Interview with the Vampire writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs-anne-rice-20100807,0,5152082.story

I pretty much agree... rarely go to a church service anymore, and usually with someone I like! Or services with special music. Churches with pipe organs and musicians that know how to play them... churches with good choirs and sing Bach. Churches that preach a gospel of love and tolerance...Churches that bring in guitars and insist on joy to the world.

Most churches send mixed messages, like Ann Rice puts it. I do not knock churches for putting up soup kitchens, giving food away at pantries.... I may need a God Pantry some time... Texas is cutting food stamp programs. (I have not applied yet, but am considering it) It the Republicans stay in power here, it will be a crime to be poor, and all poor people will be lined up and shot.... but, of course I can live on a pack of Ramen noodles for a week... and like Thoreau I know how to cook the earth. (A great book: J.K.L. Fischer's "How to Cook a Wolf") And that thing I sent Ronnie about facts of life and diet!!!!!

Much of the great art and architecture has been created for religion and athletic purposes. Greek Temples and stadiums, Egypt and the pyramids for dead souls... Taj Mahals and Chartres Cathedrals speckle the landscape of history... Ghandi and Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi, Buddha and Jesus himself.... What have angry Tea Baggers done? Like the vandals and priests of old, they see the work of science and art as a threat to their every-day life.... they may have a point... How angry we all got when the Kaliban in Afganistan dynamited Buddhist art in the name of Allah and made women wear the berka.. and that Russia helped Egypt build a lake whose water would cover Abu Symbol or whatever tombs of spectacular 3000 year old sculpture... in the name of god-less science and relief of human misery....Humanity!!!! what a mixed bag of good and evil.... Met the enemy, but it is only us!!! dammit!!!!

and also:

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on
nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those
conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans...

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and
suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION:

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Study: Belly bulge can be deadly for older adults.

If your pants are feeling a bit tight around the waistline, take
note: Belly bulge can be deadly for older adults, even those who aren't
overweight or obese by other measures.

One of the largest studies to examine the dangers of abdominal fat
suggests men and women with the biggest waistlines have twice the risk
of dying over a decade compared to those with the smallest tummies.

Surprisingly, bigger waists carry a greater risk of death even for
people whose weight is "normal" by the body mass index, or BMI, a
standard measure based on weight and height.

"Even if you haven't had a noticeable weight gain, if you notice
your waist size increasing that's an important sign," said lead author
Eric Jacobs of the American Cancer Society, which funded the study.
"It's time to eat better and start exercising more."

Other research has linked waist size to dementia, heart disease,
asthma and breast cancer.

Just what I need. Breast cancer wrecking these magnificent man-boobs
I've spent a decade building. To hell with that. I want a second
opinion. After all, that's just a prudent thing to do before you toss
your whole life over because some fat-loathing sunken-chested
pencil-necked geek with no personal gravity well wants to be a hater,
right? So, I looked to alternate medical traditions to find my answer.
I found my bubble-reinforcer in China:

A venerable Chinese Doctor responds to my forwarded belly fat article.

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong
life. Is this true?

A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it...don't
waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speeding up heart not
make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving
faster. Want to live longer? Take nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiency. What does cow eat? Hay and
corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So steak is nothing more than
efficient mechanismof delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain?
Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy
vegetable). And pork chop can give you 100% of recommended daily
allowance of vegetable product.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,
that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of
goodness that way. Beer also made of grain. Bottom up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one.
If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular
exercise program? A: Can't think of single one, sorry. My philosophy is:
No pain...good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU NOT LISTENING! Food are fried these day in vegetable oil. In
fact, they permeated by it. How could getting more vegetable be bad for
you?!?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around
the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You
should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa bean! Another vegetable! It
best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me..

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' a shape!

See? It's the damned sit-ups that did it!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had
about food and diets and exercise.

ah ah ah ah ah

gargling in the rat race choir
twisted out of shape by society's players...

just like Bob Dylan said it would be...

as it was in the beginning
is now, and ever shall be
World without end... ah men