The Daily Sabbatical

This is for Pedro and Ana.

Hypnosis is a strange phenomenon, bound to invite skepticism.  Now, with technologies such as fMRIs, some of that skepticism can be assuaged.  A recent study by a group at the Weizmann Institute in Israel confirms the fact that at least in the case of post-hypnotic amnesia (“PHA,” in which subjects are hypnotised to forget something until a cancelling command is uttered) pre-conscious brain behavior is significantly modified.
In the study, a group of subjects susceptible to this hypnotism were asked to watch a movie after which PHA was induced. In comparison with a control group that was not susceptible to hypnosis, the subjects had difficulty recalling the movie’s content, but not the context in which they saw the movie.  After the “cancelling command” their performance matched that of the control group.  When they had trouble remembering, their brains showed comparatively little activity in the occipital lobe (responsible for visualization) and the left temporal lobe (responsible for analyzing the questions) as well as increased activity in the prefrontal cortex which regulates othe brain activities.
This probably won’t convince die-hard skeptics, but it should get close.  It is pretty clear, given the brain activity, that the subjectsare not, for example, remembering but simply failing to produce the answers.
Read more at Scientific American.

Fans of Field Music take note: the Brewis brothers are pursuing separate projects that are easily as good as recent FM output.  The Week That Was is lead by Peter Brewis, and it has a sort of 80s epic feel that reminds me at times of Tears for Fears and the early Peter Gabriel/Genesis.  For those who are cringing: stop!  TWTW is no mere repeat and they don’t deserve to be simply lumped in with the wave of 80s revivalists. If you don’t like the sort of scenic rock driven by keyboards and minor keys, you can probably leave these guys aside.  But what they are doing is neither easy nor boring rehash.  The ambitious scope of these works is to be applauded, and it’s a damn fine thing to have albums every now and again that are albums and not collections of songs.  I keep this one next to my cd player and just sink into it every couple of days.  More albums like this please.
The Airport Line.mp3

Nothing makes me happier than a purchase out of the blue that turns out to be a highlight of the year.  Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is a transplanted Oregonian–and a current Brooklynite–who has completely blown my mind.  None of the comparisons I am apt to make do him justice–Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Walkmen come to mind, but great as those bands are I don’t sense in them the purity of inspiration that I get from Robinson.  He’s like a Bob Dylan who rocks.  I’m not going to say any more, or I’ll sound like a fool, but suffice it to say I’m excited as hell about this guy. Just listen up.
Woodfriend.mp3

From Scientific American

When we feel like we don’t have command of our own fate, our brains often invent patterns that offer a sense of self-control. Some folks knock on wood or step over cracks in the sidewalk. Scientists call this illusory pattern perception. Work published in the October 3rd issue of the journal Science offers a look inside our heads as they try to make us feel less helpless.

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin devised six experiments to test students’ reactions to different situations of uncertainty. One experiment mimicked the stock market, while another asked students to search for images in television static. Time and again, students saw images where there were none and found stock patterns that didn’t exist. The authors then asked students to perform self-affirmation exercises instead of looking for external design. These exercises calmed them and increased their capacity to see, well, reality. But if you’re not changing your socks or shaving because it clearly helps your favorite team, go right ahead. Some unkempt fan in Tampa Bay has to be the reason behind the Rays winning the American League East.
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This seems like it deserves a song…
Patterns by Simon and Garfunkel
Patterns.mp3

I was watching Fox News last night–I was feeling guilty about watching so much MSNBC, alright!–I noticed some blustering idiot making fun of Biden for calling the people of Bosnia “Bosniaks” or “Bosniacs.” 
Before making fun of him, perhaps they should check something like the Oxford English Dictionary which includes “Bosniacs” as an acceptable alternative to “Bosnians.”  Or hell, just Google either “Bosniaks” or “Bosniacs” and notice how many Bosnian organizations self-proclaim as Bosniak organizations.
Either these people haven’t done their research, or they are full of shit, or both.  I vote for the last option.

This is a really good list.  Of course the fact that every man should read them doesn’t imply that not every woman should read them.  Many of these books I would recommend to anyone.  Raymond Carver, Blood Meridian, John Cheever, Revolutionary Road…how good can it get?  I’m a fan of a surprising number of there.

Thanks to Kerry for letting me know about this!

You heard it here first: More Than It Hurts You will be nominated for the National Book Award this year.  It reminds me of no book more than The Corrections, which despite the Franzen backlash is a masterpiece.   Strauss might not have attained the perfect touch Franzen achieved in that novel, but More Than It Hurts You shares its general profile and spirit, while also being an unpredictable page turner.

The story centers around a possible case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.  If you aren’t a Law and Order: SVU addict, then  you might not know that MSbP is a rare disorder in which a parent, usually a mother, intentionally induces an illness in her child.  Possible motivations differ–the mother might enjoy the attention she receives in a crisis, she might want to galvanize the family around the child’s sickness, or her motivations might not be evident at all.  In Strauss’ novel, the mother in question is Dori Goldin, who is accused of harming her son Zack.  Her accuser, Darlene Stokes, is a young, successful black pediatrician with a child of her own.  The novel is essentially a story of these two families, and the way their very different pasts play into their present turbulent conflict.

Dori and Josh Goldin are to all appearances an alpha couple, the face of a perfect family.  Dori is an ex-phlebotomist become full time mother, and Josh is an ad saleman who works his charm like a corporate Jedi.  Cracks only appear in the facade when their infant Zack “codes” when in the emergency room–for no obvious reason.  In comes Darleen Stokes who finds Dori’s behavior suspicious and Zack’s near fatality inexplicable.  Stokes is a second generation single mother who has, through the determination of her mother and her own intelligence and abition, become the head of pediatrics at a prominant hospital.  Her accusation against the Goldins leads Josh to employ a sharp, if not particularly scrupulous, lawyer…and so it begins: a legal battle, a media firestorm, and a personal trial for all involved.

If you’re thinking this won’t be a stress-free read, you’re right.  No one in the story is perfect, and in general their imperfections are subtle enough that we can relate to them.  And it’s no fun imagining oneself being swept up into the circus of slants and spins that surrounds these characters.  Nevertheless, the novel isn’t burdensome to read.  It pulls more like a thriller than a social novel, and it sparks thought as it’s doing so.  That’s a tough trick.

Strauss is not quite on the echelon of a Roth, but that this even merits saying is a compliment to his ability.  He still has a few pecadillos that can become annoying.  Clever little metaphors are a little too abundant, and there are elements of the plot–like Stokes’ father, the ex-con–that don’t seem to fully pull their weight.  Nevertheless, I’ll probably read everything this guy has written–Chang and Eng, and The Real McCoy–and I will look forward to watch his trajectory.  I predict it’s upward.