kband: bluprnt 4 rvolution

Gibson on Burroughs

"Everything I wrote, I believed instinctively, was to some extent collage. Meaning, ultimately, seemed a matter of adjacent data."

"The record, not the remix, is the anomaly today. The remix is the very nature of the digital."

Wired article.

flavor makers

yet another article stolen from stayfree. it is flattery, you realize.

This is an interview with people who make artificial flavors. It will turn you away from Doritoes and chinese food forever.

Revelations:

Small doses of the stuff used to make pepper spray goes into BBQ sauce and is actually corosive.

"We'd have to mix our own food colorings. Food coloring came in two forms: powder and granulated. You had big warning labels on it saying "CONTAINS LEAD AND ARSENIC!" Supposedly it was a byproduct of burning coal, this fine ash."

" There was this flavor that was really brutal to work with--Butter 20--and there was this one ingredient, diacetyl, that, if you inhaled it, would make you vomit."

Penis on the brain

From New Scientist:

AT LAST we know where the penis is represented in the male brain.

The genitalia's location on the "homunculus", the brain's map of body parts, has been in dispute since the 1920s. Now Christian Kell at the University of Frankfurt in Germany has put eight men into an MRI scanner to help settle the question. Using a soft brush, Kell stroked parts of each volunteer's body while recording brain activity.

Each man's penis was represented in the same place - flanked by the areas for the toes and abdomen - Kell told the Organisation of Human Brain Mapping annual meeting in Toronto. "The only depressing thing," he says, [...wait for it...] "is that the representation is very small."

Glen Danzig is my boyfriend

My favorite Misfits song of all time is "some kind of hate." If you want to read into it, it's about how relationships are often all about both love and hate at the same time. Glen has the single best line of any song ever in it where he's talking about how sex is just watever and he says, "maggots in the eye alone will copulate."

Fucking brilliant.

But then my entimologist friend Marj pointed out that maggots in fact don't copulate, because they're the larval stage of flies, and only flies have sex.

So sad.

But it's still a great line. And I feel like we all need to give Glen all the props we can muster these days because of that video of him getting dropped like a bitch. Another friend Michael said that anytime anyone says Glen "got dropped like a bitch," his evil power is like "zzeeeuuoooppp" and goes down. And the man apparently lives in LA, so I think he needs all the evil power he can get.

Zapitistas heating up

Drama in our favorite rebel nation of Oxaca.
More power to them.

According to the BBC, Marcos said, "We are not, for our part, planning or consulting about a return to offensive military combat."

He indicated that the group may be contemplating broadening its focus beyond rights for indigenous Indians.

"Those who supported us in our exclusively Indian fight can distance themselves, without shame or remorse, from this 'something else'," said his statement.

Apparently the Mexican government "found" pot plants on Zapitista land and was planning a raid, when the alert went out. It might have been a counter measure by Marcos, but the gov admitted mistake today.

************************************
Translated by irlandesa

Communiqué from the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee
General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

Mexico.

June 19, 2005

To the People of Mexico:
To the Peoples of the World:

Brothers and Sisters:

As of today, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation has declared, throughout all rebel territory, a

GENERAL RED ALERT

Based on this, we are informing you:

First - That at this time the closure is being carried out of the Caracoles and the Good Government Offices which are located in the zapatista communities of Oventik, La Realidad, Morelia and Roberto Barrios, as well as all the headquarters of the authorities of the different Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities.

Second - That also being carried out is the evacuation of the members of the different Good Government Juntas and the autonomous authorities, in order to place them in shelter. Now, and for an indefinite time period, they will be carrying out their work in a clandestine and nomadic manner. Both the projects as well as the autonomous government will continue functioning, although under
different circumstances than they have been up until now.

Third - That basic community health services will continue functioning in the different Caracoles. Civilians will be in charge of these services, and the CCRI-CG of the EZLN is distancing them from any of our future actions, and we are demanding that they be treated as civilians and with respect for their life, liberty and goods by government forces.

Fourth - That there has been a call-up of all members of our EZLN who have been engaged in social work in the zapatista communities and those of our regular troops who have been in their barracks. In a similar fashion, all broadcasts by Radio Insurgente, ³The Voice of Those Without Voice², in FM and in short wave, have been suspended for an indefinite period of time.

Fifth - That, simultaneous with the publication of this communiqué, national and international civil societies who are working in peace camps and in community projects are being urged to leave rebel territory. Or, if they decide freely of their own volition, they remain on their own and at their own risk, gathered in the caracoles. In the case of minors, their departure is obligatory.

Sixth - That the EZLN announces the closing of the Zapatista Information Centre (CIZ), not without first thanking the civil societies who have participated in it, from the time of its creation until today. The CCRI-CG of the EZLN formally releases these persons from any responsibility for the future actions of the EZLN.

Seventh - That the EZLN releases from responsibility for any of our future actions all persons and civil, political, cultural, citizens and non-governmental organizations, solidarity committees and support groups who have been close to us since 1994. We thank all of those who have, sincerely and honestly, throughout these almost 12 years, supported the civil and peaceful struggle of the zapatista indigenous for the constitutional recognition of indigenous rights and culture.

Democracy!
Liberty!
Justice!

From the Mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
By the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos

Mexico, in the sixth month of the year 2005.

Foot whore

I recently found this beautiful site in which people mail postcards of their secrets to this guy and he posts the best ones. Well, one of the secrets was that this girl takes photos of her feet and emails them to this guy who buys her stuff.

I am a firm believer that everyone is a prostitute and some people are just really really expensive. I like to think I'm far more expensive than any earthling could afford BUT, I think I could easily be convinced to whore out my feet if there are any guys or gals out there who want photos of them in exchange for stuff, or money, or whatever.

I have nice feet. They're really small. My toes are so tiny and cute. Can't you just imagine them walking all over you? I tell you, you want pictures of my toes. I've never met anyone with smaller toes than me. My big toe is adorned with a pink skull. Don't you just want to suck on it? Yes, my hot naked feet are yours for a price.

The only forseeable problem any self respecting foot fetishist might have with my feet is that I don't shave my legs. But again, I have my price and I'll shave em if it's right.

That's right, I'm rebecca, biology student, erotic artist, writer, foot whore.

Let me know if you're interested.

genetic basis for female orgasms?

The much-blogged New Scientist has an article on a study that just came out on the genetic factors behind female orgasms. Expect to see it in the New York Times in....two days. Anyways, the study was done by Tim Spector who apparently has a lengthy phone list of twins who he can call and ask about whatever he wants. Those responses, people seem to feel, tell us the difference between what is genetic and what is not. I remain suspicious.

The article says genetics explain 45% of the variability of female orgasms, i.e. those women who can and can't achieve orgasm. "Whether that basis is anatomical, physiological or psychological remains uncertain" says Tim. I think we need to add "social" to that list but I can't imagine an evolutionary biologist would agree with me.

So, the results, 35% of women said they could always achieve orgasm through masturbation and 14% of women could never have an orgasm, regardless of the stimulation. And the twin factor explains 45% of the variability.

What would also be interesting would be to look at those women who can achieve orgasm and then look at the size of their clits.....

They also make no distinction between clitoral orgasms and G-spot ones. Which would be quite important when comparing intercourse to masturbation.

But then they just take the ball and run like hell with it. Dr. Elisabeth Lloyd (can you hear the feminists Booing?) used that 14% of women who can't have an orgasm to say that there is no biological reason for females to have an orgasm. (can you hear the feminists laughing?).

Perhaps, one day, Dr. Lloyd will google herself, come upon this site, and respond to my many problems with her logic. That would be wonderful.

So, if I may, Dr. Lloyd, first of all, because we cannot find the reason for something, must we assume that it does not exist?

Secondly, do not human embrios default to female and, only when triggered, do the labia fuse together and the ovaries sink to make the male reproductive system?

I am also really sick of evolutionary biologists acting like everything always is considered beneficial only if it makes us have more babies. Humans are SOCIAL creatures. Things (bahaviours) can be beneficial on that level as well and be selected for, even if they dont make us reproduce like crazy. Let's look at our friends, the bonobos. Female orgasms are clearly beneficial to their society because they make for strong social bonds. To be fair, they do bring that up in the article.

Even so, I don't see the logic in this statement, "The finding that many women cannot achieve orgasm because they do not have the genes for it shows that the ability to orgasm is not a trait for which there has been strong evolutionary selection." 14%! Come on people! What percentage of women have been raped? What percentage of women live in loveless marirages for economic reasons and have zero desire to have sex? I would imagin that patriarchy alone could account for 14% of women not being able to achieve orgasm...

If I am wrong on this, I would appreciate it if someone coudl set me straight.

Full article in "more"

Genes blamed for fickle female orgasm
00:01 08 June 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Rowan Hooper

Is this the ultimate excuse for poor performance in bed? “Sorry, darling,” the man says, just before falling asleep. “It’s your genes.”

According to a study published this week, up to 45% of the differences between women in their ability to reach orgasm can be explained by their genes. Despite decades of surveys and conjecture about the role of culture, upbringing and biology in female sexual function, from Freud in 1905 to the Hite report in 1976, this is the first study of the role of a woman’s genes.

Its findings suggest there is an underlying biological basis to a woman’s ability to achieve orgasm. Whether that basis is anatomical, physiological or psychological remains uncertain, says Tim Spector of the twin research unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, UK, who carried out the study.

“But it is saying that it is not purely cultural, or due to peer pressure, or to differences in upbringing or religion,” he says. “There are wide differences between women and a lot of these differences are due to genes.”

Mixed results
Spector’s team asked more than 6000 female twins to fill out a confidential questionnaire about how often they achieved orgasm during intercourse and masturbation. They received 4037 complete replies, which included answers from 683 pairs of non-identical twins and 714 pairs of identical twins. The women’s ages ranged from 19 to 83, and about 3% were lesbian or bisexual.

Only 14% of the women reported always experiencing orgasm during intercourse. Another 32% of the women reported that they were unable to achieve orgasm more than a quarter of the time, while 16% never achieved it at all. Comparing the results from identical and non-identical twins suggests that 34% of this variation in ability to orgasm during intercourse is genetic.

The idea behind twin studies is that pairs of twins grow up in similar environments. So if identical twins are more similar in some way than non-identical twins, then that similarity must be down to their identical genes rather than the environment.

Unsurprisingly, more women were able to achieve orgasm through masturbation, with 34% saying they could always do so. However, the figure for those who could never achieve it was only slightly lower, at 14%. The analysis suggests that 45% of this variation is genetic.

Men cleared
Spector says he was surprised by the similarity in the numbers of women unable to experience orgasm either through intercourse or masturbation. “With masturbation there are fewer external factors – i.e. men,” he says. “So the higher heritability value for masturbation gives us a clearer picture of what’s going on.”

The discovery of a genetic basis for the ability of women to orgasm raises questions about its evolution. One theory is that it is a tool for mate selection, the idea being that males best able to bring females to orgasm are also the best males to help raise children. Another is that the female orgasm produces movements that increase sperm uptake, and therefore fertility.

But studies of other primates suggest otherwise. Female stump-tailed macaques have orgasms too – but mainly during female-female mountings, which hardly supports the fertility or mate-selection idea.

Bonobos engage in highly promiscuous sex and mutual masturbation, complete with orgasms, a practice that is thought to promote group cohesion. This supports yet another theory: that orgasm is important in bonding.

Accidental echo
But even if orgasm does play this role, it cannot be crucial in humans. The finding that many women cannot achieve orgasm because they do not have the genes for it shows that the ability to orgasm is not a trait for which there has been strong evolutionary selection, says Elisabeth Lloyd of Indiana University in Bloomington, author of The Case of the Female Orgasm. This supports her theory that as far as orgasms are concerned, women have been riding on the genetic coat-tails of male evolution, and that the female orgasm is merely an accidental echo of the male one, the equivalent of male nipples.

Lloyd says the findings also challenge the notion that the failure to achieve orgasm represents “female sexual dysfunction”, an idea popular with companies keen to sell remedies for this so-called disorder. “What definition of ‘normal’ could possibly justify labelling a third of women as ‘abnormal’?” she asks.

Even if struggling to achieve orgasm is nothing unusual, Spector says it might be possible to find ways to make it easier. Though hundreds of genes could be involved, “that doesn’t mean we couldn’t find the genes and pathways, if this was taken more seriously as a problem”, he says.

Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0308)

microwave plastic = smaller penis

Phthalates are released when you microwave plastic so DON'T! They also seap into your water when you leave your plastic water bottel in the sun. There are tons of people out here in hippie land who do their best never to touch plastic and, which I think they are going too far, it's really something we all need to be weary of.

In a side note, I think it would be funny to respond to someone like Rush Limbaugh saying the liberal media is feminizing men by saying "Ah...actually it's your plastic water bottles."

From Grist:

Well, That's One Way to Shrink the Population
Studies link common chemicals to reproductive harm

Stronger evidence that a class of ubiquitous chemicals called phthalates -- found in a wide variety of plastics, nail polishes, fragrances, and other products -- are linked to adverse effects on the human reproductive system was made public Thursday. A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found a strong correlation between the level of phthalates in the urine of 85 pregnant mothers studied and abnormal genital development in their infant sons, in particular (because we know you want the particulars) smaller penises and scrotums and a higher frequency of incompletely descended testicles. Says lead author Shanna Swan, "These changes are seen at phthalate levels below those found in one-quarter of the female population of the United States." A separate study released this week found that lab animals exposed to levels of the chemical bisphenol A many times below the U.S. EPA's "safe dose" during pregnancy had babies with impaired mammary glands, associated with a higher risk of breast cancer in humans.

San Francisco Chronicle, Jane Kay, 27 May 2005

Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, 27 May 2005

Scientific American, Sarah Graham, 27 May 2005

brains and love

Our friends Dr. Fishcher and Dr. Brown are at it again, scanning brains and telling us more and more about how love is actually watchable and predictable and biological and hormonal rather than this fairy tale we've been dreamign of since we were young. It's so fascinating. Yet so sad to watch it go.

In this edition, they find the "new love" area of the brain, the part that gets all the blood when your insane with longing and obsessively thinking of your beloved. Apparently, it is quite similar to a mania. And is goverened by the same part of the brain (caudate nucleus) that makes you want food, water, and subconsciously move your eyes. Very primitave.

Interestingly enough, "This passion-related region was on the opposite side of the brain from another area that registers physical attractiveness, the researchers found, and appeared to be involved in longing, desire and the unexplainable tug that people feel toward one person, among many attractive alternative partners."

This is just amazing:"In the new study, the researchers also saw individual differences in their group of smitten lovers, based on how long the participants had been in the relationships. Compared with the students who were in the first weeks of a new love, those who had been paired off for a year or more showed significantly more activity in an area of the brain linked to long-term commitment. "

Also, "In a follow-up experiment, Dr. Fisher, Dr. Aron and Dr. Brown have carried out brain scans on 17 other young men and women who recently were dumped by their lovers. As in the new love study, the researchers compared two sets of images, one taken when the participants were looking at a photo of a friend, the other when looking at a picture of their ex....increased activation in an area of the brain related to the region associated with passionate love. "It seems to suggest what the psychological literature, poetry and people have long noticed: that being dumped actually does heighten romantic love, a phenomenon I call frustration-attraction."

full article in more...

May 31, 2005
Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain
By BENEDICT CAREY
New love can look for all the world like mental illness, a blend of mania, dementia and obsession that cuts people off from friends and family and prompts out-of-character behavior - compulsive phone calling, serenades, yelling from rooftops - that could almost be mistaken for psychosis.

Now for the first time, neuroscientists have produced brain scan images of this fevered activity, before it settles into the wine and roses phase of romance or the joint holiday card routines of long-term commitment.

In an analysis of the images appearing today in The Journal of Neurophysiology, researchers in New York and New Jersey argue that romantic love is a biological urge distinct from sexual arousal.

It is closer in its neural profile to drives like hunger, thirst or drug craving, the researchers assert, than to emotional states like excitement or affection. As a relationship deepens, the brain scans suggest, the neural activity associated with romantic love alters slightly, and in some cases primes areas deep in the primitive brain that are involved in long-term attachment.

The research helps explain why love produces such disparate emotions, from euphoria to anger to anxiety, and why it seems to become even more intense when it is withdrawn. In a separate, continuing experiment, the researchers are analyzing brain images from people who have been rejected by their lovers.

"When you're in the throes of this romantic love it's overwhelming, you're out of control, you're irrational, you're going to the gym at 6 a.m. every day - why? Because she's there," said Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University and the co-author of the analysis. "And when rejected, some people contemplate stalking, homicide, suicide. This drive for romantic love can be stronger than the will to live."

Brain imaging technology cannot read people's minds, experts caution, and a phenomenon as many sided and socially influenced as love transcends simple computer graphics, like those produced by the technique used in the study, called functional M.R.I.

Still, said Dr. Hans Breiter, director of the Motivation and Emotion Neuroscience Collaboration at Massachusetts General Hospital, "I distrust about 95 percent of the M.R.I. literature and I would give this study an 'A'; it really moves the ball in terms of understanding infatuation love."

He added: "The findings fit nicely with a large, growing body of literature describing a generalized reward and aversion system in the brain, and put this intellectual construct of love directly onto the same axis as homeostatic rewards such as food, warmth, craving for drugs."

In the study, Dr. Fisher, Dr. Lucy Brown of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and Dr. Arthur Aron, a psychologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, led a team that analyzed about 2,500 brain images from 17 college students who were in the first weeks or months of new love. The students looked at a picture of their beloved while an M.R.I. machine scanned their brains. The researchers then compared the images with others taken while the students looked at picture of an acquaintance.

Functional M.R.I. technology detects increases or decreases of blood flow in the brain, which reflect changes in neural activity.

In the study, a computer-generated map of particularly active areas showed hot spots deep in the brain, below conscious awareness, in areas called the caudate nucleus and the ventral tegmental area, which communicate with each other as part of a circuit.

These areas are dense with cells that produce or receive a brain chemical called dopamine, which circulates actively when people desire or anticipate a reward. In studies of gamblers, cocaine users and even people playing computer games for small amounts of money, these dopamine sites become extremely active as people score or win, neuroscientists say.

Yet falling in love is among the most irrational of human behaviors, not merely a matter of satisfying a simple pleasure, or winning a reward. And the researchers found that one particular spot in the M.R.I. images, in the caudate nucleus, was especially active in people who scored highly on a questionnaire measuring passionate love.

This passion-related region was on the opposite side of the brain from another area that registers physical attractiveness, the researchers found, and appeared to be involved in longing, desire and the unexplainable tug that people feel toward one person, among many attractive alternative partners.

This distinction, between finding someone attractive and desiring him or her, between liking and wanting, "is all happening in an area of the mammalian brain that takes care of most basic functions, like eating, drinking, eye movements, all at an unconscious level, and I don't think anyone expected this part of the brain to be so specialized," Dr. Brown said.

The intoxication of new love mellows with time, of course, and the brain scan findings reflect some evidence of this change, Dr. Fisher said.

In an earlier functional M.R.I. study of romance, published in 2000, researchers at University College London monitored brain activity in young men and women who had been in relationships for about two years. The brain images, also taken while participants looked at photos of their beloved, showed activation in many of the same areas found in the new study - but significantly less so, in the region correlated with passionate love, she said.

In the new study, the researchers also saw individual differences in their group of smitten lovers, based on how long the participants had been in the relationships. Compared with the students who were in the first weeks of a new love, those who had been paired off for a year or more showed significantly more activity in an area of the brain linked to long-term commitment.

Last summer, scientists at Emory University in Atlanta reported that injecting a ratlike animal called a vole with a single gene turned promiscuous males into stay-at-home dads - by activating precisely the same area of the brain where researchers in the new study found increased activity over time.

"This is very suggestive of attachment processes taking place," Dr. Brown said. "You can almost imagine a time where instead of going to Match.com you could have a test to find out whether you're an attachment type or not."

One reason new love is so heart-stopping is the possibility, the ever-present fear, that the feeling may not be entirely requited, that the dream could suddenly end.

In a follow-up experiment, Dr. Fisher, Dr. Aron and Dr. Brown have carried out brain scans on 17 other young men and women who recently were dumped by their lovers. As in the new love study, the researchers compared two sets of images, one taken when the participants were looking at a photo of a friend, the other when looking at a picture of their ex.

Although they are still sorting through the images, the investigators have noticed one preliminary finding: increased activation in an area of the brain related to the region associated with passionate love. "It seems to suggest what the psychological literature, poetry and people have long noticed: that being dumped actually does heighten romantic love, a phenomenon I call frustration-attraction," Dr. Fisher said in an e-mail message.

One volunteer in the study was Suzanna Katz, 22, of New York, who suffered through a breakup with her boyfriend three years ago. Ms. Katz said she became hyperactive to distract herself after the split, but said she also had moments of almost physical withdrawal, as if weaning herself from a drug.

"It had little to do with him, but more with the fact that there was something there, inside myself, a hope, a knowledge that there's someone out there for you, and that you're capable of feeling this way, and suddenly I felt like that was being lost," she said in an interview.

And no wonder. In a series of studies, researchers have found that, among other processes, new love involves psychologically internalizing a lover, absorbing elements of the other person's opinions, hobbies, expressions, character, as well as sharing one's own. "The expansion of the self happens very rapidly, it's one of the most exhilarating experiences there is, and short of threatening our survival it is one thing that most motivates us," said Dr. Aron, of SUNY, a co-author of the study.

To lose all that, all at once, while still in love, plays havoc with the emotional, cognitive and deeper reward-driven areas of the brain. But the heightened activity in these areas inevitably settles down. And the circuits in the brain related to passion remain intact, the researchers say - intact and capable in time of flaring to life with someone new.

More fun with Oxytocin

So the world will soon know all about oxytocin because it makes people trust each other more, even to the point of handing over cash.

Yet you, my faithful blog reader(s), have known for years of the power and mystery of oxyticin!

I would like to believe that my blog had some small part in the growing popularity of my favorite neuropeptide, but I don't.

Maybe it will be available on the market soon and I'll finally get to try out my expirement of trying to fall in love with random people....my friend said it woudl more just make me lactate....so it might never happen.

I never know about these studies though, when they ask people to pretend they have $5 and how much of it would they give away, I just can't imagin a person woudl act as they woudl in real life...so I remain suspicios.

Newscientist article and Wired article.