Week 11- Restoring the American Bison to its Rightful range

1) i feel it should be high priority for the American citizen to reintroduce the American Bison. We do have some debt to pay for the mass killing of bison. I'm not sure that the score will be even in the end but at least we can have appeases some of the Bison ghosts that are running wild in this country.

2)it just goes to show that richer doesn't mean healthier. Maybe its because the richer folk are more disconnected with what is good for the body and what is bad. Its hard to say really what this study implies. But at least we can rest assured that money cant buy health and wealth isn't equal to worth. Well not yet it isn't. Maybe in a few years they will have stem cells and you can just buy a kit and grow yourself a cancer free body. Kinda like a chia pet. Just add water.

Week Ten- Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

1)i think that the platform offers a level of universal awareness that is seldom understood these days. Many of the points are inherent truths that we as humans have forgotten over the past few hundred years. Although, the 8th point seems a bit suspicious to me. Subscribing to the other points doesn't need to create any obligation. Embodying the points and receiving the benefit from them naturally is enough. There is no need to be an activist or preacher about it. Preachers and activists are funny people in my opinion. They all have a point of view and have something to prove. But universal understanding will always thrive. No need for the fight. Things will eventually balance out. They always have and always will...I'm sure this statement pisses people off but if one doesn't put up targets then there is nothing for them to punch. I'm glad there are activists in this world but ill never be one. That's just not my role here. So to say that if i agree with the "eight-point plan" means i need to take action against those who dont understand it (even in a passive way) than that war is something don't care to mingle with. If i invite politics into my sphere they fight inside me. You can all have that fight, ill just go on doing what it do quietly...

2) Ecosystems are like a spiders web; strong enough to support the spider and strong enough to catch prey, but so fragile even a mild gust of wind (external force) can destroy it.. But that is nothing to worry about because the spider will build another place to live the very next day. Life moves on, fragile and strong.

3) I think the end goals of social ecology are very interesting and informative. We are a social species and to not take social measurements into account when analyzing the successes and failures of the human race would but missing the big picture of how, why, where, when, and with who we do the things we do. I'm not sure a complete picture can be drawn though in our time. Looking back we can draw a complete picture but there are many things missed when looking in the present with a method that judges the past.

Week 8- Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

1) Western approaches to all diseases have there plus and their minus sides. I'm not making excuses for them but all they can be expected to do is follow their paradigm of medicine when trying to tackle the problem. I think that social, psychological, economic, lifestyle, and geographic concerns should be addressed in the understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

2)Id like to answer this question with a simple YES!

3)I think the "deal that saved the whale" is truly a success and an example to organization that are trying to protect the wild life of the planet. It seems that they are finding ways to make decisions that are healthy for the environment from a economical standpoint as well. I think that this "deal" sets a standard for communication between groups with different opinions and agendas and presents interesting options to the maintenance of wild life.

Week Seven- Cell Biology and Cancer

1) I'm going to say that our understanding of cancer is very sophisticated from a Western science perspective. I'm making that statement from the basis that when i read cancer descriptions from a cell biology perspective it seems pretty hard to understand. I'm sure we don't know everything, and I'm sure there is much to learn, but it seems that the proper steps are being taken to reach a very sophisticated understanding of the epidemic. But wit that said I'd also like to point out that some of the most profound in sites come from very basic concepts. So yes, our understanding of cancer is very sophisticated, but weather or not that understanding is going to produce a cure is a whole different question.

2) TCM stays with basic concepts of energetics and universal laws and strives for balance. Its goal and method of curing the problem doesn't root from trying to "kill" it, but instead trying to resolve the imbalance.

3) Id hope to think our genes are still being shaped by natural selection. An ever changing internal and external environment are cornerstones to the thriving of life. I would really hate to think we are a species that is idling at this stage of existence. It makes me much happier to think that thing are changing inside and out on every level, from cellular to universal.

Week 6-The Nature of Life

1) I'm not sure i can make a distinction between systems that are living and/or non living. I can easily make a distinction between conscious and non conscious systems. (or at least consciousness being what we know it to be). I dont feel there is anything in the universe that isn't living. When we look at the earth, or a mountain, we say its not living cause its just rocks and dirt. But it is alive. it moves, changes, grows, shrinks, etc. it just does it at its own pace. And it is just as much alive as the plants and animals that live on it. The question than become "where do you draw the line between a animal for example and the environment it lives in? does the physical barrier that is skin become the border between something that is living and something that isn't?". The environment that an animal lives in is just as much a part of its living system as the blood that flows through its veins. There really is no boundary.

2) I don't feel that the use of tool is some sort of proof that humans evolved from apes. I just feel it is another example of how a creature uses its consciousness. I find it impressive but not surprising. Everything in the universe is moving in a direction, maybe that's an evolution or maybe its a devolution. Either way it doesn't matter. Its all movement and its all life and it will continue on its cyclical course as it always has.

3) Its a good thing that people are beginning to respect Chinese medicine from a western perspective. It is possibly a way to get people more in touch with universal laws. Its just funny the slow path it is taking to get people back to things that are natural. In the end, we play the western game for and eastern means.

Week 5- The Complexity of life

1) Can diversity save species?

i definitely think diversity can be the best chance at saving species. When anything is just "black and white" it will have a hard time surviving. Weather that's a species, an opinion, or just about anything else you can think of. Options are always good in life. The reason nature creates so many variables is a way of development and/or survival. No two things are alike in the natural world and when man forces his will upon something to narrow its diversification the chance of survival greatly decreases. Maybe it be thought of that diversification in nature is a way of trial and error. Some traits work in a specific environment and others don't. But to know which will be the most successful nature tests them out. But i also feel its important to say that there is also an element of time in the mix. One variable will work great in a specific environment in a specific time, but in another time in the same environment that same trait may not be as successful. So, in order for survival rates to stay up there needs to be as many variables as possible to with stand the change in environment and time.

2) Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?
Hmmm, what if i said i am not a registered voter on this life long debate. Ill let the world duke this one out while i make an omelet. Or maybe I'll make a plate of chicken Marsala. Hmmm, so hard to decide...lol

3)"i always eat my broccoli"
It seems we all know that veggies are great for us. I don't think there is a person in the modern world who doesn't know that fact or who disputes the claims. But some people still don't eat them. So This research is great for those who eat veggies and need a pat on the back, and in the other corner i highly doubt the research will get non-veggie eaters to put the cheese burger and fries down for a tasty plate of fresh vegetables. To each their own....

The Patterns of Life-Week 4

Week 4 - The Pattern of Life

1) Is there a drug around for just about everything?
Well yes there is. Our culture and medical paradigm is based on medicinals to treat conditions. The system is set up for this. The moment you group a number of symptoms into a category and call it a disease then soon will come the medication for said disease. They sort of coexist. You cant be high unless there is something caled being low. It seems that in our culture you can have a disease or condition without there being a medicinal to balance it out. This paradigm is quite dysfunctional but it seems to be the mentality of most modern people.

2) Can we raise our levels of dopamine ourselves?
Sure, I’m sure any and all process in the body, whether they are chemical or energetic, can be influenced by ourselves without an outside catalyst. The question isn’t so much as “can we” but more of “how can we”. and to make things more difficult I doubt that if we figured out a method of how to raise dopamine levels, im sure that the method wouldn’t be the same for everybody.

3)How do you think chimps and humans diverge as species?
They probably diverge at the point where humans care to find out the differences between us and them, where as chimps don’t really care to make this comparison. This is not to say we have a more developed consciouness but we sure do have a different consciousness. They would prob spend more energy on living a thriving life than they would on researching what makes us different from others.

Week 3

1a) I dont feel surprised to hear that 99.4% pf the most critical DNA sites are identical in humans as in chinp. I think its fairly obvious the structural similarities and inherent actions. I would be more surprised if you said that 99.4% of human DNA was the same as in something like a turkey. lol. But with this said, i don't think that this high percentage is a fact that proves the human race evolved from chimps. I still feel the issue of evolution is up for debate. Im my own oppinion i dont have an answer for where we (humans) came from. The research is compelling from a scientific perspective. I tend to lean towards the myths of ancient cultures when looking for answers to this ever common riddle. But just like in science, i feel there is much room for interpertation. It seem humans have always asked the quests or 1)where did we come from, 2)where are we going, 3) and how do we clean up the mess we made along the way. Maybe the fact that we ask those question is the 0.6 percent difference between humand and chimps...





1b)


1-D


2-B


3-D


4-C


5-D


6-D





2) Bear with me here, I'm going to go a bit into an esoteric questioning rant, lol. I just want to pose a question of "Scientific Evolution". The word evolution implies forward progress and a refining process from a state of primitive existence to advanced existence. And although the advances that have been made in Science/technology/medicine are quite remarkable i am still cautious to call them an evolution. "Survival of the Fittest", meaning the most fit for the environment will survive is in question here. Do you really feel that the modern human race is the fittest for our environment? We seem to have spent much effort trying to fit into this world. We build boxes to live in, articles of clothing to wear, unhealthy processed foods to fuel our body, monetary systems of trade that hold a supposed universal value, and much more just to "try" to fit in. I would argue that so called "primitive" cultures were far more fit than modern culture. The scientific community scoffs at the ancient Egyptians and their Psudoscientific technology. But keep in mind that the Egyptians lived much longer than our race and they never damaged the environment or their bodies the way we do on a daily basis. They had technology that is very advanced. Its just in a different direction and with a different purpose. They built structure that to this day we cannot mimic. They had medicine that was extremely effective and advanced (even as far a successful brain surgery). It just seem a bit arrogant and closed minded to assume that we are the fittest and growing more evolved day by day. The evidence that this is a misconception is everywhere. But its the arrogance that our culture possess that continues us on this past...I'm not saying that we are all live inapproprietly and are abusing our resources to the point of no return, but what i am saying is that many ancient cultures believed in cycles; ups and downs in civilization. So who is to say we are on an upswing? is it possible that modern humans are actually a part of the downswing? Is it possible to even put a bit of pride aside to consider this? He who scoffs in ignorance due to lack of understanding past civilizations perspectives is narrowing their field of view and missing out on much knowledge. See the big picture and the little picture comes into focus...Just a possibility i like to pose. Be careful when researching a field where the advocate and the judge are on the same team....ok rant is over....:)

Week 2 evo and devo

-evo devo- i think it is safe to say that the earth and life on it is Very very old. As science moves forward in its research it seems that the the time line of the age of the earth and existence keeps getting pushed back in time. The only thing that can safely be stated is that we existence and life as we know it is extremely old.

-darwinism- i don't completely agree with darwinism nor do i totally disagree with it. I think like many theories in science, as well as theories in folklore and religion, there are truths, predictions, and exaggerations. I'm not exactly sure what sciences' goal is to finding a definitive truth to the origin of man, but i do know that this hunt has plagued man probably for as many years as we can know. I find it interesting and worthwhile that we look into the past for understanding of the future. This idea leads to the notion that the further back you look the further forward you can see. Its sort of a concept of expanding in all direction from one singe point of the present...In the past few years i have done a good amount of research into origin "myths" of many ancient groups. Especially the belief systems of the western mystery schools. I feel that darwinism and evolution is the "myth" of our time. And that is not to say that this modern myth is any more truthful or non-truthful than any other myth the human race knows.