~ Welcome to #thebalance 26 ~
Keeping with the theme of last week’s switch-up…. Super Bowl Sunday and all… you get it.
Enjoy it this week and, as always, hit reply and let me know what you think! I love hearing from ya’ll.
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♎Summary ♎
🤔🤔 #GetSmart
Topics to explore this week. Take your pick. #piqueyourcuriosity
📚📕 #GetReadin’
Highlighting a very good book I just finished #comingtoanAppleTVnearyou
⬇️ More below ⬇️
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#GetSmart
🤔🤔 3 topics to explore this week. Take your pick.
>>>> #TheUltimateComplexity
Showcasing a quote that really stuck with me from this week’s book feature. One of the more unique definitions of a ‘higher power’ that I have come across… will make you 💭 💭.
“The universe has a nature, for and of itself, something like human nature, if you like, and its nature is to combine, and to build, and to become more complex. It always does this. If the circumstances are right, bits of matter will always come together to make more complex arrangements. And this fact about the way that our universe works, this moving towards order, and towards combinations of these ordered things, has a name. In the western science it is called the tendency toward complexity, and it is the way the universe works.’
To continue this point, the universe, as we know it, and from everything that we can learn about it, has been getting always more complex since it began. It does this because that is its nature. The tendency toward complexity has carried the universe from almost perfect simplicity to the kind of complexity that we see around us, everywhere we look. The universe is always doing this. It is always moving from the simple to the complex. ’The universe,’ he continued, ‘this universe that we know, began in almost absolute simplicity, and it has been getting more complex for about fifteen billion years. In another billion years it will be still more complex than it is now.
In five billion, in ten billion— it is always getting more complex. It is moving toward …something. It is moving toward some kind of ultimate complexity. We might not get there. An atom of hydrogen might not get there, or a leaf, or a man, or a planet might not get there, to that ultimate complexity. But we are all moving towards it—everything in the universe is moving towards it.
And that final complexity, that thing we are all moving to, is what I choose to call God. If you don’t like that word, God, call it the Ultimate Complexity. Whatever you call it, the whole universe is moving toward it.”
>>>> #VeganIQ
The idea that avoiding meat is bad for our brains makes some intuitive sense; anthropologists have been arguing about what our ancestors ate for decades, but many scientists think that there was a lot of bone-crunching and brain-slurping on the road to evolving these remarkable 1.4kg (3lb) organs. Some have even gone so far as to say that meat made us human.
One reason is that intelligence is expensive – the brain devours about 20% of our daily calories, though it accounts for just 2% of our body weight – and what better way to find the enormous array of fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals these fastidious organs require, than by feasting on animals which have already painstakingly collected or made them.
According to the latest statistics, there are around 375 million vegetarians on the planet. In the West, veganism has ditched the hippie stigma to become one of the fastest-growing millennial trends; in the United States, it grew by 600% between 2014 and 2017.
So is it really damaging our intellects, or is this all just fear of the unknown? Ideally, to test the impact of the vegan diet on the brain, you would take a randomly selected group of people, ask half to stop eating animal products – then see what happens. But there isn’t a single study like this.
Instead, the only research that comes close involved the reverse. It was conducted on 555 Kenyan schoolchildren, who were fed one of three different types of soup – one with meat, one with milk, and one with oil – or no soup at all, as a snack over seven school terms. They were tested before and after, to see how their intelligence compared. Because of their economic circumstances, the majority of the children were de facto vegetarians at the start of the study. Surprisingly, the children who were given the soup containing meat each day seemed to have a significant edge.
One of the most well-known challenges for vegans is getting enough vitamin B12, which is only found in animal products like eggs and meat.
“I think we need a lot more research into vegan nutrition and health,” says Heather Russell, a dietitian from The Vegan Society. “As far as we can tell, it’s possible to lead a healthy life as a vegan – certainly there are people who thrive on a vegan diet.” Though it’s important to take supplements, she explains that a person’s cardiovascular and brain health are inextricably linked, and vegans tend to have healthier hearts.
>>>> CoronavirusUpdate
Crazy what’s happening over in China with the outbreak. Had a friend (who lives in Asia as an ex-pat) visiting me in New York this weekend and hearing from him firsthand about the gravity of the situation overseas was pretty shocking stuff….
From Axios, 2019-nCoV has killed at least 305 people and infected more than 14,000 people in mainland China and around 200 in 26 other countries and regions. Meanwhile, on Friday, U.S. officials declared a public emergency and said America will deny entry into the country beginning Sunday to any foreign national who poses a risk of infection.
Face mask demand soars and a shortage ensues. Just how important are these masks at preventing the spread of the virus? One thing is for sure, they defeat facial recognition technologies:
More from behind the China curtain…
#GetReadin’
📚📕 Just finished one of the better books that I have read in recent memory. Although certainly a commitment in terms of length, it is no doubt a page-turner.
Based on true life events of the story’s author, Gregory David Roberts, an Australian fugitive who escaped to India. The book does a phenomenal job at painting the picture of what life was like in Bombay when Roberts lived there in 80s/90s … detailing his time living in the slums, as a recovering addict, working for the mafia in various roles, and many other fascinating experiences.
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.”
…..yeah. 👍👍 I recommend adding this one to your bookshelf
Have a great week all!!
Curiously,
Brian
***Including a snippet from the Exponential View newsletter (a must read for me each week), which posts the below carbon tracker.
😢😢 Each week, we’re going to remind you of the CO2 levels in the atmosphere and the number of days until reaching the 450ppm threshold.
The latest measurement (as of January 30): 414.08ppm; January, 2017: 406.13ppm; 25 years ago: 360ppm; 250 years ago, est: 250ppm. Share this reminder with your community by forwarding this email or tweeting this.Focus on the delta over the past 12 months, which continues to increase. We are ~3,772 days from the dreaded 450ppm threshold.”
A little bit about me:
My friends call me Block. Minnesota born & raised, I now live and work in New York City.
I am endlessly curious and eternally optimistic. I have a passion for new ideas, obsessed with all things technology, and am always seeking to broaden my perspective while striving for balance.
I am an open finance enthusiast, futurist, investor, entrepreneur, builder, advisor, life long learner, hockey player, traveler, podcast addict, hip-hop head, e-newsletter junkie, event planner, and comedic-short producer. Follow me on Twitter here and Instagram here.
“Find a question that makes the world interesting.” - Paul Graham
A little bit about #thebalance:
***The core thesis of this newsletter is to pique your curiosity by aggregating interesting topics in a thematic, bite sized, and relevant manner (w/ original posts occasionally) - ranging from blog posts, books, music, events, podcasts, and ideas on how to stay active, travel or otherwise... And please keep sending feedback my way… the goal is to make this thing worth it for you!***
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