Ecosystems and Deep Ecology:

1. What do you think about the "8-point Deep Ecology Platform"?
I think this platform is awesome. it covers a lot of ground succinctly and soundly. I, personally, believe all that it states: the inherent worth of all life regardless of the usefulness for human purposes, that our richness relies on the diversity of our planet, that we are acting out excessively and irrationaly if we want to continue to have a planet to flourish on... When I slowed down and sat with each one of the points, i found that they hold a lot. I think it would be very useful for people to at least think about each of the 8-points, since quite often people aren't thinking this way... at all.

2. Can you explain why "ecosystems are both strong and fragile"?
Ecosystems are strong because of their diversity and each unique role that each species plays. They are fragile because they are reliant on the health and propagation of each of these species. So, when one is nurtured, they are all nurtured, and when one is threatened they are all threatened. Like a spider web, an ecosystem's strength is also in its structure, the reliance each strand holds on another to keep it taut. -- remove one strand and the entire web is weakened.

3. How would you assess the "end goals" of Social Ecology?
Social ecology "analyzes the various politcal and social institutions that people use in relationship to nature and its resources." I think that first goal of Social ecology to to assist a dialogue among people that encourages them to reflect on the various tensions that exist within our relationships to nature, ourselves, and technology. The second goal is to point to the contradictions that arise from these relationships (ie between forces of production and local ecological conditions, as well as biological and social reproduction). Social Ecology calls us to look at our government policies, social biases and discrimination, and each country's unique political economy and internal history. The end goal of this theorist movement is for people to look into the complexities wrapped up in the relationships we form to maintain our existences and realize that some are more destructive than not; the movement calls us to make changes on all levels to steer our cultures into more enlightened directions.

WK 8: Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

1. How do I feel about western approaches to HIV/AIDS?
As with cancer, i feel very impressed with the amount of knowledge the western medical world has gained about the pathogenisis of the disease. They are dealing with an epidemic that propogates with huge mutations, so no two cases are exactly the same (i would guess). i think this is probably where my critique of the western approach comes in: that many individuals, despite their natural constitution, series of symptoms, or stage of illness are treated with the same cocktail of drugs and treatment (i'm sure a lot of medications are taken out and added in, but still they are dealing with a set of "HIV/AIDS" drugs that often cause crazy side-effects and don't truly "work" with the individual). same as usual, a non-holistic approach to a virus that effects each body differently....

2. Can TCM strengthen our immune system?
I think yes, definitely yes! This is one of the beautiful things that it does is strengthen our system to be able to combat exterior pathogens and not allow them to enter deeper layers. If people used TCM more often in this preventative way, instead of only running to their acupuncturist when they are sick, I think the true benefits can really been felt and seen.

3. The "Deal that Saved the Whales":
I loved reading this article. It sparked my own interest in the ideas of eco-tourism and made me happy to hear that locals of Baja are stepping up to not see their land raped and pileged like so many other locations that attract people becuase of its beauty. I think that it is very important to look at the cycles of nature that we are effected with capitalist growth and development. Breaking such cycles like the pregnant grey whales' amazing migration could down the line be a sign of real destruction of our own. The farther we separate ourselves from the web that holds us together and make decisions that completely disregard other life, in the end, the weaker we truly become. (I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that disagree with this and measure our success in terms of money and power only). It is important for people who feel a tie to their community to stand up for it, like the group Pro Natura, and take responsibility for bringing prosperity to peoples' lives without destroying the Nature that they live besides.

WK 7:

1. How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?
It seems to me, that "our" understanding of cancer is quite sophisticated, but that there are still a lot of mysteries to be solved. I am very impressed with how much time many scientists have dedicated to working with cancer and understanding it more and more. this is essential. it seems so daunting considering the amount of different kinds of cancers and all of the various causes and manifestations. While their understanding is sophisticated in many ways, it seems that there is still so much to be discovered-- people are still dying of cancer every day, so clearly our knowledge of how to prevent cancer is limited.

2. How does TCM approach to cancer differ?
Well, first of all, "cancer" doesn't really exist as such in chinese medicine. rather than thinking about the mutation of genes, for instance, i think that TCM practitioners would refer to the (chinese) organs and channels that are being effected. i would, honestly, like to learn more about how acupuncturists are handling patients with cancer and what they consider cancer to be. i know that legally we can't treat it, but we can make substanctial strides in battling the side-effects of western treatments (like chemo) that destroy much of the healthy body as well as the disease. If an acupunturist did, in fact, intend on confronting the cancer itself, their approach would take the entire body into consideration, not just the parts being attacked. I would think that the strength would be called upon all of the vital substances, fluids, and forces in the body to re-establish balance, therefore doing away with the extreme imbalance that is awry. Overall, i think TCM is more about "reconfiguring" what we already have, maybe boosting it along the way, where as Western approaches are often about killing the attacker with outside forces, leaving the body to cope with the repair.

3. Are out genes still being shaped by natural selection?
I dont' see why they wouldn't be. If natural selection didn't still exist (even in regard to humans) than evolution would be a thing of the past, and it is most definitely a thing of the present and future, as well. Evolution is the force of the Wheel, if it diffused, the Wheel would stop turning and all life would cease. it sounds dramatic, i know, but i basically, i don't think that you can take the evolution out of Life, it's our common purpose. Bluntly, i think that any consideration that human evolution may have stopped is absurd.

WK 6:

How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?
I think of non-living systems as static: not involving digestion,
growth, or reproduction. i think a living system must exist of cellular structures that are replicating and adapting. yes, there should be some "pattern of organization" that maintaines both the structural and funcational characteristics
of the cell-based components. almost everything in this world is alive! i would argue that even some things that are not cellular-- like basic molecules are alive in some way because they contain Energy and can react with one another. some, like hydrogen and oxygen are necessary for human life to persist, so in an essence aren't some combination of molecules living systems?

What so you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?
I think that it can be a reflection for us to understand the learning process of humans more. Becuase of the human ego, i think that we often place our process above other species'. these experiments give us a chance to see that some of our
traits are not necesarily limited to "human traits," but apply to some other animals, as well. by practicing teaching/learning techniques with chimps, we may receive some insight into better ways to reach people.

Hmmm.... tough problems 'best left to the unconcious mind'?
Sometimes i come up with the best solution or answer to a problem (be it emotional or mathematical) if i work with the fist thing that popped into my head. i think that there is a synthesis that is done in my brain when i first hear of a challenge or question, before i've conciously thought about it. often we might recognize this for a split second and then instantly start filling our minds with this and that possibility until it's too hard to even tell what our 'intuition' might be telling us. This is not to say that it is not a good idea to really sit with some problems... often answers come with time, no? but, i don't think that we should rule out that calm voice that knows the answer before we complicate things. Certainly, our brains hold all of the information that we've ever learned, and although much of it often feels non-accessible, we should trust our instincts that perhaps we know what we're talking about more often than we think.

I DO ALWAYS eat my broccoli!!

i love it. it is so delicious like little trees packed with goodness. broccoli cleanses my body and regenerates my health with each bite. it like is lightly steamed with tahini dressing, or in an egg sramble, on top of pasta, or when i'm feeling in the mood for a real decadent treat: with a sharp cheddar cheese sauce made with milk, butter, salt and pepper. yu-uuuuuuuum. (i wasn't raised eating the stem of the broccoli plant and now i know it is NOT to go to waste-- so tasty.)

WK 5: Which came first the chicken or the egg?

This article convinced me: it was the egg. the chicken born from the egg was certainly created by two chicken-like birds, but not fully (genetically speaking) what we call chickens. The riddle is solved as far as i'm concerned.

WK 5: Can diversification save species?

yes, i think that it can. when there is more diversification, be it plant or animal, there is less riding on the proliferation of one sub-species. you can think of this in terms of birds searching for a habitat: if different sub-species breed and live in different and specific habitats than if one of those was wiped out, by natural disaster or urban sprawl, you're not talking about an entire species being wiped out, but one sub-species. in terms of capitalism, putting all of your eggs in one basket, or having all of your investment to ride one sub-species, or strand, can cause a huge problem, when that "money-crop" gives up on you for some reason. i think that diversification creates a stronger web of life.