Dear Cabbie

What is chi? (also spelled ki or qi)

2008-01-04T12:33:00.001-08:00

Before proceeding to "the answer" I first need to qualify a few things.

Our Western mindset seems to default to Cartesian thinking which is reductionist. Reductionism is concerned with essences as in, "What is the essence of __________?" Another way to say this is, "What's left when you subtract everything you can, that if you subtracted any more, something would cease to be what it is?" So Descartes attempted to reduce being to its essence and when Cartesian philosophy is taught, is summed up as, "I think, therefore I am." (Actually, this statement has been effectively deconstructed by Nietsche.)

Regardless, many Asians are not encumbered by a Cartesian reductionist mindset and often look towards general conclusions that can be drawn about aggregate phenomena that are quite often due to an interactive confluence of factors. Qi is one such aggregate phenomenon. To say "Qi is expressed in everything" might approach accuracy, although it does not provide a person with access to an experience of the phenomenon.

Sometimes Qi is translated as "Energy" and is refuted on the basis of unmeasurability. "If Qi was real, I could detect it on this here sensor device." (This also begs the question of whether or not the device is sensitive enough, and whether the person measuring is indulging in scientistic arrogance by assuming that inability to detect something is equivalent to proof it does not exist.) But this is actually off the mark. Qi has much more to do with how commonly recognized forces are applied. Balance is similar in this respect. A scientist might not measure anything out of the ordinary when examining the phenomenon of balance. They might require sophisticated monitoring of nerve impulses to obtain a true picture, but it is not the existence of the impulses but the pattern that is important. So it is with Qi.

After decades of experience I would say Qi is Qi. No kidding. Attempts to translate the term generally serve to distract. Instead I would draw certain general conclusions about it and point to ways to experience it.

So, when attempting to arrive at a definition of Qi, I would prefer to identify it as a term which describes wave functions occurring in nature and in the body. In terms of practical application, Qi occurs in association with other phenomena. The movements in Taiji Chuan for example are lead by Yi (Attention), after which Qi (Energetic Wave) follows, resulting in Ba (the expression of force or the blow).

To the Chinese way of thinking, there are over 72,000 varieties of Qi, making it as complex as microbiology. So I realize I am merely scratching the surface here, but I feel that characterizing Qi as a way of describing waveforms is somewhat more accurate than to say "energy."

Is beta-alanine or creatine better for recovering from work-outs?

2007-12-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

This kind of depends on what you mean by "recovering" from workouts. There is evidence to suggest that the "tear down to build up" theory doesn't hold water.

Creatine seems to maximize anabolic muscle metabolism and therefore builds muscle. If muscle is what you are after, then go for it.

Beta-alanine also helps build muscle, but has a side effect of paraesthesia, (a form of neurogenic pain) with high doses and also tends to be readily excreted in high doses.

With both substances, the form is quite important. Although the synthesis of urea was the death knell to vitalist thinking in the Western medical community many doctors, particularly those influenced by the drug manufacturers, adopted the extreme point of view that synthetics function identically as the original substances.

Many women are finding this NOT to be the case and are finding relief from perimenopausal symptoms using bioidentical hormones rather than the synthetics foisted on them by male doctors in cahoots with corporate synthetic substance pushers.

You may or may not know that synthetic vitamin E blocks the beneficial effects of natural vitamin E. So when you go to the store get "mixed alpha tocopherols" and not "tocopherol acetate." The latter is easier to synthesize and has been touted as a suitable replacement...BUT IT ISN'T.

(Heck. I remember the days when LSD-25 maleate was all you could get and it was mellow felt like reality itself was warping and having some was not yet a federal offense. You had to keep it in the fridge or it would go bad. Then along came LSD-25 tartrate which kept better but gave a jagged trip. No wonder the kids call it "fry.") But I digress...

Verdict: I would tend to go with creatine over beta-alinine for your purposes simply because of the high-dose side-effects. However, I would say that the form of the substance my turn out to be more important than which actual substance, so as asked, I am unable to return a solid verdict.

What's the best book on philosophy written in the past 30 years?

2007-12-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Another question sent in by Aaron. I am called on to make a judgement.

If he had made the range the last 100 years, I would have said Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, with a close second held by the works of Carl Gustav Jung, particularly Memories, Dreams and Reflections, even though he is considered to be a psychologist.

But since it is the last 50 years under consideration, I need to go with Richard Rorty's Contingency, Irony and Solidarity. In a stroke of genius comparable to Einstein's realization that he needed to undo the very foundations of the science of his time, Rorty deconstructs our notions of "truth."

First, he shows that language is contingent rather than absolute, even though we hold it to be absolute when we ask one another whether something said is "true." He contends that within a limited framework such as mathematics statements can be determined to be true or false; but that this does not extend to assertions about reality. He shows further how certain philosophical inquiries create mischief by creating scales on which we can weigh others and determine them to be less valid than ourselves.

Second, he defines what it is to be an ironist:

(1) She has radical and continuing doubts about the final vocabulary she currently uses, because she has been impressed by other vocabularies, vocabularies taken as final by people or books she has encountered; (2) she realizes that argument phrased in her present vocabulary can neither underwrite nor dissolve these doubts; (3) insofar as she philosophizes about her situation, she does not think that her vocabulary is closer to reality than others, that it is in touch with a power not herself.

– Richard Rorty, Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989, p.73

Finally he examines Solidarity which is the term he uses to describe Us vs Them thinking as a justification for cruelty.

It's just my opinion, but there you are. the best book on philosophy written in the last 50 years.

Does soy protein lower testosterone?

2007-11-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

I think it does. I became familiar with soy products back in the 60's as I lived in Hawaii and was exposed to Asian cultures there. Naturally, I came to regard dishes prepared with miso, tamari, natto and tofu as the best way to eat soy products.

I also came to regard new age food faddists as rather odd. It was strange to see people showing signs of malnutrition congratulating one another on their health. I am not talking about people who make a point of fully understanding their nutritional needs, but faddists. I know folks who went completely vegan, but took it too far. (Don't get me wrong. I regard a vegan diet as an excellent extended fast allowing the body to recover from the diseases of excess arising from the typical American diet.) After they had their first round of "detoxes" they felt fine. A year and a half later, they thought they were undergoing a deeper "detox" when it was clear that they were showing symptoms of protein malnutrition. But I digress...

There appears to be some evidence that moderate to large amounts of processed non-fermented soy derivatives have adverse hormone-related effects on the body. This is nasty, since soy is touted as "natural." A woman seems to think her PMS got worse. Another fellow is on a rant about how soy is being foisted on the American public.

Without going into it in depth, I would say that dietary inclusion of fermented soy products in small amounts does no harm. Conversely, consumption of moderate to large quantities of non-fermented soy-derived food products appears to have an adverse effect. Bodybuilder and doctor Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD explains why.

Who's going to with the upcoming Presidential primaries?

2007-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

This question was also posed by Aaron.

I will need to go with my gut here.

I believe that Hillary Clinton will sweep the Democrats. I hope she picks Barack Obama as a running mate. I like Barack better, but Hillary is stacking up the funds. Anyway if Barack makes VP we could have our 1st official person of color in the Rainbow House (new name for the White House) in 2016.

I believe that if the Republicans are fed up with themselves they will go with Ron Paul (people actually like his message!) and he could be a serious contender against Hillary...but after having seen the way the California Republicans screwed up the 2002 Gubernatorial race, I wouldn't put it past them to put the wrong guy up in this one. (Richard Riordan was a moderate Republican and the party put up hardliner Bill Simon who lost to Grey Davis. Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger, another moderate Republican got in. You would think the Republicans would learn from this.) Anyway, I think the Republicans will put up Rudy Giuliani as a paper target against Hillary Clinton. They would be better off redesigning their platform and abandoning the folks who try to use religion to oppose change, but I wouldn't bet on it.

So here's my prediction for the race: Clinton against Giuliani.

This is different from what I would like to see: Clinton/Obama against Paul/Giuliani.

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.

What's the fastest way to start an online business?

2007-11-21T22:25:00.001-08:00

This question was sent in by Aaron. It contains some unasked questions. Like:

How can I create a profitable online business?
How can I make an online business work?
What's the shortest path to profit?

Also it is kind of like asking how to write Yesterday by Paul McCartney. You need to have all your ducks in a row and be ready to jump on it when the break presents itself. As is, I would say the fastest way to start an online business is to:

Assess your total skill set (a la What Color Is Your Parachute)
Do your keyword research in several areas of interest at Wordtracker
Purchase a related domain name made of the most favorable available keyphrase at Yahoo so you automatically rank on Yahoo
Create a Google account and use it for blogging and Adsense so you rank on Google
Refer to your blog on your site and to your site on your blog
Create an Amazon associate account just in case you wind up recommending a book or a movie
Add your blog feed to your My Yahoo page near the top and make it your home page so you are reminded to post to your blog twice a week
Start researching and contacting your keyword competitors to turn them into online affiliates

This can be done in a single day, but the follow-up will make the difference. There is also a ready-made pattern for pay-per-click. It is a quick start. Visit Whip The Net Internet Marketing by Mead Rose to learn about:

Keyword Research: Words people use to find sites like yours
Market Analysis: Who else is out there. Can they hurt/help you?
Feasability Studies: What's it going to take? Is it worth it?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Setting up your pages to rank
List Management: Keeping your prospects and customers in the loop
Campaign Design: Taking the necessary steps to get web traffic

Of course, many Multi-Level Marketing companies can set you up in an equivalent amount of time if you find a product you believe in.

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.

Ask A Cabbie....Anything!

2007-11-21T22:24:00.001-08:00

I got an answer for ya...right here!

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.