re: masculinity. I'd love to see more discussion around this as I believe it's exactly the kind of thing to tackle in a community like this.

I've tried a ton of stuff to fix my 'sleep maintenance insomnia'. I can only sleep 5 hours then still tired but wake up. I literally have almost no stress in my life right now (unusual I know) so don't think CBT will help. I've also used at least 5 sleep trackers: Zeo, Beddit, ResMed, FitBit and a couple more.

The fascinating thing about Trazadone is it great increases my deep sleep according to my ResMed tracker (the best and surprisingly cheapest sleep tracker). I'm still short on total sleep and experimenting again with melatonin - specifically REMFresh mentioned by my psychologist.

I've not had nightmares from Trazadone in the last several months, but I also almost never have nightmares so am not currently pre-disposed. I don't watch horror movies though.

Sorry about the anxiety and depression.

Also a friend just recommended this book which is great: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316

I've read a dozen books and hundreds of other articles. Reading this is the first time I've learned new and clarifying information in a long time. It is extremely well researched + written by a world class sleep expert. It's also on Audible which is great if you have tired eyes like me.

Hope some of that's helpful. Though not all pointedly answering your question these are the most valuable things I've learned in the last year.

I'd recommend trying to cut out horror movies and continuing with the trazadone. My gf loves horror too. It distracts her from her anxiety and though I don't claim to be an expert it logically self perpetuates some of these issues. I have other behaviors I need to break which perpetuate mine as well.

I recently finished reading a book called Why We Sleep that changed the way I think about it in a dramatic way.

The author (Matthew Walker) addresses the issue of insomnia and offers tips to overcome insomnia.

He talks about using a specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as a way to address underlying sleep problems instead using a band-aid approach. There are some apps for CBT-I, but I don't have any experience using them.

Looking at your situation, there are a few tips that will probably be more helpful than others. First things first: define a time to go to sleep and a time to wake up. Stick to those times every single day, even weekends. If your experience is anything like mine, it could take 4-6 weeks to get used to the change.

Next, if you're laying in bed unable to fall asleep (after 20-30 minutes), get up and do something relaxing. You want your bed to be associated with sleep and rest, not anxiety from not being about to sleep.

I often use the Sleep With Me podcast to help me fall asleep. Highly recommend giving that a try.

It's worth nothing that melatonin isn't actually effective, except in older people and while trying to deal with jet lag.

If you're a fan of the Joe Rogan podcast, the Matthew Walker episode is basically his book condensed into a two hour conversation.

ETA: Rogan podcast
List of good sleep tips
The book also goes into the negative effects of sleeping pills, as well as the incredible benefits of good sleep. Highly recommend for a better understanding of what is going on and things you can do to make the changes.

Yes!!!! Like the other post says - unless you're an athlete protein isn't really a concern, assuming you eat a fairly balanced, healthy diet. If you are an athlete I can't recommend this book enough. Actually, all of his books are great.

I went vegan over 4 years ago and have never felt better or been healthier in my life! Plus it's nice to know that I'm doing my part to help animals and the planet. Here's a list of some other books/resources that have helped me immensely along the way, for anyone else who might be considering the transition:


Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet

How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure

Oh She Glows (Food Blog)

Keepin' It Kind (Food Blog)

It takes work and is difficult at first, like most things in life that are worthwhile, but I promise you that it is very, very rewarding once you understand that you have made the commitment to live in a healthy and kind way. :)

I posted this in another thread but figured it might be helpful to you as well:

If you haven't already go read Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews. Located help

Took me about four hours to read the whole book and it changed the way I work out, eat and look at gains. The best part of the book is the first few chapters when he defines all the terms of bodybuilding. You would be surprised how little you actually know.

I am in week two now of his program and it is brutal but fun. Everyone I talk to thinks I am insane (ONLY three exercises most days?! Only four sets of six reps?) but the science of overloading is proven and it has definitely helped me mentally and physically with soreness/gain ratio.
Also, are you keeping a good log of what you are doing and eating? I thought I was eating a lot of calories and protein but after logging for two weeks, I found that I was coming up short in both areas. Only 3200 calories on average and just barely at my protein intake. Low GI carbs had to be increased and a lot of foods I thought were Low GI carbs were actually high GI carbs.

Make sure you stick to your log and log everything you eat. Use calorieking.com to figure out the values of all your foods. Do not forget to include dressings/cheese/bread when computing. I think you will be amazed at how different the actual amounts are than what you thought!

Hope this helps.

Seconding what /u/alc12 said.

With twins the first year is about survival, so you end up throwing a lot of your personal convictions out the window. lol

First and foremost - pick up the book Twins, Triplets and Quads. It has university research for prolonging your pregnancy as long as possible so nice big, healthy babies. It was recommended to me by another twin Mom. My OB said I'd be lucky to make 34 weeks, and I made 37+5. My girls had 0 NICU time. I believe it's largely due to this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497145941&sr=8-1&keywords=twins+triplets+quads

Do you have any family members (Mom, Sister) who can come live with you the first 5-6 months? The more support you can get, the better off your experience will be - especially if you plan to breastfeed. And if you have the cash, honestly... interview a few professional night-nurses or caregivers now, before the babies come, even if you think you may not ever call them. It will be much harder to interview someone with confidence when you are in the throws of the first 4 weeks of your twins life.

How involved was your husband with the first two pregnancies? Twins are a different animal and it's very "all hands on deck"! You'll need to trade off shifts for survival at night, each of you getting 5 solid hours of sleep. We did two shifts 10p-3a, 3a-8a. If he was very hands off with the first two, a little mental prep of how much you are going to need him will go a long way to preventing resentment from a partner later on. Even if you are 100% sure that you can handle it all on your own.. prep him just in case.

I won't lie and say that twins are easy. They are hard. But they are also very rewarding and it sounds like with 4 close in age they are going to be best of buds. Congratulations on your additions to the family :)

This was my wifes inspiration. https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483150828&sr=8-1&keywords=twins+triplets+and+quads
She is very into fitness and eats very healthy. This book told her the importance of weight gain for twins and wait gain early on. So you still have time. We have both found that the super fit pregnancy is the new thing so moms can look awesome in 6 weeks again and she said that wasn't right for her and couldn't take that risk with twins. (Everyone is different and that is no slam on anyone. We have just noticed a trend of skinny mommies and under weight babies and wast going to do that.) She packed on the weight and thankfully it was all belly and looked incredible the whole time.
Best of luck with you. Keep us updated on how it goes. This Sub has been amazing for us.

Buy this set of books. Read them yourself. Then read them with your daughter, as much as you're ready for. Leave them out where she can look through them herself.

http://www.amazon.ca/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

http://www.amazon.ca/Its-So-Amazing-Babies-Families/dp/0763613215/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/177-6181848-2944312

http://www.amazon.ca/Its-Perfectly-Normal-Changing-Growing/dp/0763644846

By the way, it's not the "bad kids" at school who know about this stuff. In fact, it was very likely to be my own kids, who were as far from "bad" as you can possibly imagine. They simply had the benefit of having two parents who were involved in teaching a variety of different sex ed courses, and who were never uncomfortable discussing it with them.

I still remember my kids running into the house one summer afternoon, yelling, "Mom, mom, (our neighbours' 7 and 9 year old girls) don't know what a condom is!"

I said, "So, what did you tell them?"

Very primly, my nine year old girl said, "I told them condoms are a barrier method of contraception."

And my seven year old son jumped in and said excitedly, "And I told them condoms are like balloons, but never ever write on them with permanent markers, because they'll POP!"

It's hilarious what kids take away at different ages!

Give your daughter the gift of accurate information about her body, about sex, and about relationships. Not only will you be doing her a favour by empowering her with facts, but you'll also be helping every other kid she might choose share this information with.

My daughter's now in Grade 11 and has had to correct more than one of her friends on some basic facts. Yes, you CAN get pregnant if you do it standing up. The first time is not a "freebie". The Pill won't protect you from STIs. Using a tampon doesn't mean you're not a virgin any more, and no, it won't migrate into your uterus and get lost up there. Always go out with friends, stick with them, and never leave a drink unattended. Exposing yourself on chat roulette is a Very Bad Idea.

As for what other kids (who are also not "bad kids") might tell your daughter... I once had a very entertaining afternoon listening through my window to one 9 year old boy who was very seriously explaining to another 9 year old boy that all babies are the same when they start growing in their mummy's bellies, but then boys get "outies" and girls get "innies" and that's why boys and girls fit together when they have sex. There's always some interesting stories going around the school yards! Better to give your kids the real story, yourself.

Here's the book: Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin--Completely Revised and Updated https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738215147/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_32I6wb343CAPD

I absolutely love my Dexcom. However I have insurance that pays for all durable medical equipment and I definitely wouldn't be able to afford the sensors otherwise. I do get 10-12 days out of one sensor though so it still may be worth you getting a price estimate from them!

I do have a child! Pregnancy with diabetes is far from trivial, but it is doable. You'd be amazed at the amount of motivation that appears out of nowhere once another life is involved! This is a good intro and reference to pregnancy with diabetes: Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932603328/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_d7I6wb4NHH7NZ . I also was hugely inspired by Kerry Sparling's blog, SixUntilMe. Look it up, she's amazing (and very real)!

In The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins argues that the primary unit of natural selection is the gene (as opposed to the individual or the species). He even refers to any given organism as a "survival machine" for its genes.

Let's rethink your example of the Arctic moths: Given enough time, it is fair to assume that mutations will randomly occur in the gene that controls color. Genes for lighter coloration will allow their survival machines to better avoid predators, giving them longer lifespans and therefore more opportunities to reproduce. All of this translates to an evolutionary advantage for light-color genes over dark-color genes.

But wait! Before the dark-color genes completely die out, a new mutation develops: a gene (or more likely a set of genes) that endows the moths with the instinct and/or ability to build and stay in a safe-house.

Now we have two completely different survival strategies, but they are not necessarily in direct competition with one another. Either strategy on its own increases the chance of of an individual moth's longevity, therefore reproductive opportunity, therefore gene transmission. If the safe-house mutation (I think we are assuming that this is the stronger survival strategy) comes after the light-color mutation, light color will become obsolete as a determining factor of gene success. But it will likely still exist as some sort of co-dominant variation with no substantive impact on selection (like hair or eye color).

But what if, you ask, the safe house mutation came first? The population of moths has already gained the advantage of maximum longevity and has no need for camouflage. Light colors appear here and there over time, but never gain traction since they offer no evolutionary advantage. (like albinism or sixth fingers)

That's just the way it goes. The development of safe-house building moths displays natural selection in action, not its obsolescence. The moths didn't get together and decide to start building nests. They're just doing what their randomly mutated genes are telling them to do.

Sure, this cannot be said for humans so easily. We have the capacity to decide whether we put on camo, get to a safe place, or hit the gym. We can get our beefy brains around complicated problems like steel production and genetically engineered food (Woohoo! Unnatural selection!). So why do we need genes anymore?

The answer is: We don't. We never needed genes. Genes need us to ensure their transmission into the next generation. Furthermore, genes don't know anything; they just give us a blueprint and replicate. They don't know about the asphalt streets and air conditioning, they just keep on replicating with no regard to environment.

Then, a complicated mix of environment, timing, competition, food sources, predation, etc. determine which survival machines are best suited for reproduction. This happens over millions of years. In his/her lifetime a disadvantaged individual can become more successful as a survival machine (create more offspring) than an advantaged individual, but a disadvantaged gene will ALWAYS get weeded out through the eons.

In this respect, only the gene can become obsolete. The process of natural selection will always be at work as long as there is life.

As for the drastic change you mention in your edit, there is a flaw here. You seem to equate evolution with progress (stronger bones, tougher CNS, and so forth). It is important to note that evolution happens randomly at the mutation level. An individual might receive a mutated gene that gives him/her stronger bones, but that doesn't do anything for the new gene (let alone the species) until he/she makes babies that make babies that make babies until the gene finally gets a dominant presence in the gene pool. So the answer there is yes, if the catastrophe takes several generations to do its damage AND we get lucky with the mutations that occur in that tight window.

TL;DR: Natural selection is always going on, and various iterations of the gene that become obsolete as they are "selected" for failure. We will never see any substantive evolutionary change to a species occur within one human lifetime, but records show that it's simply the way life works in the grand scheme of things. Also, try to make some babies and die before the apocalypse comes.

>Is it just for beginnings as I assume or is there anything useful experienced lifters can get out of it?

I had been lifting for ~10 years when I finally picked it up. Think of it as a book for people just starting to strength train or want to start actually studying/learning the trade, regardless of how long you've been training. I actually just finished re-reading it last week, I try to brush up once a year on my basics and given my recent bout of tendinitis I figured it was time. Right now I'm 175lbs w/ a 515 lb deadlift and a 425lb squat, and those are real numbers, not half ass squats or hitched deadlifts.

Starting Strength isn't a program, it's like a shop manual for lifting. How to do exercises (also quite a bit on how not to do them), why their done, how to program your routine effectively, etc. He gives a sample routine somewhere in the book but that's about it as far as him telling you when to do what.

As for "Maximum Strength", I haven't read it or heard of it before and the tagline is enough to make me not want to, "Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program." IMO anything that says something to the effect of "get all the plus with none of the minus," which in this case is all the strength w/o the years of training, is bogus.

I also do not like P90x or cross fit.

FWIW, my recommendation

I also liked this book . It's good for info on the Olympic lifts, just be forewarned Greg Everett (the author of this book) disagrees w/ Starting Strength's author on how the clean is initiated. Seems minor but as you'll find out the starting position is very important since it dictates how the rest of the lift goes. Personally, I side with Starting Strength.

These are a number of my favorite books, and all of which are great reads.

• Philosophy: The Golden Chain of Homer is probably one of the most important books ever written in the field of Alchemy, which delves very deep into Philosophical territory.
  
  
• Business/ Economics/ Finance: The Economic Way of Thinking is always held in high regards as an excellent book in presenting basic economics. It presents the subject in a clear, and concise way, and meant to develop a new way of thinking for those new to economics.
  
  
• Non-Fiction/ Technology/ Science: The Road to Reality has a very nice overview of the essential mathematics of modern physics, and goes into a nice discussion of quantum mechanics and string theory.
  
  
• Current Affairs: A Sociology of Mental Illness is a great insight into current issues in the field of mental illness. You'll never see mental illness in the same way ever again after reading this book.
  
  
• Specialized Topic: Traditional Blacksmithing is probably one of my favorite books of all time. This is as good a discussion and instruction into traditional blacksmithing as you will find, as well as good advice into how a blacksmith ought to conduct himself to live a well rounded lifestyle.

You'll be fine.

It's going to be a bit of a life change but it's totally manageable. The best thing you can do is learn as much about your condition as you can because you're going to be the one managing it day-to-day.

Start by learning to carb count so you can match your insulin dose to what you're eating. There's info on the internet but the book Think Like A Pancreas was a godsend to me when I was diagnosed and I recommend it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Managing-Diabetes-Insulin-Completely/0738215147

Hypos can be very scary but as long as you have good hypo awareness (i.e. you start to feel like crap when your blood sugar is low!) they're nothing to be afraid of. Find a hypo treatment that works for you and make sure you always have it with you. I find running gel works for me.

Alcohol can mess up your blood sugar levels overnight but you can still drink alcohol. Maybe take it easy until you get the hang of managing your blood sugar.

There's a lot of bad information about diabetes on the internet. This sub is one of the good places to learn :-)

Best of luck!

My maternal grandmother had twins as well! It's weird, a lot of moms I know who had twins, their grandmother had twins too. Even the nurses at the hospital asked if my maternal grandmother had twins.

Book recommendation! "When you're expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" by Dr. Barbara Luke. This book was my go-to for everything I experienced during pregnancy. It's really great, and the woman who wrote it has over 20 years experience with multiple pregnancies! So check it out. :)

Eat. Everything. Don't be afraid to gain lots of weight. I think I ate my weight in pineapple every week. Oh, and prenatal vitamins.... and SLEEEEEEEP! I slept like, 20 hours a day for the first trimester! I only woke up to eat and go to the bathroom. lol It's soooo important you get lots of rest and don't overdo it. If at any point in your life you don't overdo it, this next 7 months is IT! (I watched the entirety of Gilmore Girls, read, slept, and ate. Oh man I ate. lol)

And have fun! Enjoy the quiet, because once they get here, that's IT! haha Congrats!! PM me if you want to chat :)

Hi, T1 here. Look up typeonegrit on facebook. Also the Dr Bernstein group too. Every T1 has their own way of managing things though, and it can depend on other health factors. Low carb or keto, varies per person. Also, if she is recently diagnosed and could be still in the honeymoon phase, things can be quite volatile, as in bg changes rapidly, I:C ratios and correction factors can change a lot too, as do insulin requirements. If low carb is a big dietary change for her, she needs good resources.

Look up Dr Bernstein Diabetes Solution--he is an octogenarian type 1 who has zero complications. Was an engineer who became an endo after diagnosis in middle age, helped get blood meters into common use and much more. I can't recommend his work and book enough. Look up the book Think Like a Pancreas for general type 1 info, and also Sugar Surfing (Dr. Stephen Ponder--not low carb but has great resources and a good book) too.

It is a fact that low carb can help with the roller coaster of type 1. There are over 42 factors affecting blood glucose levels, with only about 3 that one can control (food, medication, exercise). The rest are often a surprise. Eventually, she may find she needs to bolus for protein but that can take a good while to figure out as that ratio is absolutely not the same as a carb ratio (mine, for example, is 30% of my bolus). Many endos don't even know this because they usually do not treat low carb type 1's. It will take a lot of trial and error again, especially if she is in the honeymoon phase. Also if she's a woman, her cycle will greatly affect her insulin sensitivity and resistance throughout her cycle, depending on what the progesterone is doing in the body. So leading up to her period, she can experience extreme highs, or low, depending on the day. So you can feel like your i:c ratio is not correct, but it's just our other hormones messing things up. Most type 1 info seems to be geared towards the male body, and a high carb diet. It's a bit harder for women to get the correct info. Also, most people will have different IC ratios for different times of the day, but not all people. Is she pumping yet or on MDI?

One more thing: https://diatribe.org/42factors

There's also a couple type 1 specific subs on reddit if she's not there already--check out diabetes_t1, although not specifically low carb, some of us there are.

I cannot state this enough--if she's honeymooning things can be tough and change a lot.

Hope this helps!

Edit: some endos will think you're nuts or mostly not be supportive if you go low carb and many dietitians will push high carbs--mine wanted me to eat more carbs than I ever have in my life sometimes smiling and nodding helps, then confound them with good results and say "hmmm, lucky I guess?"? so...keep reading and finding the resources you need and a good endo/team.

Edit 1: yes, she should talk to her endo in case there are other concerns and massive dietary changes need to be done slowly and carefully. Anything weird happening, talk to the endo asap.

Edit 2: she needs to basal test regularly--carb reduction can result in a need to lower basal rates, even if its 1 unit for example, so basal tests are an absolute must.

​

PS: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Ketogenic-Diet-for-Type-1-Diabetes-Ellen-Davis/9781943721054?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base1&utm_source=CA&utm_content=The-Ketogenic-Diet-for-Type-1-Diabetes&selectCurrency=CAD&w=AF4BAU9603F04YA80TR7&pdg=kwd-309174813119:cmp-710395099:adg-40837325721:crv-163852249878:pid-9781943721054:dev-c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JXtBRC8ARIsAEBHg4mj7BkbBFvRSpL-223vh1ZXz745TrN_FsxICdkmwtRopsy6vVhuG6saAt9BEALw_wcB

http://www.diabetes-book.com/

http://www.diabetes-book.com/about/

https://www.sugarsurfing.com/

https://www.amazon.ca/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Insulin-Completely/dp/0738215147

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ11OJynsvHMsN48LG18Ag

You should check out this book if you have some time and a spare $10.

Ignore the vegan part if you like, but the rest is amazing info, and it sounds like you're headed in the direction the book suggests.

The reason you are not hungry and feel better is you are eating foods that provide a net energy gain because they take very little energy to digest. The book has a ton of info on other grains, pseudo-grains, legumes and such that I think you might enjoy adding to your meal plans.

msg me if you want to know more, I've been on the diet for a while now and it's amazing. Esp the morning smoothies.

--> Start here: Watch this and this...and then let your mind wander. I still watch these and walk away with new insights and some glimmer of hope of a better future. I hope you feel better!

***

this is just for fun, but equally thought-provoking.

****

Sometimes this or this helps...there is beauty in the world.

They say learning and working on your craft breeds mindfulness and keeps you centered. What is your craft? Computer programming is a modern craft that requires no money to start...just open up text editor and the terminal and away you go. Try this or this, lifelong learning can keep your mind clean and clear.

The Bhagavad Gita helps me as well.

Our minds are like a prison...but there are no locked doors. Only you can find your way out. Good luck.

Not a problem! Ah yes, I was wondering if, since you did a fairly extensive reno, you did some soundproofing in the ceiling/floor.

For what it's worth, we just moved into a new home and did some renos, all of the doors are hollow. Downstairs we have a combo mud/laundry room that is directly across the hall from the stairs that lead upstairs and our living room upstairs is adjacent to those stairs. The washer and dryer are fairly old and noisy. If laundry room door is open, the sound just travels right up the stairs and we can clearly hear the washer and/or dryer running. But when that door is closed, there is a slight noise if you listen carefully, but even with a hollow door, the sound is significantly reduced. We don't have any insulation between floors. Then, in our master (upstairs down the hall), if both the laundry room door and master doors are closed, we don't hear a thing.

So, my two cents, ya you probably want a solid door for that electrical closet just to cut down that noise for general living as well as your situation. But I think you could get away with hollow for your other doors. And hopefully any remaining residual noise would just be of the white/muffled variety.

Actually speaking of white noise, you/your wife may want to think about getting a white noise set-up. It would totally block out any residual noise coming from below. Then once kiddo arrives, you have white noise to help them sleep. When we had our twin boys 5.5 years ago, white noise was a great help in allowing them undisturbed sleep when we were in a much smaller house. We just used a old ipod nano with some ocean sounds plugged into one of those cheap iPod players... actually we're still using it now!

And, sorry getting off topic a bit here... but if you don't have it yet, please buy this book - http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0449004023. Trust me on this, buy it and do what it says... it's really short and simple, but it's indispensable. Because if it (well, the special twin version), our kids are sleeping champions.

Ok this is gonna be long, but hopefully it'll help you and others (typing it out actually helped me too).

First off, even if my post history will end up making me look like a shill I will never stop recommending this book because it inspired the crap out of me: Bigger Leaner Stronger, by Mike Matthews. If you have iBooks you can get a free preview so you can get an idea of what the book is about.

Get it, read it, read it again, do the stuff in it, and you WILL lose weight and get in shape. Since I'm bored I'll give you a quick rundown of what you need to know and do in order to get started.

The one rule to rule them all: you gotta eat less calories than your body burns in 24 hours. That's the ONLY way you will lose weight.

To find out how many calories that is I entered your info into a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator available online. That told me you need about 2800 calories per day (give or take, it will never be 100% accurate), at least assuming you lead a not very active lifestyle and only walk/jog on the treadmill a few days a week. If you have a more active lifestyle or spend more time in the gym you'll need more calories than that.

If you wanna try it yourself, here are two TDEE calculators you can use:

https://tdeecalculator.net/

http://damnripped.com/tdee-calculator/

Now, keep in mind that 2800 calories is what your body needs every day to maintain your weight. If you want to lose weight you'll need to eat less than that. How much less? Depends on how aggressively you want to lose weight and how low you can comfortably go. I'd say start by cutting out 500 calories from that, if you feel like you can go lower (or if you're not losing weight) then do it, but I wouldn't go lower than 1600-1700 calories or you will not only lose fat, but muscle as well. You don't want that, as the presence of muscle actually helps you lose weight.

Ok so now you know that you need to eat between 1800 and 2300 calories in order to lose weight, but how do you calculate that? Enter MyFitnessPal and a food scale. Download the former, buy the latter, and log EVERY SINGLE THING YOU EAT OR DRINK. Use the scale to know exactly how many servings of something you're having. If what you're eating has a barcode on the package scan that and it will automatically find the product for you, otherwise type the name of the food and choose the one that most closely describes what you're eating.

All of that said, while CICO (calories in calories out) alone will be enough to lose weight, you should eventually figure out your macronutrient (proteins/fats/carbs) intake as well (which the TDEE calculator I linked can also help you with). A calorie is a calorie no matter where it's coming from, sure, but again that's only gonna help you lose weight, not fat. What's the difference? Fat is fat, weight is fat+muscles+water etc. As mentioned before, you don't really wanna lose muscle, so you need to eat the right amount of macronutrients based on your goals (maintaining, cutting, or bulking, in our case cutting)

A high protein diet is necessary to lose weight. Low carb diets like Keto work because they not only keep you from eating more than your TDEE, but because they replace calories coming from carbs with calories coming from protein. Not only does your body use proteins to feed your muscles and help them recover faster, but it takes it a lot longer to process proteins than carbs for example. What that means is that food rich in protein will keep you full considerably longer than foods rich in carbs.

The general rule of thumb is to eat about 0.8 grams to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight every day, although that can go a bit higher in your (and my, and most people on here) case because we are overweight. That means we can eat up to 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.

In your case, that would amount to 252 to 315 grams of protein every day. Holy shit that's a lot, do you have any idea how much freaking chicken you'd have to eat every day to reach that?? Let's make it easier by starting at the low end, so 252 grams. Still a lot of chicken tho. I would suggest investing in some protein powder (Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard has been my go to since the first time I stepped foot in a gym 12 years ago), it'll make it much easier and cheaper to hit your macro goals. Plus that shit is delicious, get the chocolate flavor, mix it with some low fat milk or almond milk and you'll almost feel guilty drinking something that tastes so good.

Ok now we know how much protein we need, how about fats? First, keep in mind that 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. Knowing that we want our diet to be mostly protein, we can come up with a ratio, maybe a 40/30/30 split? That's 40% of your total calories coming from protein, 30% from fats, and 30% from carbs.

We know we want 252 grams of protein per day, so that's 1008 calories coming from protein. If we're aiming for a total of 2300 calories per day that leaves us with 1292 calories to split between fats and carbs. That means we have 646 calories for fats and 646 calories for carbs. Divide that by 9 calories to get how many grams of fat you'll need (72gr), divide it by 4 calories to find the carbs (161). And there you have it:

Total daily calories: 2300

Protein: 252 grams (1008 calories)

Fats: 72 grams (646 calorie)

Carbs: 161 grams (646 calories)

Again, you may have to eat less calories if you aren't losing weight, and if that's the case your macros will obviously change too. Also, they will change AS YOU LOSE WEIGHT. You'll need less calories when you're down to 200 pounds, or 190 pounds, etc., so you'll have to occasionally update your macros and calorie goals, otherwise you'll stop losing weight. You can also change up those ratios if you feel like you want a bit more carbs and a bit less protein, or more fats and less carbs but try to keep your protein intake fairly high in order to aid weight loss. If you spend a lot of time at the gym you may want to lower your protein intake a bit and allot those calories to carbs, for increased energy.

Last thing I swear, while it doesn't matter where you get those macros and calories from, it helps if you get them mostly from healthy foods (meats, fish, fibrous veggies and fruit, etc.), as they will help you feel full for longer than processed foods, both because your body takes longer to break them down AND because you need to eat more of them in order to reach your macro goals. For example, an average protein bar contains 20 grams of protein, 240 calories and 25 grams of carbs, which is about the same as eating a chicken breast and a couple cups of broccoli. Same amount of nutrients, higher amounts of food, fuller belly.

Ok ok I lied, this is the last thing: don't deprive yourself of stuff you like, it'll make your journey so much harder. Just because you're dieting it doesn't mean you can't eat delicious stuff every now and again. A couple night ago I had a ding dong and the night before a few Cadbury eggs. I have a slice of cheesecake that I'm gonna teach a lesson to tonight. Yesterday I mixed together some greek yogurt with a chocolate protein bar and a spoonful of raspberry preserve, it was delicious and I could sleep soundly knowing that I had to eat it in order to hit my protein goal for the day. As long as it fits within your calorie and macro needs, you can eat it.

I know it's a bit confusing at first, but I figured I'd lay out the "how" and "why" rather than just give you the "what". Hope this helps setting you on the right track :)

A great primer for the core tenets and historical context is "What The Buddha Taught" by Walpola Pahula. It provides a wonderful explanation of the thought process and is very clearly written; a lot of colleges use it in their comparative religion courses.

I also think that reading the "Dhammapada" is particularly vital. I prefer the Eknath Easwaran translation; I feel like he did an excellent job translating it into modern laguage while retaining the meaning of the text and providing excellent discussions of each sutra without being to neurotically overbearing, like so many religious commentaries can be. He also did excellent versions of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads if you are interested in broader Indian spirituality.

My name is Lyle and here is my buttwink. Pause it when I get into the hole. Ouch. It was these videos that got me working on my lumbar arch again.

Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide has a flexibility section all the way in the back. I got this book for Christmas, right around the same time I filmed my squats and realized my lower back was still rounding.

Here is the first part of that section. You can read it, but he says his standards for flexibility for Oly lifting are these three positions. I decided that working on that second position would help with my back rounding. I took photos/videos of myself trying to hit that position and I came no where close. (I can't even do the first position due to ankle flexibility. The third position I'm 95% okay on)

Here's a (sexy) still of a video I took of myself on Feb 7 after I stretched.

Here is a (sexy) picture with before stretching on the left and after stretching on the right.

I don't have it down perfectly, but I have made progress. I've only done one stretch the past month to try address this.

I put my foot on a raised surface. I try to angle my thigh out to the same angle as it would be when I squat, so about 30 degrees from straight ahead. Then, WITH A BENT KNEE, I lean towards my leg and try to rotate my hips forward/arch my lower back. Some (sexy) photos of me doing this on my couch. I also do this on my bed. Both are around knee high.

From the side.

Ass shot from behind.

Why bent knee? Are your knees bent when your back rounds during the squat? Yup. With a straight knee you feel all this stretch pain behind your knee. Once you unlock your knee, though, you get more ROM and you begin to feel it all up in your hamstrings and adductors.

I do these isometric/PNF style. I get into position and just kind of hang out for 20-30 seconds until it loosens up. I then lean into the stretch passively for a 10 count. I contract the hamstrings (push foot down and try to bring it towards you) for a 5 count, relax, and then immediately lean into the stretch for another 10 count. I do maybe 4-6 contract/relax cycles until I get no more mobility out of the stretch. Then I hold the last passive stretch for a 30 count. I do that once per leg and I'm done. I try to do it twice a night, but I hate stretching so much (I really do) I probably average out to something less than once per day.

That's about it for the stretch (ha, only like 1,000 words to explain it). I haven't filmed my squats since that video, but if it has helped at all I'm planning on posting something similar to all of this to /r/weightroom. Ya know, once I've proven to myself that it works. I'm kind of putting my trust in the guy who wrote that book, but the book seems legit. That second position is the same as Pendlay Rows. You can see how flat this guy's back is. A couple months back I couldn't even come close to that.

You have four options with butt wink, which the other replies to this all hit:

1. You don't know how to actively arch your back / your back is too weak.
   
2. Not enough abdominal pressure/stability.
   
3. Knees not far enough out which makes your femur impinge on your hips.
   
4. Hamstring flexibility.
   
   I've pretty much ruled out 1-3 which is why I'm working on #4.

She's six feet tall with a very long torso, so luckily she had some extra room to work with.

You're in for quite a ride! I'm not an OB or pediatrician or anything, so take anything here with a liberal heaping of salt. Also I'm only ~30 hours in on the cooing and crying part, so I'll stick to the inside part.

First off, my wife bought this book which was excellent:
http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/

It goes into a whole lot of detail regarding multiple pregnancies, to the point of suggesting meals / meal plans, all kinds of information, the whole nine. It's a lot of very good information specific to the hurdles and excitement you're facing.

So, beyond that. First off be aware that the average gestation for twins is 36 weeks, not 40. You may make it to 36, you may not, but expect that any time between delivery and 36 weeks is going to be spent with them in the NICU. Your OB will be able to tell you more what to expect.

If you haven't yet, get with your HCP and get all of the pokes and prods and plans and ultrasounds you need now done and need in the future scheduled.

If yours is like mine, understand that by about 6 or 7 months in she is not going to be able to really do much to help, and it's pretty much your job to make sure she doesn't have to.

Finally, ASK FOR HELP. Family, friends, whoever, if someone says they want to help, take them up on it, not just in the time of cooing pooping insomnia but in the run up to it. Getting the house all cleaned up, getting all of the baby stuff squared away, having meals prepped / frozen ahead of time, staying on top of laundry, caring for your son... I have no idea at all how single mothers of multiples even survive, and a father who's so utterly tapped out that he can't see straight isn't much help either.

you sound young a naive, not receiving or perhaps accepting the respect and acknowledgment of your families love - not realizing it yet, that love of the self and life. Really loving life. Maybe because you have not come close to death, I mean really close to cold, dark, death. More so, you sound like all fresh and stupid young boys do right when they leave high school; assured of their understanding of the world, an understanding that drastically changes every three to five years. Until one day, thirty years from now you look back and say, "I knew nothing when I was young". It's then that you realize this was all a feeling. One long feeling you had, that lasted days and years, as time seemed to slip by so painfully slow. Where a gut feeling of needed mobility took over and forced your fate into a position that only forgiveness and toughing it out can save for. A feeling of longing; Longing for adventure and a chance to prove oneself - a man's journey or hero quest. This feeling in men (and women) has been known since ancient times, only they had positive ways of promoting such innate human drives. Today, we have fraternities and the military, the factory or gangs. All shadow concepts of masculinity, all captivities shaded in brotherhood and silly concepts of sacrifice.

This is what the US military hopes for, besides all the other young and stupid children who knocked up a girlfriend and need money, or inner city kids who need a direction outside of gang life. The world you live in has been designed this way. To take the poor and wanting, and to place them in the machine. You're not going to fight for freedom, that fight belongs at a poll, and in protest, in letters to senators and special interest groups. The only freedom you'll find toting a gun in some foreign land is the same freedom men from constitutional nations always find, a small stipend to spend while corporations colonize foreign markets and people who would never sit by you at a table bank on your ignorance and hard work. You will be yelled at and broken, all for bits of ribbon or a tab. Told you're finally a man now, that you have found discipline, that you gained 'leadership skills'. All the while these traits were inside you, never on the outside, waiting to be emboldened and brought out of you; waiting for a moment of maturity and expression.

The only thing you seek in the military is a chance at expression, for something that is already there, just waiting for an outlet. If you don't want to die, don't be a soldier. If you're patriotic, then your nearest fight for liberty is at home against corruption and greed. If you want to be a man, become one of peace - because I assure you wholeheartedly, there are plenty of ex soldiers who are now men in pieces. Broken, berated and disturbed by the horrors that is war and a tighter bottom line.

Coast guard, if you must. But remember, all your life you will be searching for some semblance of inner peace, and that will never be found holding a weapon.

Works to consider: http://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscovering/dp/0062506064

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Belly-Being-Sam-Keen/dp/0553351370/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373858243&sr=1-1&keywords=fire+in+the+belly

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-John-Book-About-Men/dp/0306813769/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373858269&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+john

http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/0316040932/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373858285&sr=1-1&keywords=on+killing

A good book that is fun to read and has tons of anecdotes about scientific history is A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

In a similar vein, you can ponder the more mind-bending aspects of our Universe with Stephen Hawkings A Brief History of Time

Other than that you may find some interesting things in the works of Carl Sagan or Richard Dawkins (I personally recommend Dawkins's The Selfish Gene)

If you are sick of scientific titles you can also check out Freakonomics or The Worldly Philosphers

These Books are all written for a general audience so they go down pretty easy.

Deciding which major in College can be tricky - I was lucky since I knew exactly what I wanted to study before I left High School, but maybe some ideas in these books will pique your interest. My parents always told me to go to school to study something I love, and not to train for a job. I'm not so sure this advice carries through in "recovering" economy. You may want to factor in the usefulness of your degree post-college (but don't let that be the only thing you consider!).

Good Luck, and enjoy!

I'm a dad who found out his daughter was dyslexic when she was 10. She's 14 now. It actually made me turn a corner when I was reevaluating my career at the around the same time and now I'm in grad school to become a school psychologist. I've done a lot of reading about it and I want you to understand that your concerns are valid but you do not need to fear for your sons future.

There are some very important facts you need to be aware of:

1. Dyslexia is a spectrum disorder and a particular child can exhibit symptoms in different ways
   
2. Dyslexics do not process information in the same way that non-dyslexics do, there is something perceptually amiss that makes the very complicated symbol decoding that we do for language and math not work the same
   
3. Dyslexics create coping mechanisms to process information and get to the same endpoint as non-dyslexics, this comes through practice, practice, practice and in the beginning will be super-frustrating for both of you.
   
4. Dyslexia does not reflect intelligence and to the degree that a kid is inelligent they will be better at creating coping mechanisms to process info
   
   
   Anecdotally my 3rd grader was struggling with reading and we would have her read 20 minutes a day min. The first few months about half that time was spent crying, it wasn't pretty.
   Around 5th grade she found the key, something in her brain clicked (because of all the work she had been doing and continued to do in reading classes, with reading specialists and at home) and by the end of the year she was reading voraciously and well, I'm pretty sure she knocked out Harry Potter in under 6 months. She still sucks at spelling, but her comprehension is unaffected, her vocab is huge and she has excellent writing skills (with spellcheck\grammar check).
   
   Also, please check out [Teach your child to read] (http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985) It's excellent and he will probably do incredibly well with it.
   
   My daughter is an A/B student with her own unique skills and challenges just like anyone else. Take advantage of the help the schools will provide and do work with your kiddo at home. It will only be as much of a limitation as you make it.

For anyone else saving this for future reference I'd like to add Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to your reading list.

We did gentle CIO the first time and it worked great, but as Dr. Weissbluth points out in the book all kinds of stuff happens (vacations, colds, dropping a nap) where you kind of have to start again, although it's far easier each progressive time. I've reread sections of that book a dozen times and each time they make the process far smoother.

CIO is so hard, but truly my baby is happier and more alert when she gets good sleep. It IS for her benefit and it's probably far harder on me than it is on her.

You are clearly a “true believer” in your own system, because you are defending an abstract concept with passion and vigor. Not necessarily a bad thing, but own up to it, because that's what you're doing and that's what you advocate; a non-existent system; you know, like heaven or nirvana. With that said, let’s try to grapple with a couple chunks of your reasoning.

First off, it's not bullshit. You are advancing a theoretical model that has, by your own admission, never existed. So then, how is one supposed to critique this model in a way that you can't defend in some equally rhetorical way? One probably cannot, therefore it's on par with a religious ideology. However, I’m going to give it a try, because I like to think people have the ability to change positions when confronted with new arguments.

On the Roman bit, I’m not critiquing that you didn’t write a thesis, I’m saying you lack nuance because you clearly don't know what you're talking about, yet insist on debating me on the particulars of a system of which you lack a sufficient amount of knowledge; again much like a religious argument against something like evolution.

Patronage was the dominant societal glue that transcended the fall of the republic into the era of empire. That’s not just my position, that’s the position of almost every Roman scholar who has written on the topic. Further, the only scholars that I’ve read who disagree are also the ones who also believed in the genetic inferiority of the “barbarians.”

“Corruption” is like the devil/Satan of your way of thinking. It’s a throwaway term that can be used to vilify everything, but actually means nothing. On that note, monarchy is still the norm, and I'd bet you'd agree, but the problem is that you agree for the wrong reasons. A strong executive branch was central to the Roman Republic and it is central to our own system, because the framers were essentially obsessed with the Roman model. In fact, the attendees of the Constitutional Convention debated the merits of a triumvirate, when figuring out how the Executive branch would function. So, in saying it was outside the scope of the debate, I was attempting to allow you to politely bow out of a topic in which you are outclassed. It is well within the scope, but I just don’t suppose that the finer points can be debated meaningfully until you attain more knowledge on the topic. Rest assured “corruption” is not really the answer you think it is.

So, you see, your understanding of Roman history doesn't require a thesis, but guess what? Corruption is baked into the entire system. The Constitutional framers knew it, just as the Romans did. Corruption is part of the political process, and arguably is the political process itself.

Now, let’s move away from Rome, and talk about your proposition itself. Am I defending our democracy as it stands? Of course not; it has many problems. However, you’re seemingly more interested in rhetoric than logic, so let’s play the rhetorical game. Democracy is bullshit, because the people don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. Guess who ordered that Socrates be put to death? Guess who wanted to maintain segregation in the south? Guess who has stood in the way of LGBT rights? It wasn’t a monarch, the corporate system, or any other abstract evil; it was the people.

Now more rhetoric: What system has higher quality? I’d say your model is totally lacking in quality, because it would assure majority rule. You think of the people in highly vaunted terms, but you should not. The people are every bit as tyrannical and misguided as the leaders that they elect, and that’s the true problem with our current system. Our government is designed, in part, to safe guard the minority against the very system you advocate. Could the civil rights bill have been passed with your system? No. Nor could any of the other laws founded on progressivism. The majority doesn’t know shit about shit. PERIOD. Your majority rule concept is shallow, but that’s no matter, because you know in your heart of hearts that you’re right. You know; just like the religious.

“actually, yes it does. my approval +50% of people.” Okay, so do I really need to point out the flaw here? You say we don’t have a democracy, then say you plus 50% is required for approval. I struggle to articulate the silliness of this statement, so I guess I’ll merely say that you know exactly what I was saying. You advocate a non-existent system, yet democracy has and does still exist. Therefore, your definition is completely irrelevant. Also, what if me plus 50% agreed you’re totally wrong? Would you still be wrong, or would you suddenly advocate Gandhi’s position that “the truth is still the truth in a minority of one?” Hmmm…

So, have I come across as a condescending dick? Yes. Is there a purpose behind it? Yes. I believe a lot of the same things you do, but when you run around talking about invisible chains and the subverted will of the people, you make progressives look just as dogmatic as ultra conservatives, because you are advancing a belief, not a logical argument. Below is a list of books I’d suggest you read, if you really, REALLY want to know about the topics upon which you currently so freely expound, and the ones which have informed my viewpoint. Your dogmatic tone and the fact that I have little faith that your viewpoint is changeable makes me trust that you’ll need to have the last word on the topic, so I’ll give it to you. However, I do implore you to actually allow the holes in your way of thinking to bother you… at least some day.
Here’s the list
http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Roman-Republic-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449345

http://www.amazon.com/The-True-Believer-Movements-Perennial/dp/0060505915

http://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Solution-Inventing-American-Constitution/dp/0156028727

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fall-Roman-Empire-Barbarians/dp/0195325419

Athletic vegan lady here. I love it.

I have been on a long, long journey. In my early 20's I was 5'8" and topping 230, ate like I was a garbage truck. Became pescetarianism for a few years, then switched to a plant-based-diet (though now I would call myself vegan) two years ago.

Started taking fitness serious 6 months ago. Went from unable to run 1/4 mile to easily running 5K. Have noticed major definition where I never had it before, much faster than I ever gained it before.

I also do yoga, pilates, bodyweight, bicycling and have started getting into lifting.

I supplement my diet with vitamins and make sure that I start every day with a super loaded up breakfast (oats or cereal with chia & flax seeds, nut butter, berries, and hemp protein powder).

You should check out the book Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

You can absolutely be healthy, happy, and strong while being vegan.

Welcome and congrats on your decision!

Here are my tips on getting started:
There is a great plant-based diet you might be interested in, it's called "The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall":
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_7rrkG3xYk

1.1) Learning new recipes
It takes a few weeks to learn new recipes and get to know new products.
Also, there is quite a bit of misinformation in the area of nutrition.
It will take a while until you see "through the fog". Just hang in there :)
http://www.chooseveg.com/switchnditch (get their free guide on the homepage!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnPM6QzDTw
https://www.youtube.com/user/thevegancorner
https://www.youtube.com/user/hotforfoodblog
veg restaurants: http://www.happycow.net

1.2) Doing your research (health, ethics, environment)
No worries, 3 documentaries and books and you are fine :)
http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-film/
http://www.cowspiracy.com/
http://www.nationearth.com/earthlings-1/ (graphic)
Watch these with your husband, if possible, so that he is part of your journey and understands the basics.

http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069884
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457183607&sr=1-1&keywords=why+we+love+dogs+eat+pigs+and+wear+cows
Also has a great TEDx talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VrZPBskpg
(I am not affiliated with amazon, btw)

2) Really, no need to worry about protein
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/
http://www.forksoverknives.com/slaying-protein-myth/
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/
You can enter your meals into http://www.cronometer.com just to be safe.

And finally some basic help on getting started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2k4NHjAP84
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htf5eCgyt5Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9uzH_vrXA

That will keep you busy for a month or two, but it will also get you over the hump :)
Let me know if you got any questions or need help.
Good luck!

There are some good responses here. I'd like to just tackle number 4. First of all, this questions seems to suggest that if a person believes evolution by natural selection is true they therefore must not believe in helping the weak. In other words they equate accepting the occurence of evolution with adopting a survival of the fittest moral code. This does not follow. It is like saying "If you believe it is natural that a person caught in the elements may die of hypothermia, then you should be oppossed to giving such a person dry clothes and shelter." It's silly. Its possible to recognize the truth of evolution and also see that it would make a terrible basis for morality.

The second thing is the actual question of, how did such behavior come about? There are a lot of ways natural selection can favor, or select for, altruistic behavior. Altruism benefits the genes that code for it because the individuals most likely to carry the altruistic genes, the offspring of the altruistic parent, have better reproductive success as a result of the atruistic traits of the parents. You really should read some Richard Dawkins. He has several really good books on evolution which also cover this subject starting with The Selfish Gene if you haven't read it already.

The other thing to keep in mind is that not all behaviors did get naturally selected. Some traits and behaviors are biproducts of other biology that was advantageous. A parent my carry a gene that causes it to act altruistic toward its young. It is easy to see why this is advantageous. But, the most efficient code for this behavior will not likely specifiy exactly which individuals to act this way towards and so it may result in the parent sometimes acting altruisticly towards individuals who don't share its genes. It is sort of like the way sexual pleasure is naturally selected because it increases reproductive rates, but it can also have the non-advantageous effect of causing masterbation or other forms of sex that can't lead to offspring.

Genes in social species that allow them to function in communities can misfire in all sorts of interesting ways giving us all sorts of interesting cutural phenomenon. Once you have a community, social/cultural evolution can take over and produce things totally unrelated to biological evoltution.

Thank you for the kind words. You are correct the setting of the Bhagavad Gita is a battle between the Pandavas and the
Kuruvas and the 2 main characters are Lord Krishna and his noble devotee Arjuna who is a prince and is fighting against his own family and friends (who are in the Kuruvas side.) One thing to note is that in the beginning you will be introduced to Sanjaya who is a messenger to a blind King and he is telling him what is going on in the battlefield with his special vision.
Throughout the Gita Krishna teaches Arjuna about many concepts that are presented in Hindu philosophy.

To be honest I tried my best to read many versions of the Bhagavad gita but the best version I read was this one :


The Bhagavad Gita (Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1586380192/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_a6.7ybMX89H0P


If you are a first time reader of the Gita the translator gives a brief description before each chapter of what you are going to read about. It even has a glossary in the back for terms that might seem new. Just a tip skip the few 50 pages, its a long intro about the authors life and etc.

Sorry for making this too long but I wish you the best in everything and may your God bless you.

get in good shape, take care of yourself.
Get rest
I wouldn't really be angling for a promotion right now

When the baby is born, and this may be a couple of months in. If possible, through bottle feeding or pump - and - serve, try to find a way to go 2 nights on 2 nights off when it comes to waking with the baby in the middle of the night.

This isn't possible for everyone, but my wife and I did it with both of our kids, and I think we were better for it.

Read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0449004023 or at least the summaries.

Happiest baby on the block by Harvy Karp was helpful as well. "Treat first 3 months as 4th tri-mester" is the general idea.

Ideas:

1. Have kiddo watch Signing Time on Netflix. It is an amazing show that will help with his language development. No guilt.
   
   
2. Get the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0449004023 Our 2 year old sleeps from 5pm to 7am every day, and our 6 month old just started doing the same thing with only one wake up overnight. There are, of course, several naps throughout the day. Yes, my son and daughter sleep around 14 hours each night and with naps they sleep a total of around 17 (2 yo) to 18-20 (6mo) hours PER DAY. More kid sleeping time means more relax time for mommy and you.
   
   
3. Give her every Friday night off. Tell her to get out of the house. Find a friend of hers, make plans if you have to, send her to dinner or a movie or SOMETHING.
   
   
4. Do you have a spare room? Arrange to let a nanny live rent free (room and board) in exchange for assistance 20-30 hours a week.
   
   
5. Pick a whole WEEK where each person is on overnight duty. One week you are on duty. You feed little one every time. Next week she is on duty. I read a study that showed doing this week by week made a HUGE difference in the amount of sleep each partner got and their ability to function. Do not take "no" for an answer here. She needs to be able to sleep. Have her pump her breastmilk into bottles and so you can help feed the little one overnight that way.
   
   
6. Do you have a spare room? Put the baby in there immediately. My wife was unable to sleep with our baby in our bedroom because when she made the tiniest noise it would wake my wife up. Putting the baby in the other room allowed both of them to sleep MUCH better.
   
   
7. Is she depressed? Post Partum Depression is real. My wife got put on some meds and it made a world of difference. (For the record, I am anti-meds unless it's really necessary ... and these were amazing.) Have her talk to a doctor, it can improve her quality of life DRAMATICALLY.
   
   Divorce doesn't seem like a wise option. Are you going to take care of the kids? Don't be silly!

If you or your wife are the reading type, skip over the "What to expect when you are expecting" and head straight to this.

http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073

We have fraternal (di di) girls coming in October. My wife is 24 weeks today. Tomorrow is our favorite day of the month because we get to see them at the ultrasound. I am sure you will learn to love those days too. Find a way, any way, to be there for them.

Plus, I felt one of them kick m hand this morning. First time feeling my babies. Such a wonderful feeling. Love every minute of it. And don't be scared of it either.

Congrats!

I see things in almost the same way as you do. Cheers, it's good to know that there is someone else who thinks and feels in the same way as I do.

#1 God - You may find Pascal's Wager food for thought.

#2 Soulmate - There is absolutely no such thing or person to any other. The universe is indifferent to you and to what you make of it. Every person is simply the result of an egg cell fusing with a sperm cell, end of story. Every living thing is simply the manifestation of a successful reproductive cycle. All the tamasha around it is because humans want so badly to give meaning to meaninglessness. Stanley Kubrick puts this very nicely into words. Also - pick up "The Manipulated Man" by Esther Vilar from your bookstore - I'm sure you will enjoy every moment of reading it.

#3 Needing to get married - hmm, what's the need? Marriage is a construct of the human mind that makes it socially acceptable that one person may fuck only one other (polyandry/polygamy out of scope of discussion at the moment, even though it is the same principle but with larger numbers), and it exists primarily to stop everyone from fucking everyone/everything else - that is the core reason, all else is mental masturbation. For all the folks who glorify marriage as an "institution", the layers and layers of customs and beliefs and laws are built around this singular core. Life as we know it has been around for millions of years without the need of this "institution" for all except a fleeting moment of geological time in which human society evolved.

Some more fuel for your brain :)

#4 Laws around marriage: Immoral != Illegal. For all the holier-than-thou "civilized" people holding humanity, human intelligence and human morality to a higher ground, this FUBAR'd society that we must tolerate everyday is a direct outcome of all that "humanity, intelligence and morality."

The fun part: your kids get to revel in it and screw it up further and tighter for everyone else as much as themselves. Enjoy the products of your thoughts and actions - and don't whine about it since this is just what humans wanted, right? /s

#5 All forms of life are valuable, even if only to themselves and at their own scales, men/women included. We humans cannot judge the value of other life forms and decide that a chicken's is less valuable than a cow's, or that a fish's is less valuable than a plant's, or a woman's over a man's. One form of life must kill another if it wants to survive - जीवो जीवस्य जीवनम् | There is an interesting book by Melanie Joy that explores this thought further (albeit from a western perspective.)

One observation about (corporate) jobs today: In colonial times, it was necessary to physically control the people of a colony in order to control its production and profits. In today's times of economic colonialism, being physically present to lord over your subjects is no longer a necessity to drive exactly the same outcome - though both forms are equally coercive and equally dehumanizing.

Username relevant.

Get a beginner book on weight training/bodybuilding. Many will throw out the classics (Starting Strength, Muscle Logic, etc).

But those reads only focus on the training side of the equation which is ultimately less than half the story for a great body. I highly recommend the book that got me out of my years of fuckarounditis:

Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews

It's a point A-Z guide providing you each nut and bolt to achieving an exquisite physique.

Covers all ends of diet, even includes a great cookbook for both bulking and cutting cycles, walks you through progressive overload, how to properly track it, lays out a much more comprehensive routine than your standard 5x5, illustrates the proper forms for all of the compound lifts, weeds through all of the BS of the supplement industry and how they take advantage of beginners like yourself (highlights what's worth taking and discusses the other popular garbage out there)

It's an all-in-one guide and has become a bestseller in the crowded fitness genre for good reason.

It's true! She really made me feel positive and hopeful about advocacy. This talk gives you a bunch of simple tools that you can use to start making a big difference.

You can probably write to her through her website here. Or on her facebook page here. She seems super approachable and I'll bet she'd love to hear from you. She seems to be on a lecture tour...maybe she's coming to a city near you.

She has also written a book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism.

And if you search for Melanie Joy on youtube, you can watch a few more of her presentations and interviews.

I posted a whole response, but based on what else you've said it sounds as though any amount of crying is a no go for you. Lots of people feel this way and go with it, but there are no magic bullets. If you don't want a baby that fusses even a little at night then you'll have to wait until baby is ready to sleep through the night.

It's a perfectly legitimate way to do it, but from your post you sounded like you were looking for advice, not support. I think it may be a little bit confusing. The advice is either wait until baby sleeps through the night, or work on sleep training baby which will involve some amount of fussing. u/counterfitfake had a pretty gentle method for CIO (which was too gentle for us when we tried something similar as we couldn't be in the room at bedtime at all, but awesome that it worked for them!)


If you really do get to your wit's end with the wakeups I highly recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Some crying required, but if you believe (as I do) that a baby that wakes up repeatedly through the night is not well rested then the trade off may become worth it.

The end of Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger is really good. It's a short book, worth a read.

Mindfulness in Plain English is a really useful book.

I recommend some Robert Bly. His classic book is Iron John. He writes about being a man beautifully.

King Warrior Lover Magician is a great book for men. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0062506064?pc_redir=1410530189&robot_redir=1

There are some great talks with Robert Bly in audible. I listen to them at least once a year. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ARobert%20Bly%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A1240885011

>I never asked you to personally LEAD ME down the path to development
Sounded like it, thank god it's not the case - I suck as a guru anyway.

I strongly disagree on Bhutan. I'd suggest this book to help you understand the rather unconventional idea that improving people's quality of life makes them LESS happy... which to me renders the whole happyness metric irrelevant.

A few quotes from the book are below (I did not have it handy, so I had to look on the web for them).

>The ideal of self-advancement which the civilizing West offers to the backward populations brings with it the plague of individual frustration. All the advantages brought by the West are ineffectual substitutes for the sheltering and soothing anonymity of a communal existence. Even when the Westernized native attains personal success--becomes rich, or masters a respected profession--he is not happy.


>Freedom aggravates as much as it alleviates frustration. Freedom of choice places the whole blame of failure on the shoulders of the individual. And as freedom encourages a multiplicity of attempts, it unavoidably muliplies failure and frustration...Unless a man has talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden...We join mass movements to escape individual responsibility...


>Discontent is likely to be highest when misery id bearable; when conditions have so improved that an ideal state seems almost within reach. A grievance is most poignant when almost redressed.

As a person with a newly diagnosed kid, I can agree that everything is super overwhelming in the beginning and help from friends is welcome. The thing we needed most was the space to learn about our new life, and someone to just talk to about everything. Seems contradictory, but I would reach out with no expectations and wait to hear back.

In terms of more tangible things, you could pitch in to hire a temporary cleaning service, even if only once during the 1st couple weeks. or help buy some of the items they will need such as a quality digital food scale, Frio insuling cooling case, or books. The two books I've found to be the most helpful are Think Like a Pancreas, and Sugar Surfing.

Also the JuiceBox Podcast is really wonderful, and I highly recommend it.

Read better books. Stop watching the local news and definitely don’t believe what Mormons say about “the world”.

Read this

https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570


Nobody is coming to save us. But what would they save us from? You see, on the whole, we’re doing a pretty good job of making our lives better. Objectively speaking. At the individual level a person feeling terrified when they actually live in a very safe environment and are extremely well protected ... well that to me sounds like something the individual needs to understand and deal with.

Yeah, we have all been brought up to see those people as self-righteous assholes, but transportation engineers have determined that a zipper merge, occurring as close to the point of obstruction as possible, is most efficient (40-50% more efficient than current practice). The Minnesota DOT recently adopted this practice and began a campaign of awareness.

If traffic interests you, check out the book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt. Super interesting quick read, and you'll learn a lot about interacting with urban traffic efficiently.

Michigan DOT Citations 1 2.pdf

Not that this helps - but my daughter used to drink 64oz+ of formula a day, about half at night until we switched to food when She cut down to 40ish ounces. The pediatrician always thought it should be less but we never got there. She's skinny for her age but we share meals and she usually eats a bigger breakfast, lunch and dinner than I do plus 3 or 4 healthy snacks (cheese, nuts, hummus, fruit, etc)

I give her a sippy full of water every night and she usually finishes it. I personally wouldn't be freaked about diabetes/whatever unless she's drinking that much water at night. Kids are different, and some eat way more than others.

I'd get rid of milk, cold turkey and just offer water. My daughter never accepted water in a bottle so we just put a non-leaky sippy in her crib with her at night. It seems to me like the milk is how she's soothing herself back to sleep and she's just going to have to learn to do that part on her own, minus the milk. It's tough and there's a lot of differing opinions, but I'm (now) a big believer in cry it out. I like this book and it's gotten us through everything so far.

As far as neighbors, I'd be really honest and really nice. Go down, tell them you are trying, the next 3-4 days will be rough. Maybe bring them cookies and ear plugs as well. We lived in an apartment when my daugher sleep trained and my neighbors were surprisingly nice about it when I gave them a head's up on what was happening and apologized both before and after.

OK.

The single best evo-psych book I can think of is

The Blank Slate by Stephen Pinker. It's extremely readable as well as very informative.

Where you'd want to go next depends on what you'd like to learn more about, and whether you liked Stephen Pinker as an author.

If you'd like to know more about the genetics that underlying the evo-psych then you want.

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

If you're interested specifically in what evo-psych has to say about human sexuality you want

The Evolution of Desire by David Buss

And if you really like Stephen Pinker and want to know what evo psych means for human societies I'd recommend

The Angels of our Better Nature by Stephen Pinker

or (if you don't like Pinker)

Origins of Virtue by Matt Ridley.

I've given you US Amazon links, and no. I don't get a cut :(

No problem. If you're interested in self-realization, I highly recommend The Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita; short reads, but very powerful and ancient systems of self-examination and inquiry (the linked translations are, in my opinion, the best formatted and done, with a stellar introduction for those unfamiliar with the text). Additionally, I'd like to leave you with a quote about dreams that left a very strong impact on me:

As 4th century BCE Daoist philosopher, Chuang Tzu, said: “Chuang Tzu once dreamed that he was a butterfly fluttering here and there, going wherever he pleased. He was totally unaware of Chuang Tzu. A sudden awakening left nothing else but Chuang Tzu himself, who did not know anything about his being a bufferfly. It is therefore unknown whether it is Chuang Tzu who dreamed of being a bufferfly or if it is a butterfly who dreamed of being Chuang Tzu. The butterfly and Chuang Tzu are completely different entities, and it is called transformation when an entity becomes another.”

Here is a list of monasteries where you will be able to practice meditation for an extended period of time and eventually ordain as a monk:

-Pa Auk Forest Monastery in Myanmar

-Panditarama Forest Meditation Center in Myanmar

-Wat Chom Tong in Thailand

-Wat Ram Poeng in Thailand

The monasteries below allow shorter stays for first-time visitors:

-Bhavana Society in West Virginia

-Metta Forest Monastery in California

-Sirimangalo International in Canada

-Bodhinyana in Australia

If you’re interested in learning how to meditate, the following books are excellent guides. Each of these authors has a novel approach to explaining meditation that complements the others.

-The Mind Illuminated by John Yates

-Shift Into Freedom by Loch Kelly

-With Each & Every Breath by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. This author has other great books available for free.

-In The Buddha’s Words by the Buddha (translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi)

I recommend that you check out /r/streamentry, an online community of laypeople (non-monks) pursuing awakening. You might also wish to contact /u/Bhikkhu_Jayasara, a fully ordained monk who often participates in /r/buddhism.

Best of luck to you on the path.

I HIGHLY recommend Mike Mathews' book Bigger, Leaner, Stronger. He has a section in the book with specific workouts, and routines.

He also has great article on Vegan Bodybuilding [here] (http://www.muscleforlife.com/vegan-bodybuilding/)

Here's an excerpt from the article that highlights the important parts in regard to building muscle.

> if you want to maximize muscle growth…


> You want to ensure you’re not in a calorie deficit.

> You want to progressively overload your muscles.

> You want to focus on compound exercises.

> You want to limit your cardio.

> You want to eat plenty of carbs.

> And you want to eat enough protein.

> This last point is vitally important.

I hope his helps, and please feel free to ask me any other questions.

Im exactly your height now sitting at 158 lb around 12% BF.

About 4 years ago I was 110 lb so you have a better starting point, at 17. I wish I had started lifting at your age I began my journey at 23 so you will get results quicker but not immediate.

I also have some sort of scoliosis, and I say some some sort because I have never been to a doctor to officially give me a diagnosis but I tell you that before I had this extreme unbalance whereas my right shoulder was way down so when I walked I looked like a zombie.

Weightlifting has improved this DRAMATICALLY I still have the imbalance but is way less, as for substitutes Im not sure man imo I would say for you to try deadlift and squat but with the bar or body only and experiment a lot till you find your perferct position, feet, stance etc then you can gradually go from there

Im not sure about gains in AX1 which I am sure there is gains buuuuut dont set your expectations high you WONT gain lots of weight in only 90 days this is a journey that will take years, be patient, the gains are waiting for you but they are slow......if you set your expectations high you will be dissapointed. I have done MAX SIZE and got decent results BUT even so that I have been lifting for years I wish I had done AX1 first so you are on the right path.

I wouldn't advise to take the route of dirty bulking, I did it and yes I gained weight but most of the fat goes to your belly and in my case face so I had this big waist with skinny rest of the body, it looks idiotic. Eat clean, dont take the mass gainers route.

I didn't start with AthleanX I started with the Bigger Leaner Sronger by Mike Matthews book, I recommend you read it first and even you could try his program which is also science based and then jump into AX1, either one is ok but I would read his book first.

https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525477971&sr=8-3&keywords=bigger+leaner+stronger

Eating Animals was a great expose of the meat industry but Foer isn't vegan, which irked me. He is more of an apologist, who advocates for welfarism. I'm more in the "total liberation" camp. Singer is good, but he argues that animal testing is necessary. (It's not)

I also recommend this one for understanding to the psychology of speciesism: Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy, PhD.

She has great TED Talks, too.

How I got started is not very useful as it took time to get to the right resources. So I will answer the question as if someone where to ask me "How do you recommend someone should get started on meditation?".

The main resource to use is the book The Mind Illuminated, by Culadasa. You would need to read about 1/10th of the book to get started. But you can try some simple meditations while you are on that. You will also need some extra readings later to bring clarity to some ideas. So here's the course of action I recommend.

• Download the Insight Timer app. It has got guided meditations and an excellent timer - you can set starting and ending sounds and interval sounds, many pleasant ones. Pick a short guided meditation, mindfulness is the best choice I suppose. This will get you started on getting used to sitting for a while. Once you read the book, you can shift practice.
  
  
• Read The Mind Illuminated till the details of First Step. You will need as much to get started. You don't need to read the whole book. It will just be a waste of time. Take notes where you think necessary. Read to understand and take your time. Here's an ebook version. Some key points to understand - peripheral awareness, attention and how they differ, and 'relaxed intention'. And the book also gets into how to establish a meditation practice.
  
  
• Once you have done it a couple of times the book way, read these two discussions to understand those concepts better: Discussion 1, Discussion 2.
  
  If you have any doubts, you can google it with the book name. There is a good online community around it. Also, don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions as well.
  

I recommend you read "Bigger Leaner Stronger" by Mike Matthews. I started the program in Oct 2015 and was pretty much in the exact same point as you. I was 5'7" 168 lbs.

I wasn't as interested in the weight lifting as much as the nutrition but I read (actually listened via audible.com) to the whole book. As it turned out I really enjoyed the weight lifting aspect.

It took about 8 weeks to get to 150 lbs and was close to 10% body fat. I've been maintaining since because I'd rather be bulking during the holidays (US) and lean during the summer.

As to where to start, the advice from the book is to get down to 10% before bulking. So unless your already at 10%, then you need to start with a cut.

Check out the book: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Bodybuilding-Weightlifting-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG

You can also check out his website: http://www.muscleforlife.com/

The book (and website) address all the issues you brought up. Follow the plan and it will work. It's not complicated and allows a fair amount of freedom. Just do it, and it will work, pretty much guaranteed.

Babies under 4 months have no set sleep pattern at all. Waking every 2-3 hours at night is perfectly normal. Hell, my son didn't even sleep through the night completely until like 18 months, I think. My daughter started doing it at 1 month, but I think it is because she pretty much didn't nap all day long. Every kid is totally different.

I highly suggest picking up Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It's a really great book and goes into detail about the sleep habits of kids at various ages, as well as how to get them on a set sleep routine. It was invaluable for my wife and I. 4 months is a good time to start sleep training.

> do you mean that they are man-made tools to help picture and calculate and predict?

Yes.

> once we figured out that light is the oscillation of the EM field, that proved to us that fields are actually a real physical... thing.

That's definitely not the case (the second part.) In fact the experiments of Michelson and Morley are usually cited as definitive proof that it's not a real, physical thing.

> If you don't feel confident answering, are there any books you would refer me to?

Check out Feynman's books "6 Not-So-Easy Pieces" and "QED". QED is the one more relevant to this discussion. I would also recommend Roger Penrose's The Road to Reality if you have a lot of spare time and are willing to keep up with it properly.

Are you taking an intro to physics course as an undergraduate? If so, and if you are interested enough to take more coursework on physics, try taking an EMags (Electromagnetic Fields) class in the EE or physics department. 20th century physics (relativity) and a couple of QM (Quantum Mechanics) classes would be helpful as well. After you take a couple of EM and QM courses, you'll really appreciate how god damn hard it is to have any sort of "intuition" about physics, and how important it is to just treat the math like math.

Another way you can phrase your question is, how can I educate my brother?

As with any education, its success is a function of the curriculum — start with a strong foundation in the broad basics and finish with the specifics. In this case, chemistry, biology, and physics lay the foundation for advanced courses in evolutionary biology and psychology.

Because it is unlikely that your brother will seek out this education, as it directly conflicts with his religious ideology, an ongoing dialogue with you is the next best thing. For this to work, you must first familiarize yourself with the material. If you haven't had biology, chemistry, or physics, take it. Then, read the following:

• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.
  
• Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach by John Alcock
  
• Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind by David Buss
  
  The best way to convey information to someone who doesn't know that they're receiving an education from you is through the Socratic method. Ask questions that are specific and understood under the paradigm of science — avoid the unknowable ambiguous questions that the religious often heap on the scientist. For instance, a fun questions is to ask how many fingers different mammals have. The answer is always five, since we evolved from a common ancestor. Along the way, fun lessons in evolution can be given:
  
  
• A human has five fingers with one that evolved an opposable thumb to hold tools.
  
• A panda has five fingers with a wrist bone that evolved to strip leaves that looks like sixth finger.
  
• A horse has five fingers and walks on a giant thumbnail.
  
• A gazelle has five fingers and walks on the nails of its index and middle finger.
  
• A cat has five fingers walking on four and the front pad of its hand — the rest of the hand stretches upward with a little thumb up high.
  
• A whale has five fingers that evolved into a single flipper.
  
• A bat has five fingers that evolved into the ribs of a wing.
  
  If all else fails, you'll have read the Selfish Gene, one of my all-time favorites that I read in my Evolutionary Biology course and have reread several times since.
  

I'm sorry you're going through this; in a way, I've been there. My SS was given an iPad at a young age with no restrictions on it, which of course did not set him up for success in this area. I was the one who discovered some inappropriate googling (nothing too extreme, it was actually innocent in a way), so I texted DH, gave him the heads up, and added the child protection stuff myself. That was a year or two ago, and SS11 is just now going to be getting his Safari and YouTube back, but of course with child protection filter and a clear set of rules (no iPad in the bedroom, no headphones without permission). DH has also been good about having talks with him regarding internet safety, etc. BM is clearly uncomfortable with such conversations and generally does nothing.

I guess this isn't necessarily helpful since you are wanting to step away from this, but maybe talk to DH about adding the security stuff yourselves? Or you could perhaps ban the tech from your house until it is addressed?

We also bought my SS this book which I highly recommend: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Perfectly-Normal-Changing-Growing/dp/0763644846

I feel like this comment is all over the place. Good luck!

8% is not too low. Given how far out you are right now, you are 100% correct in focusing on fueling for performance. With the volume you're going to be training, you may still lose more weight (maybe not to the 8% goal, but 10% wouldn't be unreasonable to see happen).

> but now that I am approaching "race weight" I'm finding I lack energy and am starting to get sick easily.

This is worrisome and obviously indicative of some problem. While it may be due to consuming too few Calories in general (perhaps you have significantly increased your activity level throughout the day?), it could also be due to failure to consume enough of some nutrient. If you log your meals, go back through and see if you're getting enough of everything. If you don't, you could try tracking for a while and see if you can figure out where you're lacking. Of course the best course of action is to take health concerns to your physician, who may very well send you to a nutritionist to help come up with a plan.

I'd also recommend giving this book a read. It's a very good source for understanding weight management in the realm of endurance athletics and does a pretty good job of giving detail without being inaccessible to people without science backgrounds.

Okay - this book is excellent - https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/. It's well-researched and practical. As someone suggested earlier, your local mothers of multiples (MoM) group will likely be a good resource, and they often have consignment sales that can be good for getting things you need. If you're going to formula feed, the Baby Brezza has been a lifesaver for us, and you could start looking for a good deal. The 2017 Triplets Mom group that I described above is a great resource and well vetted so it's fairly private.

> while you may have met only good, moral religious people

Where did you get that idea? :-)

I grew up in the Bible Belt, I went to a Southern Baptist church while growing up, and I have met a lot of religious people. I've met enough people who were religious and not particularly good or moral. If anything, growing up in a religious area allowed me to meet lots of hypocritical people, because in an area like that, you've got to at least give lip service to religion since it's so ingrained in the culture.

Still, I think that overall, religious people are sincere and are just following the values of their culture (that they were taught when they were young), or are seeking something meaningful for their lives, or both. A lot of times, the effects are positive. Not always, of course.

> you can't deny that religion has been used as justification for hideous and heinous acts of violence

Of course I can't deny that. But I'm not really convinced it means anything. "Making the world safe for democracy" has been used as justification for war. So has "liberating" countries. North Korea calls itself the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea", even though they're not a democracy (nor really for the people). But that doesn't faze me; it doesn't make me think democracy or liberation is a bad thing just because somebody found them to be a convenient way to justify what they wanted to do.

> Its' very easy to say all religions promote hate fear and violence, and just as easy to say all atheists promote the same. both are common bombs lobbed in these debates, and both couldn't be more wrong.

Yeah, I think we agree on that one.

> is a stronger bond than the connections between atheists

I mostly agree on that too. Religion is a strong bond. Atheism, with a few exceptions, is not an ideology. Still, reforming society to be secular and atheistic and move "beyond" religion, well, that can be an ideology and a movement. In fact, in various circles, including reddit, I would go so far as to say it is a movement. And that, of course, means it's subject to all the pitfalls of a mass movement. (For details, see one of my favorite books.)

[Health And Fitness: Running] The BibRave Podcast | Episode 27: Weirdest. Half Marathon. Ever

SFW

iTunes

Episode Summary
In Episode 27, Tim and Julia chat about a recent track Half Marathon they both ran. Yup - 52.5 laps, in the rain and cold, and it was awesome (at least Tim thought so. Julia however...).

Then they move to their second favorite subject, food! Tim and Julia talk about foods they are willing to spend more money on for quality, some of the differences between high/low quality foods, and they close with a bunch of useful takeaways on how they shop, plan their meals, and set themselves up to make good decisions. As often as possible... 😇

Episode Show Notes:

• The Bill Aronson Track Half (and the BATH reviews on BibRave)
  

• Run Oregon's BATH report
  
• Tim's 3rd place finish at the 20176 BATH
  
• Racing Weight
  
• Omnivore's Dilemma (not specifically discussed, but very relevant)
  
  Podcast Summary
  The BibRave Podcast is a show about all things running and racing! We cover a random assortment of topics, (almost) all of which relate in some way to running, runners, health, fitness, nutrition, races, and GEAR! If you like what you hear, please subscribe in iTunes and tell your runner buddies about us. Thanks for listening!
  
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That's a difficult question for me to answer. Someone working in career placement (or whatever it's called - someone who helps you chose a career) could probably give you a better general answer.

In terms of games, you could try playing OpenTTD (Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe) or Cities in Motion 2 (the game Colossal Order made before Cities: Skylines). Both have a much stronger transportation focus, with a good deal more micromanagement and therefore a steeper learning curve, and are a notch closer to what I do IRL. If you can play either/both for days without getting bored, you might want to be a traffic engineer.

If you'd rather read, you could get Traffic: Why we drive the way we do. I think it's a good read for anyone who lives on a street. If you read that and think "I wish this was 10 times longer and also my life", you might want to be a traffic engineer.

If you want to dive into some more technical stuff, wikipedia has some good articles, e.g. on the Braess paradox (the math is interesting, but you can probably skip over it since it's pretty high-level, abstract stuff). If you get to the bottom of that and start clicking all the "See also" links, you might want to be a traffic engineer.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask :)

Paralysis prevents sleepwalking. It is fairly uncommon for sleepwalkers to actually hurt themselves in a modern home, but the evolutionary roots of dreaming stretch back to the earliest land animals. If you're an outdoor critter, stumbling around at night will make you an easy meal for a predator.

Why We Sleep is a great book on the medical- evolutionary aspects of sleep, it appears to be essential for memory consolidation in complex animals, but even single celled organisms go through a cycle of stasis where they do biochemical repair.

As a Jungian, I consider sleep to be an immersion in the Unconscious, and a time to merge with the transpersonal force of creation. From the outside it looks like memory consolidation, from the inside it looks like travel through an alternate dimension- and both are true in some sense.

1984 is phenomenal, one of my very favorite books. Orwell was a genius of sociology. However, some of Orwell's best ideas are obscured by the fact that this is a novel.

If you want to have your mind truly blown, please, please, please get a copy of The True Believer.

A work of genius about the sociology of mass movements, short, written in extremely clear, unacademic language.

I just got Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy lessons by Sigfried Englemann, and I really like it. https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29V5FOUV5M5A5&keywords=100+easy+lessons+to+teach+your+child+to+read&qid=1574571485&sprefix=100+easy+le%2Caps%2C240&sr=8-1

​

Every kid is different - my oldest learned the alphabet at 2, and just quized her on 3 letter words at mealtimes every now and then. I'd write them out in front of her, and then cut them up and see if she could remember which word was which. She'd notice letters on signs, then words. If I wrote things on a page for her, she'd want to carefully trace it. She started writing letters to people before she knew how to read - so she had "love" and "you" memorized early on. Then I got Usborne first reading set, and she just took off.

My son, however, is 4, and doesn't know the alphabet (but if they're not learning something in preschool - it's because they're brains are learning something else!) The book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy lessons is PERFECT for him. No memorizing the alphabet necessary, just learning how to read and write "sounds" to start with. And it changes some of the confusing letter shapes and letter combination shapes to help distinguish different letters from each other that are commonly mixed up. I know this is how he's going to learn to read, and he enjoys it.

Look up D'naelian for handwriting - that's what I grew up using, and will use for my kids - but I couldn't find it until I knew what it was called!

I'm using Math-U-See, which comes with counting blocks that I think will be way more useful for my second kid than my oldest. They all learn so differently, the wonderful thing about homeschooling is getting to adjust it to suit the kids learning style and your teaching style. I'm interested in finding out more about classical education math, but haven't found much out.

I personally would argue a different logic. But that isn’t to say your direction is wrong. In the end I believe we’d have the same understanding, but using different syntax. It also seems you’re really centered around duality where there’s a perfection and it’s anthesis. Where the archetypes are more of a spectrum. But again, to me, both are trying to explain the same phenomena. It all just depends on how you shape the argument.

Have you read “King Warrior Magician Loved”? Which directly dives into the spectrum of each archetype? That might help to see where your idea of forms fit in. (Amazon link at end)

Fun fact: did you know Plato’s forms might have been an inhibiting reason why it took so long for science to discover evolution?

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062506064/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZeIIDbF5DA2J8

Some vegans feed their pets vegan, others don't. It's not a huge deal since most pet food is scraps off the slaughterhouse floor and "meat not fit for human consumption." Most of the time it's not like your further supporting the slaughter of animals. Dogs are easier fed vegan than cats. I saw one post of a guy who successfully fed his ferret vegan. It's probably floating around google somewhere. Anyway. What you feed your pets isn't the main focus of veganism.

Yes....you should go vegan. Why aren't you one yet?

Best Speech You Will Ever Hear on Veganism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Earthlings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys

Vegucated: http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/vegucated-2/

Mercy For Animals: http://www.mercyforanimals.org

Vegan Outreach: http://www.veganoutreach.org

Vegan Kit: http://vegankit.com

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375333626&sr=8-1&keywords=why+we+love+dogs+eat+pigs+and+wear+cows

Cool. Focus on ramping up your miles per week, you really should be higher than 20 right now for a Oct marathon. You have to watch out too, ramping up mileage too quickly can cause injury, which is what happened to me on my first go. Every other workout you're doing is fine, but when it comes to marathons it's all about the mpw.

As for 3:45 - so that's 8:34 pace. On your long runs start doing race pace tempo work. If you're doing 15-18 miles, do a 3 mile warmup at a slow pace, do 10-13 miles at 8:30 pace non-stop and then do a cool down to wrap up your milage. You want to get to the point that when you start your marathon at 8:30 pace you're so comfortable it feels like you're dragging, but at mile 20 trust me you'll be in a whole new world.

Nutrition-wise, you have to experiment on your long runs. Find what works for you and change nothing on race day. For general nutrition I follow this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Performance-Series/dp/1934030996

good luck!

I don't have the answers you seek. Yet it seems you have them, as do we all.

>Who/what is this observer, this part of me that can observe things, can think things, but can also objectively step back and experience things...?

This is something I have asked myself for years in meditation and life, and something that keeps getting answered only while giving rise to new questions.

It sounds like whatever you are doing is working, so keep at it.

One area of study that has been very transformational for me is investigation of the self - "who am I?" - "what is this?" and so on.

The skandhas have been an amazing area of investigation for me. Basically there are five skandhas or aggregates that make up human beings. When I looked I could not find anything in my experience that was not included in these five things. When I looked (in deep meditation and in life) at each of these five things individually I could not find a self in anyone of them - yet when I look at them all together I felt some sense of self - weird right?

There is another area of study called anatta or no-self which explains the whole ordeal.

These are Buddhist terms and practices, but have been very helpful in my investigation.

When I ordered my first zafu this koan was included:

>The Human Route

>Coming empty-handed, going empty-handed – that is human.

>When you are born, where do you come from?

>When you die, where do you go?

>Life is like a floating cloud which appears.

>Death is like a floating cloud which disappears.

>The floating cloud itself originally does not exist.

>Life and death, coming and going, are also like that.

>But there is one thing which always remains clear.

>It is pure and clear, not depending on life and death.

>Then what is the one pure and clear thing?

P.S. if you want another take on the whole thing the Bhagavad Gita presents another message, one that is absolutely fascinating.

Does your nutritionist specialize in athletic nutrition and/or clients who are struggling with disordered eating? If not, I strongly recommend finding one who has significant experience with both. Endurance athletes have different nutritional needs than the population most nutritionists deal with on a daily basis, and people struggling with disordered eating (which it sounds from the comments like you are and recognize that you are) have different needs in terms of approaching nutrition than people who have a healthy relationship with food. A nutritionist without training or experience in these areas is likely not to have the necessary tools to effectively help you.

Others have already suggested eating more, so I won't waste space repeating what they've said, but if you are having difficulty believing it's okay to eat more, I strongly recommend talking to someone who specializes in treating disordered eating. And if you would like a basis for what healthy eating for a vegan runner might look like, I recommend the No Meat Athlete blog and the book Thrive.

I don't know. I think certain parts of a society need to be pulled into modern ethical norms.

I know this is anti-libertarian but I think the state needs to implement certain laws to help society behave more ethically.

I say this based on the data found in Steven Pinker's book Enlightenment Now. I highly recommend it and he does a far superior job articulating the importance of the state.

I don't want this to expand into a slippery slope argument. I think there need to be strong limits on government power.

Edit: Added Link

Just running and eating salad probably won't get you to your goal. You might want get into resistance training and counting your macronutrients. This site has a good free quiz to get you started with macros. For more information on the science behind good fitness, I recommend Michael Matthew's book, Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body. Good luck, brother.

Each chakra has a color associated with it. Might research that. Your experiences seem very visual. Have you noticed a buzzing sensation on that spot? Have you tried focusing on multiple chakras at once?

What does your normal practice look like?

Back when I meditated reguraly and could feel my chakras I had spent time developing the crown, anja, throat, and heart chakra. I would often use the anja as a prime anchor into the jhanas but would occasionally practice concetration on all chakras at once. One time, one of the last times i really meditated, on a whim i decided to light up my usual chakras and then i did the micro cosmic orbit for about 30 minutes. Towards the end I felt my 8th chakra about 4 inches above the top of my head. Really weird, really cool, one of my favorite experiences ever.

Point is, you can go deeper - that is to say BUILD CONCENTRATION and use that chakra to silence the mind as much as possible and reach for the concentration absorption states, or you can go wider - develop the other chakras and try to simultaneously keep them active.


Also I want to say if your at the point where you are seeing these phenom your practice has developed enough that you should seek help from a quality tome.

The Mind Illimunated

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha

Both are world class texts, go with whatever feels more intuitive. I recommend these because meditation is something you can spend a lifetime doing and without focus you are just wasting your time.

Hey! I know you didn't message back but I was just looking at cookbooks to buy for this next year (this is my next 'get my shit together' year and hopefully it works this time!) and I saw one for vegan athletes by a professional Ironman triathlete and it made me think of you so I thought I'd send you a link:

• His guide
  
• His first cookbook
  
• His second cookbook
  
  I just wanted to let you know there are vegan options for you that fit with your lifestyle, whatever it is, and it would mean a lot for me if you could help me find the perfect resource for you so you can try to make a change. Thanks for reading :)

Using Insulin by John Walsh has a great section on carb counting and a good carb factor list.

Pumping Insulin also by Walsh.

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner will help you wrap your head around how insulin works and what you need to do as your own external pancreas.

Scheiner also wrote: The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting.

And, he has very affordable online "classes" in T1 management. The link includes a free video on how to dose for pizza :-)

In the meantime, this is a fantastic list of carb factors and an explanation on how to use them.

Get thee a food scale. Nothing fancy required.

edited: formatting

I think the above poster has a great idea for how to start the conversation with her, but I would suggest against getting her one of her own simply because of how young she is.

For one since she is so young she runs the risk of becoming desensitized and when she does finally have sex it could be more difficult for her to come without it. Another reason is the issue of opening herself up to problems if her daughter ever tells someone about it or shows it to a friend or heaven forbid lets a friend use it. I can see how someone could misinterpret it and before you know it you have CPS at your door and you are being investigated for child abuse.

My best friend is a sex educator and she suggest that you talk with her about masturbation and encourage her to explore herself but that toys at this age is just too young. She suggested I get this book for my daughter and it helped a LOT. It's Perfectly Normal

One of the 'classics' is Autobiography of a Yogi and another wonderful book is Eknath Easwaran's translation of the Bhagavad Gita

They basically go hand-in-hand as the Bhagavad Gita is one of the founding documents related to classical yoga (the quest to unite the individual soul with the universe).

The books don't so much give a history of meditation as much as provide a wonderful background / introduction to Eastern philosophy as well as being fun to read and inspiring to many people.

The Bhagavad Gita made me want to meditate, and the Autobiography of a Yogi gave me the further inspiration to seek the lessons from the author in how to meditate, as well as a philosophical background on classical yoga meditation systems beyond the 'yoga lite' health club version that is so prevalent today.

The first thing you need to do is get in touch with other parents of twins. Parents of singletons don't have any idea what you are about to go through so go to people who do: http://www.nomotc.org/index.php?option=com_clubsearch&Itemid=43

Get on their email list now and start meeting people. You'll be glad you have some people to call when the shit hits the fan.

Secondly, encourage your wife to take care of herself and eat like a horse. Preterm birth is a real risk for multiples and you really really really do not want to experience it if you can avoid it. I would make a point of finding an OB specialized in high risk pregnancies. I didn't and I lived to regret it (mine were 3 months too early). Here's a good book about eating during a multiple pregnancy: http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374202260&sr=1-1&keywords=multiples

It is great that your MIL is going to visit for a few months - that will make things SOOO much easier.

I got the new millennium edition. While I was researching which one to get , a lot of people mentioned that millenium edition was glossy and had smaller print which made it harder to read. I must say it looks fine. I don't have any problems so far. The reason i picked the latest is because it was relatively cheaper (140ish vs 300+) and had over 900 erratas fixed with respect to older editions.

Bonus: Another book I started reading in tandem is Road to Reality by Penrose which is equivalent in excitement, inspiration and quality of material and gives a nice overview of math required for physics and relation between math and physics. Highly recommend.

My son just turned two and can reliably recognize all the letters (upper and lower), knows their sounds, and can count and recognize numbers up to 12. We got there by reading to him every day, letting him watch Leap Frog Letter Factory, playing on the Starfall website (usually 2 letters a night), and interacting with him throughout the day (alphabet puzzles, number games, etc).

I can tell he's ready for more, but I feel like it's too soon to try to teach him to read. We've decided to stop trying to progress and just reinforce his letter and number recognition. I've been putting together a bunch of games and activities for letters and their sounds, numbers, shapes (including the more advanced ones), patterns, and sorting/categorizing.

If you still want to begin teaching your son to read, you could look at Progressive Phonics and Starfall (both free online programs), or
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (book).

The tone of this poster is very inflamatory, but the information in the above post is backed by some serious research. Reproduction is major business, after all animals have adapted to their detriment to attract mates (think male peacocks, those tails make them easier prey.) Humans are just as influenced by biology as any other animal. We however, can educate ourselves and modify our behaviors as we see fit. I highly recommend the following books to anyone with the smallest interest in this topic. They are all fascinating reads and I guarentee brain = asplode when you read them.

Sperm Wars by Robin Baker

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, by Matt Ridley

The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins

The Myth of Monogamy: Fidelity and Infidelity in Animals and People by David P. Barash Ph.D. and Judith Eve Lipton

Also, I'm a gal, and understanding how evolutionary biology made humans behave the way they do has been a real eye opener. Let me tell you, bars and clubs are infinitely more amusing now. The people watching has taken on a whole new level of entertainment!

EDIT: The links were messed up, had to fix that.

I know that feeling, our college nutritionist recommended 2000 calories a day no matter how many miles you're running. Legitimately clueless. Unfortunately this seems to be the norm when it comes to distance running and nutrition.

My best experience has been reading about nutrition, and the book I strongly recommend is Matt Fitzgerald's "Racing Weight", which does a great job of outlining almost every aspect of nutrition from base mileage all the way to racing, and really I think the title does it a disservice because it's much more encompassing than just racing. It goes through all of the carb/protein/fat ratio of calories questions, whole grain vs white flour, whole milk vs skim, etc.

I think it's a pretty easy read and it's the best resource I've found for running nutrition. In terms of actual recipes it's pretty light, but it does have example weeks of a nutrition plan. For recipes, Shalane Flanagan's books are pretty popular, run fast eat slow and her other one.

Link to book: Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance (The Racing Weight Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934030996/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n3ZWCbD2QCX48

Consider the idea that you have both attention and awareness and they can both be active while you meditate. Your attention can be on the breath while maintaining peripheral awareness. Think of it like talking with a friend in a coffee shop or cocktail party. You can focus on them but you are still aware of the sounds, sights, and smells around you.

If you are sitting in meditation and you get distracted/shocked by a sound, it means your peripheral awareness was low and the sound pulled your attention. Most teachers will probably tell you to not use earplugs because developing awareness is a step in developing strong mindfulness. And, this helps you develop equanimity towards your present situation.

FWIW, QuietMind is built off the ideas presented in The Mind Illuminated- a pretty incredible manual on meditation I would highly recommend and can help you answer these types of questions.

I'm sure every subscriber here has already read it, but the top book has got to be The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Reading it really opened my mind to how evolution actually worked in a way that my teachers at school never had. Even if later on when I started learning about social insects I had to start questioning some of those ways of looking at an "individual".

Back on topic, I'd recommend Matt Ridley's Nature Via Nurture, Genome, and The Red Queen, as each are accessible yet still highly informative looks into various aspects of evolution.

For those interested in human evolution there's Y: The Descent of Men by Steve Jones and The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes.

All of those fall more under the category of books that should be read between high school and college if you are interested in studying Biology. Once you get to grad school level books might be a neat introduction to a topic, but any real learning would come from primary literature. I've read lots of fantastic papers but they start becoming so specialized that I would hesitate to put forward specific suggestions, because what might be fascinating to ecologists will probably be dire to molecular biologists. I know that as someone with a focus on zoology, most of the genetics papers I read left me more confused that enlightened.

> Citation needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Complete-Athletes-Coaches/dp/0980011116

Or feel free make a post and ask in /r/weightlifting. They'll will agree with me that the power and full versions are executed the same.

Also – http://www.catalystathletics.com/exercise/67/Power-Clean/

"The power clean is the most basic variation of the clean; the only difference is the height at which the bar is received."

"The power clean is simply a clean without a full-depth squat to receive it."

> literally every single coach or guide I've ever seen has taught the power clean

Yea, I would too. Not because it's less technical, but because you're working with weight that you can power clean. The only reason you'd catch a clean in a full squat is because it's too heavy to catch it as a power clean – why would you work with that much weight when you're learning the lift? This doesn't make one less technical than the other.

i love that story he/she made, and have read almost all of the source material he/she cited! I liked the fact that the story was almost entirely free of speculation of society/culture (beyond augmented employers wanting augmented employees). By sticking to the philosophical quandary itself, it was very believable and understandable as a "how we get there" story. To know more about human "consciousness" and what we call free will, I'd suggest reading Incognito, by David Eagleman.

Another quote about the singularity I enjoy is by Justin B. Rye:

>"As I see it, the main problem in designing a plausible 23rd century these days isn't lack of grandeur, it's the imminence of changes so fundamental and unpredictable they're likely to make the dramas of 2298 as unintelligible to us as the Microsoft Anti-Trust Suit would be to Joan of Arc."

And just to keep away the near-religious fervor that begins to brew up inside of my optimistic brain, i tend to either imagine scenarios of how the Singularity could be a bad thing (I love drawing and writing), and watch Bruce Sterling's "Your Future as a Black Hole".

Remember to keep your cautiously optimistic wits about you on this subject!

> I start feeling warm and energized and just totally present. That’s when I can really “take in” the effects of meditation I guess. That’s where I experience bright colors, and “psychedelic” experiences, and all that fun stuff.

I don't know what tradition you are following, but in some traditions what you are describing sounds somewhat like one of the dullness traps. As described in The Mind Illuminated:

> The Seduction of Dullness
>
> Strong dullness can be a seductive trap. States of dullness lead to dream imagery, archetypal visions, pleasurable sensations, paranormal experiences like channeling, past-life recollections, and the overall feeling that something profound is occurring. If you anchor attention on the breath, you can sustain them for a long time without falling asleep. In certain traditions, these states are purposely cultivated. However, when it comes to cultivating attention and awareness, these states are only a hindrance. Remember that visionary experiences, brilliant insights, and any other seemingly profound encounters should all be avoided at this Stage [Stage Four, when you are free from both gross distractions and strong dullness. Dullness no longer leads to drowsiness, nor causes perception of the breath sensations to grow dim or take on hypnagogic distortions]

If those sorts of states are what you want, cool. Just be aware that dullness should be avoided if your intention is to strengthen awareness and keep the overall energy level of the mind high.

I've read some of them. Those that I read are indeed good.

However, in the context of deciding to be better, I'd recommend to drop Pinker's "Blank Slate". It's a good book, but it's mostly about an academic and political debate. If you already accept that genes affect the mind, there's a better way to spend your time.

I'd also recommend to replace Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow", and Ariely's "Predictably Irrational" with "The invisible Gorilla" by Charbis and Simmons. The latter book covers a similar ground to the first two, but it does so with less personal anecdotes.

I'd also recommend to replace the books from Oliver Sacks with Eagleman's "Incognito. The Secret Lives of the Brain." Eagleman is also funny, he covers similar ground, but his book is a bit more systematic.

haha, screw whatever they think, they ought to be impressed :p

Have a look at Greg Everetts book it's pretty neat, and any videos you can find other form videos etc on that there youtube.

Post formchecks etc once youre confident you're on your way, there's a few oly lifters here who I'm sure are qualified to give you advice, jacques_chester is actually a coach I think, and maybe a couple of others :)

> I would actually rather have more “nones” than “cultural” Christians. It does more harm than anything to have self-identified Christians who likely aren’t actually saved and are “Christians” either just because they’re parents were or because it’s “the American belief.”

Growing up, my parents always emphasized to me & my brothers the importance of having a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” We stopped attending church when I was relatively young (church politics), but my parents retained a zeal for Christianity. They were PRO-Christian, ANTI-Christian culture.

I’ve watched my parents beliefs turn around, over the years. Today, they like being involved in Christian culture, (i.e. church) but they certainly aren’t the evangelical Christians they used to be. My Mom likes Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity and complains that she can no longer relate to her more “fundamentalist” Christian friends. My Dad told me that reading Steven Pinker convinced him that Christianity isn’t even a spectacular force for good in the world. His twin brother, who remains an evangelical Christian, now thinks that my Dad is going to Hell. My Dad now thinks it’s ludicrous; people claiming to know what (if anything) happens after we die.

A good friend of mine works for the Christian church, and he tells me that he struggles with the fact that he sees no good reason to believe in the existence of God.

Why is it so hard to accept that real Christians might change their mind about Christianity?

I totally agree with C. Those are great threads.

heres my two cents:

I was 150-155 over the spring, running 30-40mpw and not really eating "clean" or consciously. I was essentially eating whatever came to my plate. Starting in June, i cleaned everything up and started to eat increased fruits / vegetables / non fried foods. Then, I increased my mileage. Suddenly, I started to drop pounds like crazy. I ended the summer around 137-140 after 8 weeks of 50-60 mpw. More importantly, I felt better.

So, my thoughts for you: is there anything you can change in your diet that could help you? Anything you could cut out / cut down on? And, do you think that increasing your mileage / training would help.

Heres a book that might help: Racing Weight

Until you're on a pump, the mySugr app is a really great tracker for logging doses and food.

Your doctor will likely slowly ramp you into the current best practices for insulin management, so don't worry if you don't get info about carb counting and ratios and things like that that you might see around here. Just go by their recommendations for now; eventually you'll be tuning everything yourself when you're comfortable.

This book is a really great comprehensive overview of how the disease works and how we typically manage it.

As mentioned by others, start looking into Dexcom availability in your area (and if it's available, look into whether your insurance will cover it; if so, it's a no-brainer — if not, probably still worth it, but might have to move some things around financially.)

We used a OneTouch Verio Flex glucometer when we started, which did a decent job of Bluetooth syncing to an iPhone. The Contour Next is also really popular.

Our kid has had this case for all his gear for two years now, and it's held up really well.

We've had similar long-lasting life out of his RoadID bracelet. (Select the "rugged" faceplate when customizing, to get one with raised edges — prevents the text rubbing off over time.)

If you think you can read an undergraduate textbook Ryden is a standard.

However, if you think that may be too advanced, start with some popular books on the subject such and The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku or the classic by Hawking A Brief History of Time.

If after reading those you want something more advanced but still not a textbook try The Road to Reality by Penrose. It reads like a popular book but he actually works through math (and the real stuff with like tensors etc...) to make his points so it is more advanced. Also, the Dummies Books are also a more intermediate step and are often decently good at teaching the basics on a lower technical level than a textbook.

How's your sleep?

Chronic sleep deprivation (meaning a habit of less than 8 hours a night) will shred even a non-ADHD-brain's ability to focus. Starting with an ADHD brain means you get seriously impaired that much quicker.

I can speak from experience over the past few years of getting only 6-7 hours on average (on purpose, to treat my sleep disorder, but WOW what a cost). I felt like I was losing my mind and stuff like reading novels or learning was impossible most days, where before I inhaled books like nothing. Even dropped out of college because the slight burden of a part-time course was annihilating me.

I've changed my schedule to let myself sleep more and noticed a small difference so far. There's a useful introductory book that came out recently and goes into the science of sleep; https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316

I've been reading through it, very slowly, and it's won me over to prioritising 8 hours of sleep as my main health goal right now. Might not help everyone but if you're not sleeping enough that would affect anyone so it may be somewhere to start.

You're on the same combo as me. A little seroquel for sleep and some lamictol. I'm going to give you a funny recommendation. It's not a self help book, but this book convinced me that sleep is the best medicine I can take and ever since reading it I've prioritized sleep above all things AND, perhaps more importantly, come to love sleep and "over sleeping".

Before the book I was Mr. "I only need 6 hours of sleep". Now I'm Mr. "I want at least 8.5 and more is better."

I used to have all kinds of trouble with sleep and I feel like a lot of it was because I didn't actually want to sleep… something happened after reading (listening to actually) this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316

Yes, I've worked with both and understand the black box problem well.

> upload your neural information into a silicone based robot and you’ll still be the same person.

I strongly disagree with this. IMO the singularity folks overvalue the contents of thought and undervalue the physicality of consciousness.

Consider something like phantom limb syndrome. It has a profound impact on one's experience, and that's just with an appendage.

Now ask, what if the phantom limb is not a limb but is actually a part of the brain that you're not even aware of? You might feel like something is not quite right. But is that the "real" you? What is the self? The content of your thoughts, or the more abstract feeling of experience? How do you know if your thoughts are authentic?

I actually experienced something like that a few years ago and it was very disturbing. For about three weeks I felt as if part of my consciousness had switched off. I could still navigate the world and express myself verbally, but I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't the "real" me. I told people that I felt like a piece of me was missing, but I couldn't pinpoint it. It was kind of like the feeling of a missing tooth. Your tongue is drawn to the hole. It made me seriously doubt my executive function.

Eventually it went away but I never figured out why.

Now look at schizophrenics. They don't think they're insane. They perceive a world that you and I don't perceive, and in their minds they are 100% exercising free will. That's why it's so difficult to get them to take their medication -- it makes them feel less authentic.

A more common experience is lifelong depressives who find a treatment that works. Many of them describe the medicated self as "the real me." Really? All that neurological activity doesn't feel real, but 50 mg of Zoloft snaps it into place?

Oliver Sachs has documented even more bizarre neurological conditions. Combine that with the "competitive selves" theory outlined in Incognito and it really leads me to question how much "I" am in control.

These two pathologies have been documented and defined along with many others. But there are potentially infinite pathologies that have not yet been defined. How do you know that you're not suffering from some form of psychosis? One that makes you feel like you exercise free will?

On a therapeutic level, you might want to check out voice dialogue. (I'm not suggesting you need therapy, it's just an interesting view of behavior.) In going through it myself I discovered over a dozen distinct voices in my head, which my therapist said is common. The more I untangle those voices, the less I believe in free will.

> • Get under 165 lbs by IF, tracking macros 1800 calories/day 40/30/30, stop eating like shit. By April 26th

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> Nothing special to report. Lifting again. Working my way up with my weak weights. Planning to write out some short term, and long term goals for lifts.

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Two excellent tools I'd recommend are TDEE 3.0 Calculator and Symmetric Strength

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The calculator is excellent for tracking your weight loss / gain goals and readjusts your TDEE daily based on the data you input. It takes a few weeks before it becomes really accurate but is well worth the effort.

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Symmetric Strength changed the way I programmed my lifting workouts - input as much data as you can and you'll soon find not only your weakest lifts but also your weakest muscles. I went from being obsessed about the weights I was lifting to being obsessed about symmetry and overall strength. It made me focus more on particular muscles / muscle groups that were lagging behind. As a result, I'm finding great improvements in the areas I was weak in - and, as a result, my lifts overall have gone up.

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> Gonna add keto tomorrow to my IF just till I get to my goal weight then reevaluate from there. I can't control my heigh but I can control my weight which I have done a poor job of.

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This book should be on the sidebar in my opinion. Everything you need to know about nutrition and lifting in one long but easy read

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> **Dread level: ** 2-3 need to add more 3 BJJ has helped with that but need to get out more. Called a friend and made plans with him this week. Baby will be at grandmas.

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Are you getting out more just to increase dread or are you getting out more because you want to?

Have you read that book "Where the Downvotes Come From"? It's an amazing book.

There's a passage that explains that some downvotes come about because of the discomfort of people when they hear the truth about a subject that secretly bothers them, but they have no courage to admit it. Or, sometimes, because it is the mainstream way of thinking.

Some get aggressive; some joke (see below); some downvote.

Very entertaining, really.

Of course, there's this other book people should REALLY read, that's called "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows".

William Barr would benefit from checking out Peter Singer and Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek’s recent work. They're real utilitarians, not pretend ones. That might also help him better understand that leading secular moralists are not relativists or subjectivists and that their morality is about making the world a better place. Barr would also benefit from reading about the moral progress we Homo sapiens have made by reading Steven Pinker’s two recent works: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/utilitarianism-a-very-short-introduction-9780198728795?cc=au&lang=en& https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010 https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins doesn't really go into anything new or original, but the strength of the book is that is a great, concise summary of all the beginning arguments for atheism.

http://www.amazon.com/God-Delusion-Richard-Dawkins/dp/0618680004

I'd follow it with Daniel Dennett's "Breaking the Spell", also a good recommendation. Same goes for Carl Sagan's "A Demon Haunted World"

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Spell-Religion-Natural-Phenomenon/dp/0143038338

http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Haunted-World-Science-Candle-Dark/dp/0345409469/

Christopher Hitchens is a bit vitriolic for some, but "God is not Great" has some nuggets in it.

http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Religion-Everything/dp/0446579807/

I personally didn't like Sam Harris' "End of Faith" but I did like his "Letter to a Christian Nation".

http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Christian-Nation-Vintage-Harris/dp/0307278778/

For the topic of evolution, Talk Origins is great (and free) http://toarchive.org/
Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene" is also a good read (and short). Not so short but also good are Dawkins' "Blind Watchmaker", "Climbing Mount Improbable" and "Unweaving the Rainbow"

http://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Gene-Anniversary-Introduction/dp/0199291152/

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Watchmaker-Evidence-Evolution-Universe/dp/0393315703/

http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Mount-Improbable-Richard-Dawkins/dp/0393316823/

http://www.amazon.com/Unweaving-Rainbow-Science-Delusion-Appetite/dp/0618056734/

FenderJazzbass (OP, deleted), first, congrats on your sighting - but be careful not to jump to alien conclusions too soon, as there may just be a mundane explanation for your sighting. Always be on the lookout for confirmation bias in your thinking! There is a great book you might want to check out called The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (http://www.amazon.com/The-True-Believer-Movements-Perennial/dp/0060505915)

I'm guessing you are fairly young and relatively new to the subject of UFOs, and your posting history certainly seems to indicate a "desire to believe". You're going to get called out again and again, if for no other reason than your commenting history seems fairly uncritical and leans heavily toward the true Believer end of the spectrum, and, more importantly, relies pretty regularly on ad hominem attacks and ad hoc retractions of posts. This is all very suspicious behavior, if you are really looking to take this subject seriously, and have others take you seriously.

This is not an attack on you. Please take it as constructive criticism and keep looking up!

Try to keep in mind that popular media rarely presents a proportionately balanced view of the world. Due to fundamental incentives, media tends to be biased toward particular kinds of attention-grabbing sensationalism and pessimism.

Wanting to accurately perceive the state of the overall world beyond our personal experiences is admirable, so good for you. Investing the time to increase understanding helps us react rationally and responsibly.

A useful starting place is this brief TED talk by the amazing statistician Hans Rosling. Good books include Pinker's "Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress" and Ridley's "The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves".

It's real, I can assure you. The trick is to look at the etymology and see when it went from a self-help philosophy to being so popular kings started creating religions from it as a way to control their people. Which is why it is both a philosophy and a religion, but fuck the religious part.

Have you heard of The Mind Illuminated? It's a relatively new meditation book but has gained a lot of popularity as of late. I haven't yet read it yet, but every quote I've seen from it has been gold. Needless to say, I'm rather impressed so far.

Me, I looked at the eightfold path and noticed every single thing it recommended calmed the mind, which aids meditation, as well as psychological exploration. So I just investigated that for meditation advice. It's a bit hard core to do it that way, but it does work if you have absurd levels of concentration, which ironically comes from meditation.

I'm 33 weeks pregnant with ours, so I can't yet comment as a parent, but these are some things that have helped me so far. Like with any baby gear or family, there is no one right answer as to what to buy. I have researched a ton and found it helpful to start at the Lucies List twin page, then modify ideas from there by asking advice from other twin parents and from places like here. We are going minimalist so have definitely not purchased the full extent of gear that mainstream registries recommend, but we have the basics for sleeping, health/safety, and transportation, and we also know there's always Amazon prime and also some nearby stores in case of emergency.

Second, I started reading When you're expecting twins... by Barbara Luke very early in my pregnancy and I found its recommendations on nutrition and lifestyle to be invaluable in getting the pregnancy off to a healthy start and keeping it there. There are definitely some differences from being pregnant with one vs two, and this got me educated and prepared.

Last...well we specifically didn't want cutesy/rhyming twin names, but if you want that sort of thing, Google and Pinterest are full of ideas. Ours are same gender but fraternal, and I fully expect they will be as stubborn and individual as their parents, so I'm not worried about telling them apart. I do expect our hands will be quite full with other challenges. Lord help us.

Great! My best advice for you is to start your reading with Sam Harris' The End of Faith. You can buy a hardcover of it on Amazon for $3.11 plus shipping and in my opinion, it gives an excellent overview of the subject.

Another one I would read concurrently is Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene. Both are excellent for beginning your exploration.

I constantly recommend Think Like a Pancreas to my family and friends who ask to learn more about diabetes. It's a great book written by Gary Scheiner. He also writes with a very conversational tone, jokes, and is honest with how he handles type 1 for himself and recommendations for his patients.

You could start with The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins. It's a pretty easy read and it covers a wide range of the current evidence for evolution across different fields of science.

After that, The Selfish Gene also by Dawkins, is awesome. In it, he talks about evolution from the perspective of a gene.

Both should be pretty layman-friendly. He certainly has a compelling way of delivering his arguments.

> We pretty much all feel like something's fucked, we just don't know how to fix it.

What boggles me about this feeling is that human beings have never had it so good. Evidence that "something's fucked" is shockingly thin, unless it's evidence that what's fucked is people's expectations, and the whatever-it-is-we're-doing to give them those expectations. There is definitely suffering out there, there are winners and losers, and it is difficult to hear that "the world is better than ever" when you're the one whose ship never seems to come in (so to speak). But ideologies built on the idea of impending apocalypse are at least as ancient as Christianity, and they historically appeal to society's worst-off for precisely this reason--this feeling that "something's fucked."

I call that feeling "the human condition." It's okay to want to make the world better. And we should definitely do that where we can. Following that feeling is how we built the amazing world we live in today.

The trick is to also be grateful for the amazing world we live in today, too. It's possible to do that and still want to make things better. It's that gratitude, I think, that staves off a tumble into nihilism--which I suspect is a much better name than "socialism" for what the teenagers calling themselves "socialists" today are feeling.

This is such a hugely controversial topic that I hope you don't get the "How could you let your child cry??" responses. But for me personally, I read the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and it helped me tremendously. It explains the science behind the whole concept of sleep training and my soon to be 4 year old daughter has been sleeping great since she was 6 months old. It started off rocky, like you're experiencing and I would literally turn off the monitor and go to the other side of the house so I wouldn't have to hear it. But eventually all the crying started to taper off. She never woke up angry with me. As soon as I saw her smile, I knew that there was no resentment. After a week or so, she'd cry for maybe 5-10 minutes before a nap. Usually at night she wouldn't cry at all. Quickly after that, she started sleeping through the night (once my Dr. said it was ok to drop the middle of the night feeding) because she had learned to put herself to sleep which allowed her to fall back asleep. Since then, we've had very few troubles with sleeping even when we travel or when her schedule gets thrown off. I fully credit sleep training for that. I wish you the very best!

Full disclosure: I'm overcoming my own sleep difficulties (after 20 years of not sleeping well). My advice is based on what is working for me.

Some reading for you:

• NIH guidance on sleep: Read this now to make sure you're hitting all the low-hanging fruit of sleep hygiene.
  
• Say Good Night to Insomnia: Gregg Jacobs offers a CBT-based program to get your sleep back on track. As an engineer, you'll probably enjoy learning about the interplay among thoughts, behaviors, and sleep.
  
• Why We Sleep: Matthew Walker explains the current research on sleep, including the consequences of not sleeping enough. Knowing those consequences might discourage you from messing with your sleep in the future.
  
  If you like the sound of the program in Jacobs's book, I suggest finding a therapist trained in CBT-I (cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia). The program requires you to confront your anxiety about sleep -- anxiety you might not know you have -- and a therapist can help. I also recommend the CBT-i Coach app, which lets you easily log your sleep data each day and, after you log a week's worth of data, prescribes sleep and wake times. You might also consider having a sleep study done to rule out physical (as opposed to behavioral) causes.
  
  Good luck.