Killer Tofu

From the surface markers that cover the outside of cell membranes to Brad Pitt’s high cheek bones, the human body is magnificent. Depending on the input, the output of the body, like a well oiled machine, can be predicted. Let’s get personal.

My high school years were filled with afterschool baseball practice, and college has seen the start of my culinary endeavors. Throughout these times, I’ve exercised and kept a close watch on my nutritional intake. "Okay, Wendy’s was last night’s dinner. Tonight should be a salad or pasta." Similar thoughts are what run through my head concerning food. No calorie counts.

Here's the tie-in:

Tonight, as I sat down to begin studying, my stomach began to grumble and quiver in an uncharacteristic fashion. Having made the study of life and the human body my preoccupation for the last 3 ½ years, I thought it best to figure out what was going on. I had just eaten, so it wasn’t in need of more food. The menu choice had been from a Japanese restaurant, but the entrée was American. It consisted of a salad, fried pork, shrimp, and, AHA!, miso soup. Miso soup generally consists of miso paste, kelp or seaweed, and tofu—the culprit.

Tofu! One of the many bizarre novelties from the Orient, tofu is a type of bean curd made from the coagulation of soy milk. Perhaps, our inordinate and unproved disliking of the whitish cube can be traced back to Louis Pasteur in instituting the Western norm of pasteurization, a drastic and unapologetic move to maintain the superiority of French haute cuisine. In researching the origins of tofu, I came upon some subjectively interesting information. Supposedly, the production of tofu coincided with the spread of Buddhism. The bean curd provided a high source of protein and fueled the Buddhist’s strictly vegetarian diet, as both Buddhism and tofu began to move West.

Pondering the delights of eating meat and the twist at the end of Fight Club, I was stricken as the pieces began to fall into place. It all made perfect sense. Tofu was the source of all of the major world problems. Tofu was provocateur behind the Crusades when the Muslim army intercepted a mysterious letter referring to a “Holy Grail” in Palestine. Only later was the true meaning of the text attributed to the writings of an early Mongolian barbecue-er writing of tofu to his Byzantine cousin. Tofu began the Bubonic plague as Europeans, not being able to stand the curd, threw it into the streets to be battled and emerge victorious against the rodent immune system. Tofu was inside the container Amelia Earhart mistakenly grabbed in haste, thinking it to be cottage cheese, as she set out to cross the Atlantic.

Tofu was the reason my local supermarket ceased to stock Baco-cubes (like bacon bits but juicier), and now tofu’s intolerance was trying to kill me, a white, protestant male. Alas, it’s too late, tofu! Having figured out the source of my malaise through (Adam West-ian) reason, I headed back to my apartment for a glass of Merlot and wedge of parmigiano-reggiano.

Review: The Resistance

Today saw the release of the highly anticipated fifth studio album from Muse.  Titled The Resistance, the album has all the familiar dark and eerie, distorted Euro-pop flavors that fans have come to know from the band.  

  Upon a first listening, fans may be disheartened by the venture away from the faster, thrashing , but let me assure that Muse has not abandoned anyone.  As announced in interviews, Muse set to make a new album, this time incorporating more techno and classical elements.  Like all Muse albums, this one is tied together very elegantly with transitions reminiscent of what made Absolution great.  Also, live shows won't suffer with groovin' jams like Undisclosed Desires and I Belong to You being added to the repetoire.  I could very much see The Resistance climbing a British adult contemporary or alternative chart with this release; however, such an event would be only a peripheral effect of the band coming up with yet another new sound for a new album and still remaining Muse in sound and presentation.  Lead singer Matt Belamy has added some new word's to the Muse vocabulary with 'hope' and 'love' taking a frontal position to the norm of spaceships and conspiracy theories.   

  Overall, I'd say that Muse is growing, and true fans should be glad that the band isn't remaining static.  The Resistance is not a collection of new songs that could be slapped on to the end of some earlier record, but a testament to the creative endeavors to the band we've come to know and love.  Here are my first impressions:

 

Uprising Unlike the last two albums, and arguably Origin with New Born, the first song doesn't start out with a build up, but kicks off with driving bass and drums, setting the tone for the album with characteristic Muse crunch and distortion.  Oh, yeah.  Don't forget the synth.  It's back and as permeating as always.  Warning: This song will find a way to stick in your head

 

Resistance Here's where the greater part of the techno feel of the album kicks off.  The drums and bass play off of each other to give the illusion of a beat machine, but it's none other than Dom Howard and Chris Wolstenholme.  Quelle façade!!!

 

Undisclosed Desires Has initial allure of a hip-hop ballad; same Muse sound, but techno effect added to the drums turns the percussion a bit synthetic, which, coupled with Matt's super reverbed vocals, could very easily find its way to the radio.

 

United States of Eurasia The synthy transition to this song is, as aforementioned, reminiscent of the Absolution album.  Next, you find yourself on a dynamic rollercoaster, as Bellamy's classical influence shows up in the piano work in what another reviewer  referred to as Bohemian Rhapsody meets Lawrence of Arabia.  One second you're part of the Muse Army, marching off to fight interplanetary warfare; the next, you're looking at ballerinas in a Degas painting.

 

Guiding Light More of a Top Gun anthem variant for Muse.  Matt's guitar work comes more to the forefront, and at parts, we're reminded of the gem of a Kaoss pad stuffed in his guitar.  "You're my guiding light" is the most melodramatic that I've ever heart the band: Muse is maturing....

 

Unnatural Selection Upbeat pop riffage.  The breakdown in this song is really refreshing: even though the tune becomes slower and smoother like jazz, it's a travel back to Showbiz and a bit of Origin of Symmetry with the bluesy phrasing of the guitar solo.

 

MK Ultra You're transported to an 80's arcade fighter game, and at ~2:10 find the secret level.  There is a greater emphasis on Matt's voice in comparison to the other instruments.  The falsettos aren't as high as they used to be, but somehow, they don't seem as if they be as appropriate in this album.

 

I Belong to You Whooh!  You've gotta love the way Chris swings this one with the bass.  Having a French subtitle, I was drawn to this one and was not disappointed.   I Belong to You is a great example of Muse taking a great start to a song,  breaking it down, and coming back to it.  Ah, la complétude!

 

Exogenesis Instead of breaking the three symphony parts up into three different reviews, I thought it best to tackle them together, for now at least.  Muse may have gone to the keyboards to elucidate a more techno-sounding album, but they certainly didn't stop there.  The keys (this time in true piano form) and the orchestra delight the palate with a classical finish to the album, but the dissonant storm clouds do hover over each of the symphonies in a dark and most Muse-esque fashion.

  

During first listen, I was initially turned off because I wanted to hear old Muse.  That regret faded while listening to the Exogenesis trinity.  Muse have done something special once again: they've pushed their sound without losing any integrity and added a new dimension to 'Muse'.  It's a new and different chapter, but still the same book.  Having arrived at this conclusion and the end of the CD, I was certainly not disappointed, nor had I expected to be.  I'm not jumping up and down after listening to it either.  I'm just satisfied.  It's a rich feeling, not lustful, but I believe my enjoyment with The Resistance will grow each time I listen to it.  Thinking back to the opener, Uprising, and finisher, Exogenesis: Redemption, I feel as if I've taken a journey.  This may sound undeveloped or silly to someone who has not followed their career, but I would say that Muse has once again pushed my musical taste buds.  The cover art is pretty sweet too.

Star Wars fans: if you've seen the famous Réne Magritte painting of the pipe that's not a pipe, this may give you a chuckle.  Coming from his mouth, it would seem the French Han Solo were much more Platonic.

Savannah v. Water

Octogenarian scientific theorist and television writer Elaine Morgan recently gave a speech at the Ted conference in support of her aquatic ape evolution theory (yes, this is my second post, and both have had TED references; don't worry: I will branch out soon enough).

 

She self-admittedly takes a very Darwinistic approach by placing emphasis on means of observation.  I've always found this much more interesting than molecular and forensic approaches.  Perhaps, because I work in a lab that takes a genotypic rather than phenotype analysis of microscopic organisms, I find Morgan's approach to be more romantic.

 

She summarizes the original thought that our Homo sapien distinction came from a split with our ancestors: they took to the trees, and we became more erect in our posture to better see across the savannah or to better throw weapons.  However, the challenge to said hypothesis arises from several points assembled by Morgan, beginning with the discovery of fossilized pollen.  This pollen is allegedly associated with herbivores theorized to have lived with hominid ancestors much earlier than the emergence of the savannah biosphere.  If the dating mechanisms are correct, some of the earliest hominids wouldn't have had access to the plains and assumed style of life.

 

This is the logic that really drew me into her proposition: reasons for bipedalism.  Humans are the only non-extant permanent bipeds (with reference to walking; hopping kangaroos and other non-primates are excluded from consideration).  Chimps can't walk on two legs, except for short periods of time; however, they always walk on two legs in water.

 

Additionally, the construction of fat deposits seen in man that allow for obesity are not analogous to those of other primates.  Such obesity could not be supported by other primates.  On this point, I question whether or not a tolerance for obesity is an evolutionary characteristic that is not widely conserved in humans.  For example, take certain regions in Africa.  There are people groups whose anatomy has not been pushed to retain such fat storage as those of their Western and Eastern counterparts.  I guess the question that needs addressing is, "can the primate tolerance for obesity be developed over several generations?"  Experimentation on the subject would really be gratuitous, however.  Interested scientists will have to wait until desperate housewives replace miniature chihuahuas with a super chubby chimpanzees.

 

The ability to speak comes from the ability to control our breath.  Our primate relatives are not able to do this, only water-dwelling mammals and some water-diving birds.

 

Morgan's main point, which I find to be almost equally fascinating, is her branding of the evolutionist pool of thought as a priesthood.  Theistic evolutionists should find this dryly ironic.  Morgan states that certain bodies of thought circulate in different circles, with some ideas being more favored or condemned than others.  She concludes with the witty, but unsettling joke that, at least, "Richard Dawkins has told us how to treat a priesthood."

 

Aside from her final analogy, which seemed to be slightly hypocritical, having followed a rant focused on discrediting beliefs that come from running with circles of thought, Morgan put together a well-supported case for the aquatic ape theory.

liquid-filled eyeglasses?

Having dabbled in the sciences for the last couple years, I've seen many discoveries and inventions that showcase the versatility of human potential. Josh Silver demonstrates just what I'm talking about in one of the featured web clips from TED.com.  If you've never had the opportunity to visit this site, please do so soon.  It's a bunch of fun.  This is the kind of kooky research that has immediate applications and should be marketed.  What really sparked my interest in his idea was his aim to further reduce the price of his nouveau glasses.  Now, I'm ashamed to think about how much cash was dished out for my glasses.

 

Silver's approach to the problem of eyewear would inevitably lead to a change in the way we operate on a daily basis.  Optometrists and their practices wouldn't have the referenced 10,000 clients, but I believe their niche in healthcare wouldn't be completely uprooted.  Putting into practice an idea like Silver's would eliminate many jobs, but, as he said, this is a "quality of life" issue.  This should also make us consider what sacrifices we are prepared to make if our own professions or styles of life are threatened by the needs of others.