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Comment by Adrian Lea on July 31, 2010 at 10:53am

"Beasting it" is slang in Scotland for working hard. Hence, the nickname, "The Beast".

Comment by Adrian Lea on July 31, 2010 at 10:22am

Larry, it refers to work-rate....

Comment by Sydni Moser on July 31, 2010 at 6:39am

Lost in a Book
By Jeremy Shere
June 3, 2009 - Moment of Science

Have you ever got so caught up in a really good story that you loose all awareness of your surroundings? Well, there’s a study that explains what’s going on in the brain when we get caught up in a story.

Basically, according to the study, when you read a story that engages you, your brain creates detailed and vivid simulations of the details in the story. When you read, your brain is activated as though you’re actually observing, imagining, or doing the things you’re reading about.

The point is that reading isn’t a passive activity where the brain is just processing language. It’s much more dynamic and active. Say you’re reading a book about baseball, the brain reacts in ways similar to how it would if you were actually playing baseball, or watching a game, or imagining yourself hitting a ball, or whatever.

The researchers studied readers’ brains using an MRI scanner. But because the readers had to remain perfectly still, their heads were immobilized as they read the story one word at a time on a computer screen.

Even reading stories in that strange, one-word-at-a-time way, the readers’ brains were still activated to create mental simulations of the story. Maybe being lost in a good book doesn’t mean you’re zoned out. It’s more like your brain is tuned in.

http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/lost-book/

Comment by Adrian Lea on July 30, 2010 at 9:55pm

I get the Irish diminutive, Aido. Or there's my work nickname, The Beast!

Comment by Adriana on July 30, 2010 at 3:07pm

LOL, Adrian! I guess fishing for complements works!

Comment by Adrian Lea on July 30, 2010 at 2:48pm

Re Adriana vs Adrian - Adriana definitely cuter!

Comment by Sydni Moser on July 30, 2010 at 9:30am

Anne Rice: 'I Quit Being A Christian'
The Huffington Post
By Jessie Kunhardt
07-29-10

Anne Rice, the bestselling novelist most popularly known for "Interview with the Vampire" and her other creepy vampire novels, announced on Wednesday via Facebook that she has officially renounced Christianity. It's a bold move for the author who has become well-known for her vehement religiosity; the majority of her frequent tweets are related to religion in some way. The author has also recently launched a new series of novels about angels, which debuted in October 2009 with "Angel Time."

Rice declared on her Facebook account that she is "an outsider" in the Christian community:

I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life.

Rice affirmed that though she has decided to leave the Christian institution, she "remain[s] committed to Christ as always."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/29/anne-rice-i-quit-being-a_n_663915.html?ir=Religion

Comment by Adriana on July 30, 2010 at 9:12am

Larry, it was Adrian, not me, who posted the link to Angie's review.

How to distinguish Adrian from Adriana:

Adrian is a lot cuter than me, he has facial hair, and speaks with a lovely Scottish accent :-)

Comment by Adrian Lea on July 29, 2010 at 11:50pm

For those who haven't already seen it, TAs very own AngietheAntiTheist is doing a chapter by chapter review (demolition?) on Rick Warrens "The Purpose Driven Life" on her YouTube channel. She just posted chapter 7, so only another 33 to go! You can catch the very start of the series at http://www.youtube.com/user/AngieAntiTheist#p/u/9/ywDNQZelUJk

Comment by Adriana on July 6, 2010 at 11:57am

I'm planning to read Demonic Males, will post a review once I do. In the meantime, skip The Bonobo Handshake (mostly a collection of cutesy anecdotes and self-centered personal accounts of adventures in the Congo, all splashed with superficial political analysis of the very sad situation in Congo), and do read Your Inner Ape by Franz de Waal.

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