Babeled

With both Democratic and Republican conventions long over, the latest news polls are showing McCain with a clear lead over Obama.

Say hello to the Sarah Palin Effect.

You may not have known about her two weeks ago, but Sarah Palin is currently the hottest thing since the Global Warming Debate. If you doubt the potential steamroller effect that Palin is already having on this election, then meditate on the fact that there has been a 20% increase in Republican’s who claim to be “more enthusiastic than usual to vote” since August.

What is it about this virtual unknown that is causing such an upsurge of passion in Republican voters?

In my opinion, what we are seeing is political strategy at its best. Having sulked in the shadow of Obama’s yearlong celebrity, the McCain camp finally decided to fight fire with fire at the last minute. They realized what they should have never forgotten: experience doesn’t win an election, personality does. But what does it mean to have a winning personality when almost none of your voters will have ever met you in person before they go to the polling stations? It means knowing your audience, and above all else, knowing what archetypes they fundamentally identify with.

For Obama it has always been about conveying Uniqueness. His ability to bring Change is supposed to be a natural consequence of his being Unique. You will vote for him if you believe that Washington is Stagnant and needs Change only someone Unique can bring.

For McCain it has always been about conveying Uniqueness. However, he spent much of this last year being painted as a Follower by his more popular opponent. Having had very little time in the limelight to counter this accusation, McCain entered the last leg of the presidential race with only one option to redeem his image: find a VP who proves he’s not a Follower.

The unconventional choice of Sarah Palin was by far the best way to convince Republicans that McCain truly is Unique in regards to his decision making. Also, by choosing someone who has been labeled a Maverick, McCain managed to resurrect his image as a man who is somehow fundamentally different than the party he represents. He now appears more as an Independent in Republican clothing. Whether this is the truth or not is irrelevant. After all, perception trumps truth, and personality is nothing but perception.

Can this strategy hold in the coming weeks? Can the McCain/Palin ticket truly ride on the waves of their perceived Maverickhood while avoiding the gravity of a failing economy, an energy crisis, and a global war that is almost a decade old?

Let Team Maverick speak for themselves…

Popularity: 14% [?]

I started surfing about a year ago, which is a shame really because I’ve lived at the beach for 28 years. Surfing is something I have always dreamed of doing, but never had the resources to do. So now I make up for lost time. I surf as much as my schedule will allow. You know the saying, “practice makes perfect”. Well I’m doing just that. “50 times”,  fellow Babeler Greg Molyneux said.

Sports like surfing and golf take a lot of practice before you can even preform the core functions. 50 attempts is an average of what one would need to reach that level of basic technique. You gotta learn fundamentals.  Even from there the learning never stops…

I agreed. So I said to myself…

Self, more dedication and education is required. I’ve paddled out about 30 times now (only 30 because of the cold water in Jersey and my lack of a wetsuit until recently). Not only do I need to get out there and do it more, I need to read about it. I need to learn from others. Professionals would be good to hear from…

And wouldn’t you know just such a professional was to visit my town. His name was and is Shaun Tomson. In tow was his book, Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons For Riding Through Life. Quite fortuitous I would say… Hmm? Hmm?

I was not able to make it to the book signing at Pine, the local surf shop/ art gallery.  Half because i was engaged in other activities and half because who the hell is Shaun Tomson? I was however able to procure a signed copy of the book. I read the 191 pages over a period of 5 days so that the lessons would sink in. It was a very captivating read. Especially learning about the big wave rider himself. From his childhood in South Africa during apartheid to his 14 years on the world surfing tour and his record six year winning streak in the Gunston 500 in South Africa (1972-77), Shaun Tomson told of his enriching experiences. That’s when I understood the folly of my ways and my intellect. I missed out on meeting one of surfing’s’ greats.

The lessons/chapters in the book were awesome, both for my life in the water and on the land. From changing how I wait for waves to my thoughts of being some thing’s “lunch”. He really has a way of putting things into perspective. He brought a whole new mindset to what I was doing and how I was thinking. I wanted to catch a wave, but I wasn’t dedicated to it. I was too worried with all the details and wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. I was leaving my dominating “safe” life on land and actively joining the “food-chain”, as he so delicately put. I was joining a community in the wild.

Basically the book was great, it totally helped and even the dude at the surf shop who’s been surfing all his life said the lessons were “right on”. There are 12 lessons in the book and each one is fantastic for the soul. The lesson that agreed with me the most was lesson 8, “I Will Always Ride into Shore”, because you should always finish what you start. Now I’m not saying that because of this book I can now surf because I can’t. I’m still working on the turn after the drop. Who the hell am I kidding, I’m still working on the drop. Actually I’m still working on everything. Practice makes perfect… and “I Will Paddle Back Out” (lesson5). I’m only 20 away from 50 times and so close to putting the “fun” in fundamentals.

A huge thank you goes out to Shaun Tomson with Patrick Moser authors of this book. Their book has brought this Jersey boy much enjoyment both in and out of the ocean. And I will forever ” Honor the Sport of Kings” (lesson 12).

Check out Shaun Tomson discussing The Wave at Jefferey’s Bay.

Popularity: 12% [?]

For those of you who don’t know, there is significant evidence that psychedelics have a therapeutic effect on an individual’s psyche when applied in a clinical setting.

In the past few years, thanks to efforts by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), Harvard University has conducted the first research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics since the school fired the controversial professor Timothy Leary in 1963.

This trend seems to be spreading around the world. Here are some fascinating discoveries from 2006:

• Ketamine (Special K) alleviates symptoms of depression.
• Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) alleviates symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Research like this is long overdue. It is a crime to halt research into potentially healing medicines strictly on the ground that those medicines could be misused. The fact is that any new discovery - whether it be a drug or nuclear power - can be used for constructive or destructive purposes.

With the enactment of the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, LSD and other psychedelics became classified Schedule I (the worst kind). By 1975 all research on psychedelics was effectively frozen.

It would be presumptous to assume that psychedelics hold the key to solving all mental health issues. However, as can be evidenced by the large number of mentally ill who are being incarcerated, our current approaches are not adequate or effective.

I’m sorry, but incarceration is not a viable alternative to therapy.

What follows is a brief history of the discovery and subsequent halting of psychedelic research.

From Discovery to Denial

During the first half of the 20th Century, two human beings completely altered scientific research into the brain and its processes: Sigmund Freud and Albert Hoffman.

Freud’s stubborn insistence that mental processes could be systematically researched led to the discovery of thought patterns whose observation could be replicated in future experiments. These discoveries, and the inevitable theories that followed, quickly developed into the edifice known as Psychology.

Hoffman’s synthesis of LSD in 1938, and his accidental discovery of its ability to manifest hidden aspects of the mind (psychedelic = psyche + “delos” [greek for clear and manifest]) created a research domino effect: for the next three decades Hoffman went on to analyze and document the properties of LSD, psilocybin, salvia divinorum, and morning glory seeds. His research into these substances was slowly integrated into the emerging psychotherapy movement during the 50’s. According to Hoffman, “LSD was used very successfully for 10 years in psychoanalysis.”

This success eventually attracted the attention of Harvard. It was here that psychedelic research began its abrupt decline. Dr. Timothy Leary and Dr. Richard Alpert, the premier researchers on these substances, slowly began to replace the traditional methods of laboratory research with the spontaneity offered by everyday social situations. When the administration at Harvard discovered that Leary and Hoffman’s unorthodox methods involved giving students their own supply of drugs, both men were immediately fired.

Alpert wound up in India meeting his guru, changing his name to Ram Dass, and writing the book “Be Here Now”. Leary stayed in America, privately conducting research, while publicly preaching the benefits of LSD. In a bizarre coincidence of events, Leary’s obsession with the potential of LSD to bring about an advancement of human evolution and an inevitable cultural revolution [he had a plan to spike the drinks of Congress] was met by millions of American youth disillusioned by the Vietnam War and searching for deeper meaning in life. These idealists found their answer in LSD.

Unfortunately for the scientific community, Leary disregarded his most important discovery on psychedelics - they create hell in the mind of the individual who takes them unprepared and in an unstructured environment. This psychological breakdown ended up becoming a reality for a lot of people, and before too long a series of “bad trips” were reported - including a man who jumped to his death thinking he could fly. With all this negative press, it was only a matter of time before the government finally decided to crack down on psychedelics.

A Renaissance of Research

The War on Drugs has suppressed the development of knowledge for far too long. Once these substances are thoroughly studied they can finally be applied in a controlled setting to help those in need.

The studies at Harvard are hopefully a sign of things to come and not just a fluke. All forms of scientific research are essential to the progress of our society and the fact remains that progress can only be achieved through experimentation.

Popularity: 24% [?]