{"id":580,"date":"2018-05-03T21:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T04:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/?p=580"},"modified":"2019-12-26T21:58:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T04:58:06","slug":"newsletter-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aligncenter.org\/newsletter-29\/","title":{"rendered":"Align Center Newsletter #29"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\"sayulita<\/img>Sayulita in Color – photo by the author<\/span>
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The biosphere and the all-encompassing virtual world, diet and the human body, and the companies leading the alt-protein movement are some of the most interesting reads of late. Our long-form article on Bolivia’s quest to put coca in your supermarket plays both global and community politics. Then listen to a podcast episode that will nudge you out of your comfort zone. We end off with five excellent digs this week, and a list of sensory observations, a product of an ongoing internal struggle of consumption versus creation.<\/p>\n

\u25e6 selected words<\/h1>\n

Creaturely Migrations on a Breathing Planet<\/a><\/h2>\n

Author of the back to your roots, nature writing at its best must-read, The Spell of the Sensuous, Dr. David Abram contemplates the state of our biosphere against the forces of the virtual and economics worlds in this poetic essay from Emergence Magazine, a new quarterly publication from the minds behind Spiritual Ecology.
Emergence Magazine (4min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Human Body is Too Complex for Easy Fixes<\/a><\/h2>\n

Keto. Gluten-Free. Wild Rose. Soylent. Maybe you’ve tried or considered these diets or tried your hand at biohacking. Then, just when you start, another miracle shows up in your news feed, promising to improve your energy, focus, sex life, waistline, and mow your lawn too. A short commentary on biohacking and the complexity of the human body.
The Atlantic (5min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The New Food: Meet the Startups Racing to Reinvent the Meal<\/a><\/h2>\n

A look into the fast-growing industry of “alt-protein” and the motivations behind it. And it’s not simply a quest for nutritious substitutes, there’s a real drive to make food that is not only good for you, but also good for the planet. My good friend gave the “Impossible Burger” a thumbs-up, which is already served at 1,000 restaurants in the U.S., and some right here in BC, so I’m eager to try it.
The Guardian (9min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

China’s Enormous Solar Investment in Context<\/a><\/h2>\n

China installed 10 gigawatts of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2018. To put that in perspective, the second leading nation, the United States, has a TOTAL solar capacity of 50 GW. Meta aside: kudos to MIT for the bite-size news format with sub-sections titled “the news”, “in context”, “why it matters”, and “but”.
MIT Technology Review (2min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Witnessing Human Evolution in the Bodies of an Ocean Tribe<\/a><\/h2>\n

We are an adaptable species, with some cultures having adapted to digest milk and others able to live at high altitudes. Last month, researchers studying a group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia, who rely only on basic wooden masks to dive 61 meters (200ft) deep, found they’ve evolved into better divers.
The New York Times (4min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 listen in<\/h1>\n

Comfort Zone<\/a><\/h2>\n

“We’re all guilty of getting too comfortable \u2014 with our routines, social circles, the status quo. But is it stopping us from growing? This hour, TED speakers explore ways to push out of comfort zones.” We like comfort, but growth comes through challenges on stress. Stories of pushing into the uncomfortable together with strategies against complacency.
TED Radio Hour (52min podcast)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 eat well<\/h1>\n

Roasted 7-Ingredient Jalape\u00f1o Vegan Queso<\/a><\/h2>\n

Some afternoons I do a random search on Minimalist Baker and commit to that recipe. And it never disappoints. This is the result of such an experiment \u2014 a vegan guilty pleasure.
MinimalistBaker.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 read slow<\/h1>\n

Bolivia’s Quest to Spread the Gospel of Coca<\/a><\/h2>\n

Chanting a famous Quecha slogan “Long live coca, down with the Yankees!”, Bolivian president Evo Morales continues to stick it to the country he expelled in 2006, two years after his election. Without the American’s DEA, Morales is leading a campaign to legitimize coca and create a market for products in everything from energy drinks, lotions, cakes, flour and toothpaste. While domestic stakeholders argue on how to best manage this plant, revered by indigenous populations and chewed by 30% of Bolivians, the U.S. is watching the country’s cocaine industry, from the outside.
Guernica – A Magazine of Global Arts & Politics (24min read)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 current read<\/h1>\n

Seneca: On the Shortness of Life<\/a><\/h2>\n

Written as a moral essay to his friend, Seneca the Younger penned this 20-section philosophy in 49 CE, after returning to Rome from exile in Corsica. Often quoted in best=of lists and fawned over by the digerati (I saw it on Ryan Holiday’s 42 Books That Will Make You A Better Person (Each Described in One Sentence)<\/a>), Seneca’s main argument is not that human life is short, but rather that most people waste of a lot of it.
Seneca the Younger, On the Shortness of Life \/ De Brevitate Vitae (106p book)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25e6 dig this<\/h1>\n

What I’m digging lately:<\/p>\n