In the past I used the words "Social Injustice" to describe the way people or a culture treat one another depending on who they are, what they have and their appearance. Yesterday I was watching a program that used the words "Status Anxiety". How an individual feels about themselves in their culture based on its concepts:
What is a great life?
Who is important?
How should we treat these varying individuals of money, power and looks?
The answers to these questions have changed throughout history. Today we worship entertainers and those of likeness who have popularity, wealth and beauty. In the past it was royalty and combat warriors. All of these ideals spring up from a person who takes power or control and presents these concepts to the people in way where they begin to believe that this is the way to live. Mao Tse-tung was the son of a prosperous peasant worker who rose to power in China and was the mastermind behind the "great leap forward". A propaganda transition to change the way the Chinese think about their country and the new form of government. If you did not follow this idea, you became an outcast and were ridiculed by the rest of the populace. Why I do find this too similar to a company's employee handbook or an American hierarchy? When they spoke with these people today, they feltl completely different about how they thought compared to now. What they were taught to believe and how to treat others.
In another television broadcast that aired last night, the subject was about religion and philosophies and how they are used; or i should say misused, to get people to act a certain way. The producers spoke to various cultural spokesmen, one of which was the Dalai Lama whom I felt said it the best. The Lama said something close to this, "even though you have all these different religions and theologies, they all have the same goal - to create a better human being."
In the show where the subject was "status anxiety" - Adam Smith asked, "What is the Rat Race all about?" And this was a man who was a moral philosopher, a writer, and the guy behind shaping America's free markets and economy. That all this material gathering and social status is about treatment - attention and respect. Self esteem through the view of others versus how we see ourselves.
Low paying job people often find themselves being mistreated and ignored. High profile people are treated with kindness and respect and catered to.
This has always been a social struggle of men and women. People more famous and greater than I have talked and written about this subject.
John Ruskin
Adam Smith
William James
Marcus Aurellius
And there are more philosophers and I imagine this subject will always be written and talked about. So what is a good life? In my opinion? It all depends on when and where you are living and what is being mentally conditioned into the minds of the people through: media, government, religion, parents and peers. But the individual must eventually decide how they will be happy and see themselves through their own eyes. In the end, death wins - and in the pages of time, those who were of importance will be forgotten just like those who were not considered important or note worthy. So enjoy life and those people who treat you with respect no matter what your status is.
*this blog opinion comes from watching several shows on MPTV World
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Hadron Collider
The world's largest particle accelerator was successfully fired up today for an experiment many predict will fundamentally alter man's understanding of the cosmos. When it reaches full power later this year, the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN laboratory in Geneva will send beams of protons in opposite directions around a 17-mile underground track at a rate of 11,245 circuits a second — a miniscule fraction less than the speed of light — smash them together and then sift through the debris of explosions that replicate the conditions of the Big Bang. The experiment, which has been beset by delays, has taken 25 years to plan, $6 billion to build and involved over 9000 scientists from around the globe.
Scientists hope to unlock some of nature's most enduring mysteries: why is the universe expanding at an accelerating rate? What stops our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, from unraveling and spilling its contents across the universe? How does gravity work?
A prize discovery will be a particle, the Higgs Boson, which scientists believe gives everything in the universe its mass (some physicists call it the God Particle). Previous detectors at CERN and Fermilab near Chicago have failed to find the elusive Higgs, and a planned supercollider in Texas designed to confirm its existence was never finished after Congress cancelled funding in 1993. Now that the LHC is on the quest, some observers herald Europe as the new center of pure scientific research.
"The LHC is a discovery machine," said CERN Director General Robert Aymar. "Its research program has the potential to change our view of the universe profoundly, continuing a tradition of human curiosity that's as old as mankind itself."
The driving principle behind the CERN experiment — and indeed physics itself — is that despite its vast and complex appearance, the universe is actually ordered, rational and elegant. Every major breakthrough in physics has shown the cosmos to conform to mathematical equations so symmetrical and satisfying they can only be described as beautiful. (Physics have christened two of the particles they will study at CERN as "truth" and "beauty," after a Keats poem that suggests the two are interchangeable.)
What drives modern physicists forward is a quest for purer beauty. The Standard Model, the theoretical framework that incorporates all current knowledge about the interaction of subatomic particles, is the closest physicists currently have to a theory of everything. But it is becoming increasingly awkward and messy, and it has holes in it. For example, despite all the gravitational forces that should be reining the universe in and slowing it down, it is expanding at a quickening rate. No one knows why. And something seems to cocoon the universe's spiral galaxies, keeping them from spinning out of control. No one knows what.
For the moment, scientists call these unknowns "dark energy" and "dark matter," respectively. The LHC, by examining the subatomic building blocks of the universe, might explain these mysteries and many others, much as a doctor diagnoses a patient by studying blood work. But according to Tejinder Virdee, a particle physicist from Imperial College London, the best-case scenario will be if the machine uncovers something completely unexpected. "Nature can surprise us... we have to be ready to detect anything it throws at us," he said. "You can make conjectures, but unless you verify the conjectures, they are metaphysics. That's why many of us haven't minded spending our entire working lives building this experiment." Searching for truth and beauty, in other words, is good work if you can get it.
This article is from TIME magazine online. You can find more information on the Collider at Newsweek, CNN, 60 minutes and several other online sources.
Scientists hope to unlock some of nature's most enduring mysteries: why is the universe expanding at an accelerating rate? What stops our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, from unraveling and spilling its contents across the universe? How does gravity work?
A prize discovery will be a particle, the Higgs Boson, which scientists believe gives everything in the universe its mass (some physicists call it the God Particle). Previous detectors at CERN and Fermilab near Chicago have failed to find the elusive Higgs, and a planned supercollider in Texas designed to confirm its existence was never finished after Congress cancelled funding in 1993. Now that the LHC is on the quest, some observers herald Europe as the new center of pure scientific research.
"The LHC is a discovery machine," said CERN Director General Robert Aymar. "Its research program has the potential to change our view of the universe profoundly, continuing a tradition of human curiosity that's as old as mankind itself."
The driving principle behind the CERN experiment — and indeed physics itself — is that despite its vast and complex appearance, the universe is actually ordered, rational and elegant. Every major breakthrough in physics has shown the cosmos to conform to mathematical equations so symmetrical and satisfying they can only be described as beautiful. (Physics have christened two of the particles they will study at CERN as "truth" and "beauty," after a Keats poem that suggests the two are interchangeable.)
What drives modern physicists forward is a quest for purer beauty. The Standard Model, the theoretical framework that incorporates all current knowledge about the interaction of subatomic particles, is the closest physicists currently have to a theory of everything. But it is becoming increasingly awkward and messy, and it has holes in it. For example, despite all the gravitational forces that should be reining the universe in and slowing it down, it is expanding at a quickening rate. No one knows why. And something seems to cocoon the universe's spiral galaxies, keeping them from spinning out of control. No one knows what.
For the moment, scientists call these unknowns "dark energy" and "dark matter," respectively. The LHC, by examining the subatomic building blocks of the universe, might explain these mysteries and many others, much as a doctor diagnoses a patient by studying blood work. But according to Tejinder Virdee, a particle physicist from Imperial College London, the best-case scenario will be if the machine uncovers something completely unexpected. "Nature can surprise us... we have to be ready to detect anything it throws at us," he said. "You can make conjectures, but unless you verify the conjectures, they are metaphysics. That's why many of us haven't minded spending our entire working lives building this experiment." Searching for truth and beauty, in other words, is good work if you can get it.
This article is from TIME magazine online. You can find more information on the Collider at Newsweek, CNN, 60 minutes and several other online sources.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
It takes People with Brains and Willpower to change the Universe
Last night I discovered two interesting women in history who changed the course of the Universe despite being born in a time where women were not considered equals. Humanity being what it is, if you were not born beautiful, the best chance to have a comfortable lifestyle is to develop the brain. In modern times humor can also get you far. According to what is written, Emilie was not born beautiful, so the people around her tried to develop her body and intellect.
"Her father was Louis Nicolas le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the Principal Secretary and Introducer of Ambassadors to Louis XIV, whose position placed him at the center of social activity in the court, and thus gave the family great status. Among their acquaintances was Fontenelle, the perpetual secretary of the French Académie des Sciences. Her mother, Gabrielle Anne de Froulay, was brought up in a convent.
Émilie de Breteuil was a rather awkward child who showed no signs of growing up to be beautiful, so she was given lessons in fencing, riding, and gymnastics in an attempt to improve her coordination. She was remarkably well educated for the time, and by the age of twelve she was fluent in Latin, Italian, Greek and German; she was later to publish translations into French of Greek and Latin plays and philosophy. She received education in mathematics, literature and science. She also liked to dance, was a passable performer on the harpsichord, sang opera, and was an amateur actress. She was at times a high-stakes gambler, using her mathematical skills to lay out strategy. She lost 84,000 francs (the equivalent of a million dollars today)—some of it borrowed—in one evening at the table at Fontainebleau, probably to card cheats."
She was an extraordinary woman in her day and her efforts to pursue enlightenment with a passion despite the pressures of the World is extremely admirable. Thanks to her pursuits, Einstein was able to make the connection to E=MC squared.
Einstein and Lise Meitner also faced a world which didnt want to hear what they had to say because it either went against what was believed or because of their gender or ethnic origin. Where would the universe be if these people didnt have drive, ambition, and tenacity.
What if Einstein had a low self esteem and wanted to fit into society and did as he was told in order to be promoted rather than cling to his passion and ideals?
"Her father was Louis Nicolas le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the Principal Secretary and Introducer of Ambassadors to Louis XIV, whose position placed him at the center of social activity in the court, and thus gave the family great status. Among their acquaintances was Fontenelle, the perpetual secretary of the French Académie des Sciences. Her mother, Gabrielle Anne de Froulay, was brought up in a convent.
Émilie de Breteuil was a rather awkward child who showed no signs of growing up to be beautiful, so she was given lessons in fencing, riding, and gymnastics in an attempt to improve her coordination. She was remarkably well educated for the time, and by the age of twelve she was fluent in Latin, Italian, Greek and German; she was later to publish translations into French of Greek and Latin plays and philosophy. She received education in mathematics, literature and science. She also liked to dance, was a passable performer on the harpsichord, sang opera, and was an amateur actress. She was at times a high-stakes gambler, using her mathematical skills to lay out strategy. She lost 84,000 francs (the equivalent of a million dollars today)—some of it borrowed—in one evening at the table at Fontainebleau, probably to card cheats."
She was an extraordinary woman in her day and her efforts to pursue enlightenment with a passion despite the pressures of the World is extremely admirable. Thanks to her pursuits, Einstein was able to make the connection to E=MC squared.
Einstein and Lise Meitner also faced a world which didnt want to hear what they had to say because it either went against what was believed or because of their gender or ethnic origin. Where would the universe be if these people didnt have drive, ambition, and tenacity.
What if Einstein had a low self esteem and wanted to fit into society and did as he was told in order to be promoted rather than cling to his passion and ideals?
Monday, September 15, 2008
1.618 is the key number to beauty
I was watching this PBS program this weekend which was done in British humor starring John Cleese and Elizabeth Hurley.
This is a link to the DvD you can get at Amazon or you can catch it on PBS
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Face-John-Cleese/dp/B00005LC1B
If you want to read about how this mathematical equation was discovered by a Greek philosopher and how some people in modern times use this equation you can find several sources on the Internet.
http://www.beautyanalysis.com/index2_mba.htm
This is a link to the DvD you can get at Amazon or you can catch it on PBS
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Face-John-Cleese/dp/B00005LC1B
If you want to read about how this mathematical equation was discovered by a Greek philosopher and how some people in modern times use this equation you can find several sources on the Internet.
http://www.beautyanalysis.com/index2_mba.htm
Monday, September 1, 2008
Thought of the Day from the Hagakure
A book of writings from Yamamoto Tsunetomo, "The Hagakure"
pg 16. If you are the type of person who always sees the negative side of things, you will be useless. You should accept from the beginning that Life is full of unpleasant things and accept them all in stride. In this way you will remain strong and of solid character.
pg 16. If you are the type of person who always sees the negative side of things, you will be useless. You should accept from the beginning that Life is full of unpleasant things and accept them all in stride. In this way you will remain strong and of solid character.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Black Smokers and Energy Potential
America is more than ever looking for alternate fuel sources and energy solutions. A science channel was doing a show on Black Smokers in the ocean depths. Would it be possible to harness this energy output and convert it to the World's needs without destroying the Ocean floors and ecosystem?
Wikipedia
A black smoker or sea vent, is a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. They are formed in fields hundreds of meters wide when superheated water from below Earth's crust comes through the ocean floor. This water is rich in dissolved minerals from the crust, most notably sulfides. When it comes in contact with cold ocean water, many minerals precipitate, forming a black chimney-like structure around each vent. The metal sulfides that are deposited can become massive sulfide ore deposits in time.
Black smokers were discovered in 1977 on the East Pacific Rise by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They were observed using a small submersible vehicle called Alvin. Now black smokers are known to exist in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, at an average depth of 2100 meters. The most northerly black smokers are a cluster of five named Loki's Castle,[1] discovered in 2008 by scientists from the University of Bergen at 73 degrees north, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway. These black smokers are of interest as they are in a more stable area of the earth's crust, where tectonic forces are less and consequently fields of hydrothermal vents are relatively less common.[2]
The water at a vent can reach 400 °C, but does not usually boil at the seafloor because the water pressure at that depth exceeds the vapor pressure of the aqueous solution. The water is also extremely acidic, often having a pH value as low as 2.8 — approximately that of vinegar. Each year 1.4 × 1014 kg (370 trillion gallons) of water is passed through black smokers.
Although life is very sparse at these depths, black smokers are the center of entire ecosystems. Sunlight is nonexistent, so many organisms — such as archaea and extremophiles — convert the heat, methane, and sulfur compounds provided by black smokers into energy through a process called chemosynthesis. More complex life forms like clams and tubeworms feed on these organisms. The organisms at the base of the food chain also deposit minerals into the base of the black smoker, therefore completing the life cycle.
A species of phototrophic bacterium has been found living near a black smoker off the coast of Mexico at a depth of 2500 m. No sunlight penetrates that far into the waters. Instead, the bacteria, part of the Chlorobiaceae family, use the faint glow from the black smoker for photosynthesis. This is the first organism discovered in nature to use a light other than sunlight for photosynthesis (Beatty, et al., 2005).
New and unusual species are constantly being discovered in the neighborhood of black smokers: for instance, the Pompeii worm in the 1980s, and a scaly-foot gastropod in 2001 during an expedition to Indian Ocean's Kairei hydrothermal vent field. The latter uses iron sulfides (pyrite and greigite) for the structure of its dermal sclerites (hardened body parts), instead of calcium carbonate. The extreme pressure of 2500 m of water (approximately 25 megapascals or 246.73 atmosphere) is thought to play a role in stabilizing iron sulfide for biological purposes. This armor plating probably serves as a defense against the venomous radula (teeth) of predatory snails in that community. This snail, which is unique in its kind, has not yet been named.
Links
AMNH
PBS
Wikipedia
A black smoker or sea vent, is a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. They are formed in fields hundreds of meters wide when superheated water from below Earth's crust comes through the ocean floor. This water is rich in dissolved minerals from the crust, most notably sulfides. When it comes in contact with cold ocean water, many minerals precipitate, forming a black chimney-like structure around each vent. The metal sulfides that are deposited can become massive sulfide ore deposits in time.
Black smokers were discovered in 1977 on the East Pacific Rise by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They were observed using a small submersible vehicle called Alvin. Now black smokers are known to exist in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, at an average depth of 2100 meters. The most northerly black smokers are a cluster of five named Loki's Castle,[1] discovered in 2008 by scientists from the University of Bergen at 73 degrees north, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway. These black smokers are of interest as they are in a more stable area of the earth's crust, where tectonic forces are less and consequently fields of hydrothermal vents are relatively less common.[2]
The water at a vent can reach 400 °C, but does not usually boil at the seafloor because the water pressure at that depth exceeds the vapor pressure of the aqueous solution. The water is also extremely acidic, often having a pH value as low as 2.8 — approximately that of vinegar. Each year 1.4 × 1014 kg (370 trillion gallons) of water is passed through black smokers.
Although life is very sparse at these depths, black smokers are the center of entire ecosystems. Sunlight is nonexistent, so many organisms — such as archaea and extremophiles — convert the heat, methane, and sulfur compounds provided by black smokers into energy through a process called chemosynthesis. More complex life forms like clams and tubeworms feed on these organisms. The organisms at the base of the food chain also deposit minerals into the base of the black smoker, therefore completing the life cycle.
A species of phototrophic bacterium has been found living near a black smoker off the coast of Mexico at a depth of 2500 m. No sunlight penetrates that far into the waters. Instead, the bacteria, part of the Chlorobiaceae family, use the faint glow from the black smoker for photosynthesis. This is the first organism discovered in nature to use a light other than sunlight for photosynthesis (Beatty, et al., 2005).
New and unusual species are constantly being discovered in the neighborhood of black smokers: for instance, the Pompeii worm in the 1980s, and a scaly-foot gastropod in 2001 during an expedition to Indian Ocean's Kairei hydrothermal vent field. The latter uses iron sulfides (pyrite and greigite) for the structure of its dermal sclerites (hardened body parts), instead of calcium carbonate. The extreme pressure of 2500 m of water (approximately 25 megapascals or 246.73 atmosphere) is thought to play a role in stabilizing iron sulfide for biological purposes. This armor plating probably serves as a defense against the venomous radula (teeth) of predatory snails in that community. This snail, which is unique in its kind, has not yet been named.
Links
AMNH
PBS
America's Downfall (part 3)
Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people is eagerly anticipated as a barometer of wealth and power. And each year the mighty U.S., whose economy is often described as the envy of the world, has dominated the rankings.
Until now, that is.
In its most recent survey, the Forbes billionaire list changed dramatically: The United States made only four appearances in the top 20, compared with 10 names two years ago. India, by contrast, posted an astonishing four in the top 10, twice as many as the U.S. While America still leads the overall list, Russia, the new nation of raging capitalism, ranked second. Its 87 billionaires pushed aside Germany, the former runner-up. Is Wall Street's dominance over?
Many Americans are still rich, of course; many more are comfortably middle class. And the economy, though weak, is nowhere near collapse. But the shift in the billionaire allotment reflects broader trends. While globalization is indeed producing fabulous wealth in countries that were once considered basket cases, many are asking whether the U.S. is losing its competitive edge and surrendering its long-held leadership positions in business, finance and innovation to foreign competitors.
"The U.S. was always No. 1 and assumed it would be No. 1 and acted accordingly," says Doug Rediker, a former investment banker and a co-director of the Global Strategic Finance Initiative at the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "Now other nations are catching up. There are competitors fighting for market share in every industry. The U.S. is under pressure."
Consider the sinking value of the dollar: The greenback is still the world's reserve currency, but its continuing erosion carries a symbolic value, telling the world that the U.S. doesn't have its financial house in order. At home, that means higher prices for food and fuel; it also means more-expensive vacations for Americans traveling abroad.
Talk Back: Do you think America is locked into decline?
The incredible shrinking dollar has also made America a great place for Europeans -- wielding their strong euros and pounds -- to go on cheap shopping sprees, swamping our department stores and designer boutiques to pick up bargains. The U.S., once an elite shopping destination, is becoming their giant outlet mall. Foreign tourists on shopping sprees
And what about Detroit's once-vaunted role as an auto industry leader? That has been diminished by more-nimble global competitors. Companies such as Japan's Toyota are threatening the once-indomitable General Motors with more-stylish design and advanced engineering. While GM was turning out gas-guzzling
the full story
Until now, that is.
In its most recent survey, the Forbes billionaire list changed dramatically: The United States made only four appearances in the top 20, compared with 10 names two years ago. India, by contrast, posted an astonishing four in the top 10, twice as many as the U.S. While America still leads the overall list, Russia, the new nation of raging capitalism, ranked second. Its 87 billionaires pushed aside Germany, the former runner-up. Is Wall Street's dominance over?
Many Americans are still rich, of course; many more are comfortably middle class. And the economy, though weak, is nowhere near collapse. But the shift in the billionaire allotment reflects broader trends. While globalization is indeed producing fabulous wealth in countries that were once considered basket cases, many are asking whether the U.S. is losing its competitive edge and surrendering its long-held leadership positions in business, finance and innovation to foreign competitors.
"The U.S. was always No. 1 and assumed it would be No. 1 and acted accordingly," says Doug Rediker, a former investment banker and a co-director of the Global Strategic Finance Initiative at the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "Now other nations are catching up. There are competitors fighting for market share in every industry. The U.S. is under pressure."
Consider the sinking value of the dollar: The greenback is still the world's reserve currency, but its continuing erosion carries a symbolic value, telling the world that the U.S. doesn't have its financial house in order. At home, that means higher prices for food and fuel; it also means more-expensive vacations for Americans traveling abroad.
Talk Back: Do you think America is locked into decline?
The incredible shrinking dollar has also made America a great place for Europeans -- wielding their strong euros and pounds -- to go on cheap shopping sprees, swamping our department stores and designer boutiques to pick up bargains. The U.S., once an elite shopping destination, is becoming their giant outlet mall. Foreign tourists on shopping sprees
And what about Detroit's once-vaunted role as an auto industry leader? That has been diminished by more-nimble global competitors. Companies such as Japan's Toyota are threatening the once-indomitable General Motors with more-stylish design and advanced engineering. While GM was turning out gas-guzzling
the full story
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