week thirteen: how would I rate the control of artificial limbs by thought alone?

I have not seen this in action in person , but from the article it sounds like there is promise. The sensors that are picking up brain waves, as it continues to develop could have amazing accuracy . I saw my kids try and make a ping pong ball rise in a tube, with the same concept and I would say it worked 40% of the time I imagine with practice you may be able to raise that percentage. For people that are paralyzed this could mean so much freedom in their lives,I am sure if it were me, accuracy or not I would be willing to give it a go.

week thirteen: would you support the development of a bionic person?

I would support the development of a bionic person if it was to be used for people that wouldn't be able to function otherwise. If if was used for someone that no longer had the use of there legs or their arms then it seems like that kind of technology would make sense. I would be apposed to the military using that kind of technology to create some kind of super soldier. I hope to be able to use our medicine to help those who have lost use of there limbs to regain the use of their limbs.

week eleven: can I synthesize east and west

I think that it is already being dome on a large scale. In China many of their hospitals integrate both eastern(TCM) and western medicine. A typical cancer treatment might include surgery, chemo acupuncture,herbs,and creative imaging, and qigong. I am synthesizing east and west by studying western medicine in conjunction with my acupuncture.So I am proud to say the synthesis is happening.

week eleven: my e prime day

I tried to stay consistent with the idea of e-prime all day, it was hard. I used alot of statements like in my opinion, rather than the usual stating opinion as fact. I also know it was hard because as a parent I try and be the authority and if my answer to every question goes something like" in my present state of musical education and ignorance" my kids would be completely confused and I might have lost some status(as if they care). I do however think that is important to try and stay as close to e-prime as possible. I reminds me a lot of this model of talking called non violent communication it's a local organization NVC that's working hard to take out stereotypes from our language that can be hurtful. We are constantly evolving as a race and we are slowly moving forward.

Descartes has alot to answer for

He drew a connection between human and machine. He also believed that animals feel no pain. ti main was a true linear thinker and that there was no connection between mind and body. he was a famous scientist as a as many brfore him we realized that there was still so much more.

our "energy efficent" culture

we are an energy efficient culture only because we have to undo the inefficiency of previous generations. I remember as a kid thinking how cruel it was that our parent left such a mess for us to clean up. So now ae are realizing that all energy is not endless and that we will benefit fro paying attention tho this.

How have newtons laws affected our lives?

His three laws for scientific reasoning have effected how we view science in many ways. We view the world around us and find new information and we quantify this by the knowledge that comes before us unless we are able to contradict previous findings.
Law one objects at rest remain at rest, and objects in motion remain in motion in a straight line st constant velocity.A force must be applied to the state of an object...
I am sure that we have all experienced this one ,an object at rest(us on the couch) stays at rest until their comes our friend or family member that so kindly removes us from out state of rest.that force that must be applied is our family ripping us from the comfort of our couch...damn that force.
law two the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force acting on it, and inversely proportional to its mass.
this can be explained in the experiment of dropping a penny and afeather from the top of the empire state building.both objects will land at the same time but one will have more force(correct me if i am wrong)
Law three if two objects interact, say in a collision, the force execretd by object 2 is matched by force of exerted by object 2 on object 1 of the same size, but in the opposite direction.
maybe this can be explained by the meeting of what you thought was your perfect mate and you speed is so big that you do not account for the velocity of the other object until it is too late?.....

conciousness out of chaos

say what?
I was not in class so I have not had the privilege of hearing what others think on this matter but it sounds confusing to me. Chaos is abstract and so in consciousness(consciousness still baffling everyone) how can we explain one coming from another when we arent really sure what either one really is? I have strong faith in higher meaning, and divine order so if we say that chaos is part of our existence and part of the natural flow of the universe then it is only part of our conciousness.. right?

fractals of chaos

fractals,or this ordered choas, is a phenomenon, occurring when the state of a system,defined by a variable or set of variables, changes with time. this change is tracked by probability....this sounds like our mathematical minds gone haywire.. how can we track something by probability...oh yes this is how we deal with everything in science, because nothing is definite.We have theories and hypothesis and probabilities... cant something just be beautiful and have a pattern or not. We so deeply need answers or predictions to feel fulfilled in our lives..why is this the human condition?

ordered chaos

ordered chaos...we see this in fractals things seemingly are randomly having a pattern until yoou look further and realize that it is not random at all but that natural laws of the physical world do indeed have ordered patterns that seem to start off randomly, this could be an example of ordered chaos. we can look at chaos and order separately or recognize their symbiotic relationship. you cannot have one without the other.
If we look at the patterns within our own lives we can see times of complete harmony(order) and then spells of complete disarray (chaos). We have some darkness so that we can appreciate the light, we have some chaos so that we can have some growth..out of order comes disorder and out of disorder comes order and so on and so on...

Are there connections between sacred geometry and physics?

Yes there are connections between sacred geometry and physics. Sacred geometry has it's roots in direct observation of nature, how nature has patterns, through this direct observation mathematical theories have evolved, connecting us once again with everything that is around us. through this careful observation we have acknowledged patterns, patterns that are the basis for science.An example of this could be the kabalistic tree of life, with its ten Sephiroth and one hidden sephiroth, corresponding to the 11 dimensional universe postulated in string theory.There is math and science in our religion and there is spirituality in our physics, go figure.

what does CP violation mean?

C(charge)P(parity) has to do with kaons decay rate. Only in the neutral kaon decay does nature reveal CP violation. It means that once again in the scientific world we look to define situations as unchanging, when they are changing and unique to every circumstance.

my asymmetrical world

I believe in the ebb and flow of the universe. The tides are always changing sometimes they are with us and other times they are against us. It is so important that we learn great skills for those times that they are against us. If the universe was symmetrical we wouldn't have that kind of diversity, we wouldn't have the chance to test our skills in times of adversity. without darkness there is no light . I am a big fan of an asymmetrical universe.

connectivity

We are all inexplicably connected. That is how synchronicity comes in. If we werent connected then we wouldnt have these moments in our lives where we almost telepathically connect with our family or friends. If we look at it from an eastern point of view and everything is energy then how could we not see that we are all one? I am part of the air that you are breathing, I am part of the soil that you are sowing your food in I am part of the water that quenches your thirst,I am part of you and you are part of me.

week 3. Synchronicity

The evidence I have for synchronicity, there are so many, how do I choose. I have dreams about things that then happen the next day, I think of someone and then talk to them and they say they were thinking of me all day. I have felt it every time someone in my family has had something bad happen to them. The day that my brother was diagnosed with lymphoma I had this very anxious feeling all day and then he called to tell me the news. I have felt it when both of my grandparents died and when my uncle died.

Is the universe weird?

the universe is what it is. weird is an opinion of something so profound that we only understand maybe a half a percent of what there is to understand.We are finding new information out about our universe through telescopes and satellites.We learn more to only find out that we still don't really know.It is good because it surely keeps us busy.Whats weird to me is this search for constant knowledge instead of letting the universe unfold its mysteries to us in her own time, and as a flower slowly unfolds to the sun so will the universe to us.

causality

Isnt this the same basic principles of karma? We effect our reality by our actions and our thoughts(which can encompass our desire for certain outcomes).I think that we are learning as we stay on this planet longer and longer that there is no way to escape the web of life, that everything is connected and that our mind is indeed a powerful tool on personal and even physical level.
we create our own reality even though it appears to be the same reality as everyone else is sharing we are able to choose our paths.We are able to see what we want to see.

my reflections on uncertainty

I believe this is the beginning of quantum physics here. The idea that depending on what the observer is looking for we see what we want to see.The uncertainty principle where light can be both a wave and a particle, shows us this perfectly.If you want to observe light as a wave it will be a wave, if you want to observe light as a particle it will be a particle.We the observer have a certain affect over what we are seeing.
If we as humans could remain objective and not involve our expectations for any result then maybe we could see the level of all possibilities existing at the same time.But we are mere mortals and most of us do not know how to remain objective.

little bit about the mystery of life

K-Os - Heaven Only Knows

Source: www.youtube.com

Turn this up Turn this up Yo Uh-huh Yes No, no, no beat Uh-huh No, no, no beat Uh-huh, uh-huh Bring it Bring it Heaven only knows (uh-huh) 'Cause I don't understand (understand) Won't you tell me please ..

my review of the links

Black spot, atomic levels, physical reality,max planck, how the electrons move around the nucleus... all this done without the use of modern day microscopes and other magnificent tools. I love science because it teaches that some things are stable and others are not.. or that nothing is stable if you continue to study it....it may even teach us just to have faith in the grand design, that has no designer.

what do I really think about physics?

I think its going to be great, regardless of any knowledge I may have had about it before.
The only memory I have of physics is that my brother took the class in high school and raved about it.

what attracted me to chinese medicine?

I love alternative(not so alternative anymore) healing.I was diagnosed with cervical cancer(stage2) and possible breast cancer, when I was in my early twenties.I was saddened by the treatment I got and how these parts of my body were seen as separate from the whole.It was awake up call to me. Very soon after that I moved to California,I just new something better was waiting for me out here.I wanted to work in medicine(my background was psychology). I looked into med school, the homeopathic school, natropathy, and then finally acupuncture. I decided the first step i would take in that direction would be massage therapy.
I have been working as a massage therapist for ten years and I figured it was time to further my education.I have experienced great results with acupuncture and loved the idea of combining needles and herbs.
I am healthier now than i ever have been, thanks to the wealth of knowledge there is about natural health.

what are the cultural implications of time?

There are many different ways of viewing time.I know that just having moved from the east coast to here has changed my view of time. In the north east , everyone is very punctual and are basically insulted if anything is ever late.People are expected to get up early and the day is started for most everyone by 8 am.I came to california, and people were always late and it seemed acceptable. I also noticed that businesses open later,10-11am.. that is unheard of in New haven.
Then we were reading the graph about the differences in time between here and china and once again the differences were huge.
Time is arbitrary

can we slow time down?

I consider myself very lucky. I feel like time moves slowly most of the time.There have been moments when it has slowed down even more.Once when i was in my car I saw a car in front of me almost crash but missed by swirving over and then in the process of doing that jerked the car too much and flipped over, right in front of my car,when the car stopped spinning it was less than a foot from my car.I quickly assessed the situation, realized others were helping her and got myself and my children out of there.I believe that all happened it less than a minute but it still feels like it could have been 30.
while we were all talking about our different experiences with time, all I kept thinking about was a scene from matrix, when keanue(Neo) was able to slow time down so much that you could see the trajectory of the bullets.Thats very similar to how I imagine people who are well disciplined martial artists see time when there fighting.
Time is not that slow for me , so i still have some ways to go, but I am getting closer all the time.

would I support making a vaccine program compulsory

The definition of compulsory:using coercive, making mandatory, imperative. I understand when it's on the topic of health and the health of a whole nation topics can be heated. I do not want to be in a country that I do not have a choice in the matter when it comes to my own health. there enough options out there, that vaccinations are not the end all be all.

should parents take a more active role in designing their childs immunization schedule?

As you all heard in class, I am taking a very active role in designing my kids immunization schedule. I think that it is always important to find information yourself rather than letting your doctor , or health practitioner, be the only one looking after your child's health. I think with the benefit of wonderful search engines we can research anything we want.Our ultimate goal is a healthy child and a healthy earth...

laughter as the best medicine

Laughter is certainly my best medicine.
Whenever I am feeling stressed and I am not finding the comedy in every day situations I just look at my kids to find that humor again.i know that sometimes it is really time that i go see a good comedy. When i have laughed alot everyhting seems so much easier. Even the stressful situations don't bother me.

stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy sounds wonderful. If we could find away to generate new stem celss without the use of embryonic cells that would be better. I think that as we continue to learn more about the human body and how it repairs itself the easier it will be for us all to stay healthy. If we can access such things as our stem cells ,and help them multiply within our bodies, that would be great. In a way I look at it kind of like homeopathic medicine, we are triggering our bodies own immune system do the work rather than relying on pharmaceutical drugs.

open season wolf hunt

I do not feel that as humans it is our right to create or to destroy other life forms on this planet. I certainly think that having us kill wolves from a helicopter is despicable. If we are going to reintroduce the wolves and then kill them off when we feel they are getting out of proportion with the environment, why even reintroduce them....? Let's try to tread lightly on this fare earth. If we do that then those lifeforms that do not survive are not supposed to, but if our massive slaughters are the reason then that species may have a problem coming back into balance. I guess I am saying let's not intervene and let mother nature decide.

child cancer risk higher in richer rural families

I am a strong believer in exposure to bacteria to creat a healthy and strong immune system.
In this article they are saying that richer families tend to keep their children in amore bacteria free environment, and in doing so children in richer families have a higher cancer risk because of this. There are obviously many other factors here that have not been accounted for. Even so I am in support of any article that shows a link between exposure to bacteria and a healthy immune system.

Reintroduction of Bison

I would use the growth of the bison over the last ten years as a platform for the resurgence of any other animal that has come close to extinction. I would use it to show how important it is that we pay close attention to our direst effect on animals and their habitat. Seeing how well the large land mammals are doing with our assistance would be a great motivation to help those animals smaller and possibly easier to assist.

The deal that saved the whale

The deal that saved the whale is a wonderful story of environmentalist win for the time being until the next big bidder comes along. It would be nice to see a day when the long term effects sway monetary decisions for every human not just those who have made a point to defend it.

Can TCM strengthen our immune system?

Absolutely!!!! The whole idea around preventative medicine , is to keep us healthy( strengthen the immune system). Through the careful observation of many different influences we can figure out very slight disharmonies before they turn into big ones. TCM is great for the immune system even if it's not treating it directly.

western approach to aids

Western medicine has made some amazing advances. They have been able to locate exactly what is going on inside our bodies when we have HIV and then AIDS. I find it fascinating how science is able to discover these things and how it has helped us resolve some of the mysteries of how our body is functioning. with all that being said I still think that the drugs that are made to try and slow down the process of aids can keep someones quality of life pretty high for a while, but in the interum these drugs may very well be taking a system that is already weak. I know that there are other alternatives that can do similar things without the added side effect of depleting your system.

End result to social ecology

Social ecology analyzes the various political and social institutions that people use in relationship to nature and it's resources.
The end result of this is studies that show us possibly where the problems are, but do not offer applicable solutions.
With population continuing to grow and the need to produce more food and other natural resources we are in need of new solutions to offset our many years of glutenous lifestyles.
I am hoping through balancing peoples qi with the help of my handy friend acupuncture we start to see a world making more balanced decisions.

ecosystems are both strong and fragile

Ecosystems can be very strong as long as the diversity is large and the conditions remain in a nice balance. they are fragile when things are out of balance. I just thought of how we could compare an ecosystem like Yellowstone national park to that of the human body.In an ecosystem like Yellowstone, everything stays in balance if there is enough food, water, sunshine, space to live and hunt freely. Everything is in symbiotic coexistence as long as all these things are in order. Take away even one part of this balance and you can see the profound affects ie. if there was't enough rain, then the food would slowly be more and more sparce from the smallest insect all the way up to the bears. It is the same for the human body, if we don't get enough rest, water, food, sunshine we will begin to see over time how th imbalnce in one area affects the whole body ie. not enough sleep, can cause you to forget to drink enough water and maybe when your tired you're not as hungry, and we can go as far as to say that if we are tired we may stay home to nap instead of getting out on a nice sunny day. So let's be sure to be nice to every ecosystem we come into contact with from the biggest to the smallest, because they are all in delicate balance with each other.

eight point deep ecology

This platform covers everything. These goals are attainable if we educate people on how important these goals are to the survival of the planet and more immediate for diversity of wildlife. we need to set some serious president, as individuals we can make a difference by the choices we make in our every day life. their goals speak of those who subscribe to their ideas being responsible to be the change we want to see happen. This is no small task and honestly those that are and continue to effect the possible change are large industry. we as individuals are like small row boats, and they(corporations) are the huge cargo ships. I will continue to row my boat in the right direction, but until they turn around, the stream will continue to go in the wrong direction.

Are our genes still evolving?

Scientific research suggest yes indeed we are. It see a change in our genes associated with taste smell,digestion, bone structure, skin color and brain function. In the article by Nicholas wade he suggests that it came from the pressure from people abandoning their hunting and gathering way of life for settlement and agriculture. I am glad that this research shows that we are indeed evolving because sometimes you wonder are we ?

How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

TCM looks at the body, mind, and spirit.TCM believes that cancer development is due to a weakened body leading to internal disharmony and organ dysfunction. TCM believes that there are multiple reasons.TCM uses herbs , acupuncture, and massage to assist the body to regain balance and acheive homeostasis. It does not just look at these cancer cells, it looks at the cause of the problem and gets rid of it and it also suggests a lifestyle change too. I wonder if they have done tests on the difference in the reoccurence of cancer in acupuncture patients verses those who just do western medical treatment, I would love to see those results!!!

How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?

We have come a long way in our understanding of cancer. We(through scientific research) have been able to narrow down many of the causes of cancer.We have been able to figure out what is happening to the healthy function of cells, why do they go rogue and become an abnormal cell or an altered cell(bad ). Through this understanding we are able to detect cancer cells sooner and have also been able to make medicine that is better engineered to kill the bad cells and not as many of the good ones. Although I may not choose to use only western medicine, if I had cancer, I am very grateful for it's existence ( it cured my brother).

chinese medicine gaining respect in the west!

I celebrate the day, and days to come that chinese medicine becomes more mainstream, for a bunch of reasons. From a practitioners point of view that means that there will be more people that have heard of my trade and because the word is out that there will be more people seeking my expertise.It also means that more people will be leading a healthier life and usually, healthier and happier go hand in hand. It means that there is a paradigm shift happening, going back to things that have been working for a long time and realizing the power in their simplicity....

significance of tools and language?

I think I have expressed in class, my disbelief that humans have only recently realized that animals are just as smart(in our own definition) as us! The significance of chimps using language and tools is that we are worried that eventually we won't have these complacent animals that we can observe and judge....! On a lighter note, it also shows us that they too are capable of decision making and cognitive thought. They recognize as we do that sometimes there are easier ways to do things with tools, and by language they are able to convey more complex ideas to other chimps so that they can pass the knowledge on to one another.

how do you distinguish between living and nonliving?

I am first going to use the example in the article from class. In the case of the bicycle, the pattern of organization is represented by the design sketches that are used to build the bicycle, in the mind of the designer. In the case of a living system, however, the pattern of organization is always embodied in the organisms structure, the link between pattern and structure lies in the process of continual embodiment.I interpret this as inanimate and animate objects but , as we all know there are mant things that the human eye can't see that are very alive and animate but if I can't see it then would I deem it animate? I guess we can see that in living verses non living things are always changing, developing, evolving. I love being part of the living!!!

chimps and humans

From the myriad of articles that we have read on this very topic, it seems the jury is not totally out on this subject. I would guess with my little knowledge on evolution, that we were interbreeding until one generation of people and chimp decided to go their separate ways and no longer interbreed. We were probably much hairier before this separation happened.

dopamine

There are many ways to raise our dopamine levels, the problem is sometimes there's not enough to start out with. In the case of the average joe... We can exercise, we can watch a comedy, we can avoid things that will lower levels, like many stimulants, coffee, alcohol ,sugar... Do things that bring you joy, go on a hike, with friends, your kids, swing on a swing high, try and touch the sky. these are just a few of the ways that I raise my dopamine levels.

Is there a drug around for just about everyhting?

The quick answer is yes. I think we have grown too dependent on a pill to cure just about every ailment we have. I have been quick to judge that people are not able to deal with their problems because there are drugs so readily available. But talking to a friend recently who has been battling with depression for her whole life and has resisted pharmaceutical drugs most of her life. Instead she try to self medicate. I think in her situation she has tried everything else and is still not feeling better, that sometimes drugs are the answer, and they don't need to have a negative stigma. I just would like the medical field to advise their clients to try other things first.

human genetic evolution.

I found this sight to be very informative, I can't say that these are things I think of on my own but none the less very informative. This constant debate over whether humans have existed eight or ten million years, seems arbitrary to me however to someone who has dedicated themselves to this research it means everything. It reminds me of a time when I was a kid and we went to pick up a friend of my dads. this friend happened to and still does research on evolution, particularly our connection to chimps. This one time that we went to pick him up he was returning from Africa with some specimens(the dead kind). My brother and I unknowing got into a van with a dead gorilla and a chimpanzee(woowee the smell) and of course the disgust of seeing such a large animal dead. so much information to digest.....

Prokaryotes, eurkaryotes,and viruses

I enjoyed this quiz and will enjoy the pictures of the different parts of a cell. I took the quiz and got question number three about the golgi apparatus wrong and I got the question about the cell wall in animals wrong.

chimps and humans share the same DNA?

I find it funny that some folks still do not believe this. Of course if we have evolved from chimps we still have almost all the same DNA. If anything I hope that it will humble us and help us treat all living things with the same respect we reserve only for humans. Ultimately we are all made of organic matter all with different ways of communicating. My cousin the chimp, my ancestor that I still have not had the pleasure of meeting.

How does darwinism matter to me?

It matters to me because it helps me (and others) see the connection to all living things. It also matters to me because it can show over time that things are indeed evolving and adapting. It may even be as important as to show how things may continue to evolve as time continues. It helps us to understand why certain traits are dominant or recessive(which can also foretell some things of the next generation).

what I think of evo devo.

I am a strong believer in evolution, and I find much of the finding quite fascinating. Although I am not sure how interested to know about whether we(as a human)were around for 8 million or ten million years I am. I also don't know how interested I am to know whether we are decendents of the Neanderthal . I do like that there's more and more research showing how we are negatively effecting animals. I am not entirely sure what approach we should take to help stop this , but at the very least being informed will help.I found the article on the butterfly, and how it overcame the odds of only one male to 99 females, to be very inspiring. Some of the articles that talk about experiments on thesse living creaature, I find disturbing. Even if tone of the articles spoke of a comittee that was formed to do humane expiriments, why do we even need to do it at all? I think if people had to volunteer their pets for the expiriment things would start to change pretty quickly!!!

Darwinism and evolution

I went to these sights and learned some new terminology.mutation,migration, these sights were very informative and as I continue to read them I will be fascinated. I was reading how some genetics can change in one generation, like resistance to pesticides, that is much faster than I thought possible. That right there is a perfect example of suvival of the fittest.

The Blue brain project

As I am fascinated by the push to recreate the human brain, I am still struck by the feeling that it leaves out so much of who we really are. It is truly amazing that they can recreate the NCC behavior of a rat. I can respect the possible advances this may bring modern medicine, but it does not replicate the psychological make up of the brain, just impulses. As an altenative health practioner, that aims to get more people to look at the mind body spirit connection to health.. this stears very far from that. it looks at the body as many microcosms that make up the universe we call the body without looking at the whole all at once. I truly am trying to come to a place of western and eastern medicine coming ogether to create complimentery medicine, but I am not there yet. I hope that we lear to spend money on research that is helping us right now not possibly in the next 100 years.