Benson's Blog

From http:/www.edge.org, A Conversation With Robert Sapolsky. 24:47 minutes, but well worth watching!

Fascinating conversation about research into the parasite Toxoplasma gondii's ability to rewire the circuitry of its host's brain, changing the chemistry and behavior to suit its own needs.

Also at 20:20, an interesting new study about stress and aging.

David was co-author of The Three Laws of Performance book (highly recommended), but now he has written a new book, Tribal Leadership, which, if it's anything like his TEDxUSC talk below, should be great!

Obama's French Lesson

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Simultaneously - MEN



http://www.myspace.com/men

via http://www.thegp2project.org



This is worse than I imagined. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Project, http://www.thegp2project.org, is one of the organizations working to clean this up.

via Danny MacAskill's biking video Telegraph.co.uk

via www.towleroad.com


What happens when you point the Hubble telescope to an area of space that appears totally devoid of stars?

Dear Friends,

I am asking for your support as I participate again in GREAT STRIDES, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual, nationwide walk event that raises money to help support vital Cystic Fibrosis (CF) research and care programs. This year's walk will be held on May 16th at Santana Row in San Jose. Your donation will be well spent as more than 90 cents of every dollar raised by the CF Foundation is used to support its critical programs.

What is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease that affects over 30,000 Americans. This disease is marked by chronic lung infections, clogged airways, and digestive and reproductive problems. One out of every 31 Americans is a symptomless carrier of the defective CF gene. When the CF Foundation was founded in 1955, children with CF were not expected to see their first day of elementary school. Many people with the disease can now expect to live in to their 30s, 40s, and beyond. This progress is amazing - but not good enough - as we continue to lose at least one precious life to CF every day.

Team Claire: My niece Claire was diagnosed with CF when she was 15 months old. She is now almost 6 years old and works hard everyday to maintain good health. Her treatments include 1-2 hours per day of medications, lung therapy, digestive enzymes, and vitamins.Over this last year, she has had a few lung infections, but overall has stayed healthy thanks to the treatments that are available. She is now in kindergarten and in her free time loves to swim, play soccer, and go to ballet class. She is full of life and energy, and is a light in our lives. Fortunately, medications that could potentially cure Claire's type of CF are currently in clinical trials and so far look very promising. Events like GREAT STRIDES raise money that is needed in the battle against CF and help us get closer to a cure.

Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated. You can donate by writing a check payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or donate online at www.cff.org/great_strides/BensonFlores. Together, we can help make "CF" stand for "Cure Found"!

Sincerely,
Benson Flores

This is too funny!

I signed up for Zipcar last week (www.zipcar.com), and tried it out by driving down to San Jose to celebrate my sister's birthday. Several of my friends had recommended Zipcar, and I can see why - it was totally easy and fun to use. I look forward to trying out the BMWs and the Mini Coopers in the fleet. I like the fact that joining here in San Francisco makes me a member in all the other 50+ cities where Zipcar is located, and that gas and insurance are both included in the low annual fee. Maybe I should have retired my aging car sooner!

I played Chutes and Ladders for the first time (for me, that is) with my nephew, and my niece showed me her new growing, talking toy dog. Plus, quality time with my mom, sister, and her in-laws. How wonderful it is to have family so close by!

TED Talks Athlete, actor and activist Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs -- she's got a dozen amazing pairs -- and the super-powers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height ... She simply redefines what the body can be.

From the TED conference, Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable technology. (Not the sixth sense I was thinking of!)

From the TED conference, David Merrill demos toy blocks that interact with one another.

Jack Mackenroth - Project Runway standout designer and openly HIV positive role model as interviewed by iFashion network.


Jack is wearing a t-shirt he designed for Clothing of the American Mind. The front reads “Love across barriers soothes the heart and cures the soul” while the back sports the red AIDS ribbon and reminds that “Shame can be fatal. Get tested.”

I'm inspired by Jack's bravery in being open about his HIV status. It makes it easier for us other HIV positive folk to be out about it as well!

I was thinking today about the qualities of sheep - something I know a little about because I actually was a shepherd on a ranch in Montana for awhile. Sheep are stereotyped as innocent, weak, simple-minded, docile followers, and I think they are getting a bum rap.

First of all, most male sheep are castrated shortly after birth, so that leaves flocks of sheep mostly female and neutered. Male sheep left to mature are really, well, rambunctious! They are natural leaders, and, of course, the other sheep follow them.

Secondly, I was thinking about the term 'black sheep', someone who Webster says is "a disfavored or disreputable member of a group." In the typical use of the term, 'black sheep', a member is disfavored by the group itself. But I never saw or heard of sheep attempting to isolate one of their members from the group. And as we defined the term, a black sheep was any sheep that was leading the other sheep away from us, their shepherds! (I.e., disfavored by someone outside of their group.) So besides the obvious color difference between a black sheep and most white sheep, I can't think of any real behavioral justification for the term in sheep. Certainly sheep are not applying the label to each other!

But my lasting impression of sheep was that they were frightened by almost everything and anything, and easily spooked. They could go from pastoral to terrorized in a flash - a skill set that kept us on our toes, for sure!

And they are innocent. Nothing epitomizes joy better than a leaping lamb!

Peterson Toscano shares a few of the reasons that drove him to try to 'de-gay' himself.

Or is that ying and yang? :) I'm present to completions and new beginnings this week.

Completions: I donated my car to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and they picked it up this week. Bye bye, car of ten years! I found out my hospice guy did pass away on Sunday morning (half a day from when I said goodbye to him). And I'm finally feeling more like myself again after my brush with death - well, after my fall and consequent sore back!

New beginnings: it seems like work is brand new - it's been a challenging week (perhaps it's just me getting back into the grove again after my two weeks off). I feel like I am getting a new relationship with my body after consistently working out. And, despite all the gloom and doom of the news (and I have been in the thick of it), there is a certain feeling of a fresh start coming with Obama soon to take office.

No one said it was going to be easy!

This has been an amazing 24 hours. Last night I was consumed with revamping my USANA website at http://bensonflores.usana.com. I put on the finishing touches this morning, and I'm very happy with it! My theory is that if people knew about USANA vitamins, then they would be as excited as I am to take them. Who doesn't want to be healthy?

Later I ran some errands including shipping off my gold stellated earth grid to be realigned. One of the edges got bumped on my last move, and I'm finally sending it to get repaired. I bought mine back around 92 at a New Age conference, and I just love it. I like to have it hanging so that the slightest breeze will start it spinning. Far out, I know, but I roll like that!

I dropped off some film from the holidays (yes - old school), and then, on a hunch, I stopped by to visit my hospice guy at Maitri. The main nurse was there, and I found out that he was probably not going to make it past this evening. (No word yet, though.) So I got to say my goodbyes, even though he wasn't able to respond outwardly. I don't believe in accidents; I really appreciate that I had the pleasure of spending time with this friend over the last six plus months, and hearing all that he shared with me about his life, and being there for him at/near the end.

I went on to the gym and worked out, and then came home before catching a ride to a friend's lavish dinner party where all the stops were out. Exquisite wine and food - all lovingly prepared by the eccentric host/chef. I am blessed to have amazing friends in my life!

I don't usually listen to Christian rock, but I like this song. And the video is beautiful.

I thank You God for most this amazing day! - e.e. cummings

This morning I went to a service at the Glide Memorial Church needing to be inspired, and the experience totally blew me away. There is something very powerful about such a diverse group of people coming together in praise and celebration in an atmosphere devoid of judgment, prejudice, and bigotry. The band and choir, joining with the congregation, created such beautiful, powerful music that it let my soul soar and had me literally crying tears of joy. I had almost forgotten how important attending services is to me.

Afterwards, I went down to the Castro and saw the 1:00 showing of the new Harvey Milk movie. (Here is a link about all things Harvey Milk.) It was amazing! All the rave reviews for Sean Penn are well deserved, but the real star of the movie is the story of Harvey Milk, himself, and the legacy that he inspired. Just thirty years ago, police were routinely rounding up folks because they were gay (or suspected of being gay); and still, just a few weeks ago, California and other states are still trying to pass laws to discriminate and take away existing LGBT rights. The movie is a great reminder of how far we've come and how far we have yet to go.

It's freeing to be able to walk up Castro street from the theater and see the building where he had his camera shop and see the neighborhood that he helped inspire (even though it's less exclusively gay now than it was in years past). When I left the theater, the line of people waiting to see the 4:00 showing went all the way down Castro street, up 18th street, and wrapped around the block at Hartford. I called a few friends, walked up Market street to the Capital, and took in the sight with new eyes and new ideas of what is possible. Thank you, Harvey Milk!