/////////////////Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
(Spike Milligan)
////////////////
Saturday 29 November 2008
Wednesday 26 November 2008
CDS 261108-AD JB CT CRSS
///////////////Eljay writes: "I agree with Tony that the fine tuning problem is a red
herring, but I agree by a different principle. The answer* to the
fine tuning problem being information theory (q.v. I Is The Law, by
Robert Matthews, New Scientist, 1999-Jan-30) ."
Unfortunately, Eljay, I can't access the article in question. But
having spent more than twenty years studying, contemplating and
discussing the fine-tuning problem and also quite a bit of time with
information theory, I think I can make a general statement why
information theory is not likely to provide an answer.
First, the fundamental notion of information requires the notion of a
highly organized context (see note below). Now the fine tuning
problem is at its base the problem of why we live in a highly
organized world. To have a full account of what information is, we
have to understand how it is that the world is organized, and to have
a full account of how it is that the world is organized, we must have
an answer to the fine-tuning problem.
The hope has long been that there was some necessary reason why the
parameters are they way they are, and thus we could discover a
theoretical reason for the fine-tuning problem. But it is now largely
agreed upon in the scientific community that this is not likely.
String theory has definitely come to the conclusion that there is no
necessary reason, and that's why the notion of infinite universes and
the anthropic principle are increasingly being taken seriously within
that theory.
I find the anthropic principle an ugly idea, particularly the version
that depends on an infinite number of universes. It explains nothing
because it explains everything. A recent version of this is based on
the idea of endless inflation. The problem with this is that it takes
an idea that explains a particular empirical problem associated with
big bang theory -- the uniformity of the back ground radiation -- and
makes this a fundamental cosmological notion -- one that ultimately
violates the conservation of matter/energy. As in the case of
information theory above, a more particular theory trumps a more
general theory.
Anyway, I'm sure that people will keep trying to make the fine-tuning
problem go away -- scientists hate mysteries, and the fine-tuning
problem is a huge mystery. Further, the fact that the world is highly
organized has always been an embarrassment for science, because
science has no real explanation for it. But the problem will not go easy.
*Note: Information, can be loosely defined as "a difference that makes
a difference." E.g., in an ecosystem, if a mutation (a difference)
simply causes an animal to die, it does not make a difference to the
ecosystem, but if it causes an animal to be a better predator, than it
does make a difference, the mutation becomes a gene, and it is part of
the total genetic information of an ecosystem. But it is only that an
ecosystem is a dynamic system, that something can make a difference,
i.e. that information can exist within it.
T
/////////////////////////////I disagree that the question is unanswerable. The answer may well be
that there is no reason or cause. The cosmos just IS! Isn't that
astounding?
You may be right, Brer Dave, but if that is the case, the question of Why
has not been answered. A Why question requires a Because (by cause of)
response.
It seems to me that the only response to the question can be "Because
nothing causes something," but that's a little too Buddhist to make a lot of
sense to me.
F
///////////////////////////////Well is it known that ambition can creep as well as soar.
— Edmund Burke
////////////////////////////
herring, but I agree by a different principle. The answer* to the
fine tuning problem being information theory (q.v. I Is The Law, by
Robert Matthews, New Scientist, 1999-Jan-30) ."
Unfortunately, Eljay, I can't access the article in question. But
having spent more than twenty years studying, contemplating and
discussing the fine-tuning problem and also quite a bit of time with
information theory, I think I can make a general statement why
information theory is not likely to provide an answer.
First, the fundamental notion of information requires the notion of a
highly organized context (see note below). Now the fine tuning
problem is at its base the problem of why we live in a highly
organized world. To have a full account of what information is, we
have to understand how it is that the world is organized, and to have
a full account of how it is that the world is organized, we must have
an answer to the fine-tuning problem.
The hope has long been that there was some necessary reason why the
parameters are they way they are, and thus we could discover a
theoretical reason for the fine-tuning problem. But it is now largely
agreed upon in the scientific community that this is not likely.
String theory has definitely come to the conclusion that there is no
necessary reason, and that's why the notion of infinite universes and
the anthropic principle are increasingly being taken seriously within
that theory.
I find the anthropic principle an ugly idea, particularly the version
that depends on an infinite number of universes. It explains nothing
because it explains everything. A recent version of this is based on
the idea of endless inflation. The problem with this is that it takes
an idea that explains a particular empirical problem associated with
big bang theory -- the uniformity of the back ground radiation -- and
makes this a fundamental cosmological notion -- one that ultimately
violates the conservation of matter/energy. As in the case of
information theory above, a more particular theory trumps a more
general theory.
Anyway, I'm sure that people will keep trying to make the fine-tuning
problem go away -- scientists hate mysteries, and the fine-tuning
problem is a huge mystery. Further, the fact that the world is highly
organized has always been an embarrassment for science, because
science has no real explanation for it. But the problem will not go easy.
*Note: Information, can be loosely defined as "a difference that makes
a difference." E.g., in an ecosystem, if a mutation (a difference)
simply causes an animal to die, it does not make a difference to the
ecosystem, but if it causes an animal to be a better predator, than it
does make a difference, the mutation becomes a gene, and it is part of
the total genetic information of an ecosystem. But it is only that an
ecosystem is a dynamic system, that something can make a difference,
i.e. that information can exist within it.
T
/////////////////////////////I disagree that the question is unanswerable. The answer may well be
that there is no reason or cause. The cosmos just IS! Isn't that
astounding?
You may be right, Brer Dave, but if that is the case, the question of Why
has not been answered. A Why question requires a Because (by cause of)
response.
It seems to me that the only response to the question can be "Because
nothing causes something," but that's a little too Buddhist to make a lot of
sense to me.
F
///////////////////////////////Well is it known that ambition can creep as well as soar.
— Edmund Burke
////////////////////////////
Sunday 23 November 2008
OUT OF AFRICA
Out of Africa model
See also: Recent single origin hypothesis
According to the Out of Africa Model, developed by Chris Stringer and Peter Andrews, modern H. sapiens evolved in Africa 200,000 years ago. Homo sapiens began migrating from Africa between 70,000 – 50,000 years ago and would eventually replace existing hominid species in Europe and Asia.[56][57] The Out of Africa Model has gained support by recent research using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). After analysing genealogy trees constructed using 133 types of mtDNA, they concluded that all were descended from a woman from Africa, dubbed Mitochondrial Eve.[58]
There are differing theories on whether there was a single exodus, or several (a Multiple Dispersal Model). A Multiple Dispersal Model involves the Southern Dispersal theory,[59] which has gained support in recent years from genetic, linguistic and archaeological evidence. In this theory, there was a coastal dispersal of modern humans from the Horn of Africa around 70,000 years ago. This group helped to populate Southeast Asia and Oceania, explaining the discovery of early human sites in these areas much earlier than those in the Levant. A second wave of humans dispersed across the Sinai peninsula into Asia, resulting in the bulk of human population for Eurasia. This second group possessed a more sophisticated tool technology and was less dependent on coastal food sources than the original group. Much of the evidence for the first group's expansion would have been destroyed by the rising sea levels at the end of the Holocene era.[59]. The multiple dispersals models is contradicted by studies indicating that the populations of Eurasia and the populations of Southeast Asia and Oceania are all descended from the same mitochondrial DNA lineages. The study further indicates that there was most likely only one single migration out of Africa that gave rise to all Non-African populations.[60]
////////////////////////////////Debate Continues
Loring Brace, an anthropologist at University of Michigan and a proponent of the idea that people descended from Neanderthals — he argues that features of skulls show a steady progression from Neanderthal to human — says the DNA evidence does not sway him. Different patterns of movement may have caused mitochrondial DNA to diverge more quickly in the past, he says. "The whole picture is still very spotty," Brace says.
Erik Trinkaus, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, says the DNA evidence does not disprove his assertion that the 25,000-year-old skeleton of child unearthed in Portugal is the descendent of a human-Neanderthal hybrid. The new research, he says, just shows interbreeding was not common.
"There is no contradiction," he says.
Goodwin also says his finding isn’t the final word. Perhaps Neanderthals and humans mated and produced sterile offspring, similar to mules, the crossbreed of horses and donkeys. "It’s very hard to prove any negative," Goodwin says. "I wouldn’t claim this to be conclusive."
///////////////////////////
See also: Recent single origin hypothesis
According to the Out of Africa Model, developed by Chris Stringer and Peter Andrews, modern H. sapiens evolved in Africa 200,000 years ago. Homo sapiens began migrating from Africa between 70,000 – 50,000 years ago and would eventually replace existing hominid species in Europe and Asia.[56][57] The Out of Africa Model has gained support by recent research using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). After analysing genealogy trees constructed using 133 types of mtDNA, they concluded that all were descended from a woman from Africa, dubbed Mitochondrial Eve.[58]
There are differing theories on whether there was a single exodus, or several (a Multiple Dispersal Model). A Multiple Dispersal Model involves the Southern Dispersal theory,[59] which has gained support in recent years from genetic, linguistic and archaeological evidence. In this theory, there was a coastal dispersal of modern humans from the Horn of Africa around 70,000 years ago. This group helped to populate Southeast Asia and Oceania, explaining the discovery of early human sites in these areas much earlier than those in the Levant. A second wave of humans dispersed across the Sinai peninsula into Asia, resulting in the bulk of human population for Eurasia. This second group possessed a more sophisticated tool technology and was less dependent on coastal food sources than the original group. Much of the evidence for the first group's expansion would have been destroyed by the rising sea levels at the end of the Holocene era.[59]. The multiple dispersals models is contradicted by studies indicating that the populations of Eurasia and the populations of Southeast Asia and Oceania are all descended from the same mitochondrial DNA lineages. The study further indicates that there was most likely only one single migration out of Africa that gave rise to all Non-African populations.[60]
////////////////////////////////Debate Continues
Loring Brace, an anthropologist at University of Michigan and a proponent of the idea that people descended from Neanderthals — he argues that features of skulls show a steady progression from Neanderthal to human — says the DNA evidence does not sway him. Different patterns of movement may have caused mitochrondial DNA to diverge more quickly in the past, he says. "The whole picture is still very spotty," Brace says.
Erik Trinkaus, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, says the DNA evidence does not disprove his assertion that the 25,000-year-old skeleton of child unearthed in Portugal is the descendent of a human-Neanderthal hybrid. The new research, he says, just shows interbreeding was not common.
"There is no contradiction," he says.
Goodwin also says his finding isn’t the final word. Perhaps Neanderthals and humans mated and produced sterile offspring, similar to mules, the crossbreed of horses and donkeys. "It’s very hard to prove any negative," Goodwin says. "I wouldn’t claim this to be conclusive."
///////////////////////////
JUPITER RADIO SIGNALS ON AM RADIO--DIFFRNTLY,NNDTHRAL CDE
///////////////////NEANDETHRAL CODE
///////////////////////Neanderthals are the closest hominid relatives of modern humans. The two species co-existed in Europe and western Asia as late as 30,000 years ago.
///////////////////////MGNFCNT TRCK ART OF PKSTN
////////////////////////The bias that most colored our view of Neanderthal man is the belief that evolution is an inherently progressive process. Evolution, it was believed, led through imperfect and primitive stages until finally achieving its pinnacle in Homo sapiens. But Stephen J. Gould and others spent their careers smashing this image of evolution. Gould argued that evolution is not inherently progressive. It merely adapts species to their local and immediate conditions. Any “progress” is purely an epiphenomenon. Gould’s non-progressivist view of evolution has dramatically shifted the consensus view of how evolution plays out over time, but there are still those who feel (and I think with good reason) that there may be a statistical trend toward something that can meaningfully be called progress at some times in some evolutionary lineages. This remains, as far as I can tell, a point of contention.
//////////////////////////////////The homo sapien’s tools are a lot smaller, which probably means you can carry more of them around, more conveniently. If you’re nomadic, a smaller tool could be a big advantage.
/////////////////////////////////xcerpt from High-Achieving Genes article found at:
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/25/genghis-khan-descendants-lead_achieve07_cz_cz_0301khan.html:
“While some chunks of DNA are common today thanks to the conquest of kings or historical flukes, others have become widespread thanks to good old natural selection. People from time to time have been born with mutant genes that gave them a slight reproductive edge, one that their offspring enjoyed as well. These lucky mutants might be less likely to die of malaria, for example, or be better able to tolerate lactose or handle the complexities of full-blown language. In any case, their versions of genes spread through the human population while others dwindled away.
We’ll never know exactly who first carried those adaptive genes. But ultimately that doesn’t matter. It’s the genes, not the people, who have achieved this kind of greatness. The starkest proof of this comes from a gene called microcephalin, which is involved in brain development. All humans carry some version of microcephalin. One version is far more common than the others, found in 70% of all people.
Recently scientists at the University of Chicago compared the different versions of microcephalin to figure out how long ago they all originated from a single ancestral gene. The answer was startling: over a million years ago–long before our species emerged. But weirder still, the most common version of microcephalin only began to spread 37,000 years ago. What was that version of microcephalin doing in the intervening time?
The best explanation for this finding is that the most common version of microcephalin in our species came to us from Neanderthals. Neanderthals and humans evolved from a common ancestor that lived in Africa about half a million years ago. The ancestors of Neanderthals moved out of Africa and arrived in Europe about 300,000 years ago. These rugged, barrel-chested people survived the vast flux of Ice Age rhythms, hunting and building shelters. They had Europe to themselves until about 45,000 years ago, when modern humans arrived from Africa.
The slender, clever Africans came to stay. Over the next 15,000 years or so, Neanderthals shrank back into remote mountain refuges, while modern humans spread across the continent. And then the last true Neanderthal died–yet another species hurled onto the ash heap of extinction.
Neanderthals and humans presumably could have interbred, just as closely related species of other mammals do today. And the microcephalin study suggests that they did. Their Neanderthal-human hybrid children carried genes from both species, but it appears that most of the genes from the Neanderthals gradually disappeared from the human gene pool.
Microcephalin was different, though. Humans who carried the Neanderthal version had more children than those who didn’t, and the gene spread steadily.
Scientists don’t yet know why this particular Neanderthal gene gave humans such a reproductive edge. But scientists do know that microcephalin helps build brains. Its name–which means “tiny head”–comes from the devastating birth defects that can be produced when the gene is crippled by a mutation. So it’s possible that the human mind itself was reshaped by a Neanderthal gene.
In evolution, it seems, achievement is a very strange thing. A gene may break free from its ancestral species and go on to enjoy greatness, even as that species vanishes into extinction.”
Carl Zimmer is the author of At the Water’s Edge and Evolution: The Triumph of An Idea, among other books.
////////////////////////neanderthals originated in Europe, presumably from Homo erectus ancestry
///////////////////////////..........I think the early suggestions that microcephalin was related to brain size and was derived from Neanderthals was quite speculative and seems to have not been verified. It seems like all it has going for it was the time association. If when the Neanderthal genome is sequenced they find the now more common variant of microcephalin, that may increase the likelihood of gene flow from Neanderthal to human. But the gene flow could have been the other way, the microcephalin variant may have occurred in the human line and then been transferred to Neanderthal.
/////////////////////////Homo neanderthalensis
King, 1864
///////////////////////////////Neanderthals were generally only 12 to 14 cm (4½-5½ in) shorter than modern humans, contrary to a common view of them as "very short" or "just over 5 feet". Based on 45 long bones from (at most) 14 males and 7 females, Neanderthal males averaged between 164 to 168 cm (5 ft 4½ in to 5 ft 6 in) and females 152 to 156 cm (5 ft to 5 ft 1½) tall. Compared to Europeans some 20,000 years ago, it is nearly identical, perhaps slightly higher. Considering the body build of Neanderthals, new body weight estimates show they are only slightly above the cm/weight or the Body Mass Index of modern Americans or Canadians.[24]
/////////////////////EXTINCN-CANNOT PASS ONETO THEIR GENES
//////////////////////On November 16, 2006, Science Daily published an interview that suggested that Neanderthals and ancient humans probably did not interbreed. Edward M. Rubin, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), sequenced a fraction (0.00002) of genomic nuclear DNA (nDNA) from a 38,000-year-old Vindia Neanderthal femur bone. They calculated the common ancestor to be about 353,000 years ago, and a complete separation of the ancestors of the species about 188,000 years ago. Their results show the genomes of modern humans and Neanderthals are at least 99.5% identical, but despite this genetic similarity, and despite the two species having coexisted in the same geographic region for thousands of years, Rubin and his team did not find any evidence of any significant crossbreeding between the two. Rubin said, “While unable to definitively conclude that interbreeding between the two species of humans did not occur, analysis of the nuclear DNA from the Neanderthal suggests the low likelihood of it having occurred at any appreciable level.”
///////////////////////////////////Neanderthals also performed many sophisticated tasks which are normally associated only with humans. For example, it is known that they controlled fire, constructed complex shelters, and skinned animals. A trap excavated at La Cotte de St Brelade in Jersey gives testament to their intelligence and success as hunters [59].
Particularly intriguing is a hollowed-out bear femur with holes which may have been deliberately bored into it. This bone was found in western Slovenia in 1995, near a Mousterian fireplace, but its significance is still a matter of dispute. Some paleoanthropologists have hypothesized that it was a flute, while others believe it was created by accident through the chomping action of another bear. See: Divje Babe.
/////////////////////////////////Neanderthal children might have grown faster than modern human children. Modern humans have the slowest body growth of any mammal during childhood (the period between infancy and puberty) with lack of growth during this period being made up later in an adolescent growth spurt.[86][87][88] The possibility that Neanderthal childhood growth was different was first raised in 1928 by the excavators of the Mousterian rock-shelter of a Neanderthal juvenile.[89] Arthur Keith in 1931[90] wrote, “Apparently Neanderthal children assumed the appearances of maturity at an earlier age than modern children”. The earliness of body maturation can be inferred from the maturity of a juvenile's fossile remains and estimated age of death. The age at which juveniles die can be indirectly inferred from their tooth morphology, development and emergence. This has been argued to both support[91] and question[92] the existence of a maturation difference between Neanderthals and modern humans. Since 2007 tooth age can be directly calculated using the noninvasive imaging of growth patterns in tooth enamel by means of x-ray synchrotron microtomography.[93] This research supports the existence of a much quicker physical development in Neanderthals than in modern human children.[94] The x-ray synchrotron microtomography study of early H. sapiens sapiens argues that this difference existed between the two species as far back as 160,000 years before present.[95]
/////////////////////////////////Professor Trenton Holliday is a body plan expert from Tulane University, New Orleans. After seeing the skeleton, he believed it had comparatively short limbs and a deep, wide ribcage. This body plan minimises the body's surface area to retain heat, and keeps vital organs embedded deep within the body to insulate them from the cold.
///////////////////////////////The forests on which they depended began to recede, giving way to open plains. On these plains, Professor Shea believes, the Neanderthal thrusting spear and ambush strategy wouldn't have worked. So Neanderthals retreated with the forests, their population falling as their hunting grounds shrank.
///////////////////////////////Returning to the skeleton, Professor Holliday found an explanation for this - that the short limbs and wide pelvis of Neanderthals would have resulted in less efficient locomotion than modern humans. The energy costs in travelling would have been higher, and this would have been a serious evolutionary disadvantage.
For Neanderthal, it was an ironic end. The very body plan that had made Neanderthal so well adapted to the Ice Age, had locked him into an evolutionary cul-de-sac. He might have been better adapted to the cold than the first modern humans, but as the landscape changed, it was our ancestors, who could take better advantage of the more open environment, who survived.
///////////////////////////////Several features of the skeleton unique to Neanderthals appear to be related to cold climate adaptations. These features include limb-bone proportions and muscle attachments indicative of a broad, slightly short, and strong body; a large, rounded nasal opening; and a suite of anatomical traits of the skull (compare the crania of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens).
///////////////////////////////////PORTUGAL -ATLANTIC SHORE-LAST PLACE OF THE NEANDETHRALS B4 EXTINCN
//////////////////////////////////////Neanderthal:
Neanderthal skeleton vs. modern human
Neanderthal skeleton vs. modern human
© AMNH Exhibitions
* long, low braincase and double-arched browridge
* flaring, funnel-shaped chest
* flaring pelvis
* robust fingers and toes
Modern human:
* tall, rounded braincase and small, divided browridge
* cylindrical, barrel-shaped chest
* narrow pelvis
* slender fingers and toes
///////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////Neanderthals are the closest hominid relatives of modern humans. The two species co-existed in Europe and western Asia as late as 30,000 years ago.
///////////////////////MGNFCNT TRCK ART OF PKSTN
////////////////////////The bias that most colored our view of Neanderthal man is the belief that evolution is an inherently progressive process. Evolution, it was believed, led through imperfect and primitive stages until finally achieving its pinnacle in Homo sapiens. But Stephen J. Gould and others spent their careers smashing this image of evolution. Gould argued that evolution is not inherently progressive. It merely adapts species to their local and immediate conditions. Any “progress” is purely an epiphenomenon. Gould’s non-progressivist view of evolution has dramatically shifted the consensus view of how evolution plays out over time, but there are still those who feel (and I think with good reason) that there may be a statistical trend toward something that can meaningfully be called progress at some times in some evolutionary lineages. This remains, as far as I can tell, a point of contention.
//////////////////////////////////The homo sapien’s tools are a lot smaller, which probably means you can carry more of them around, more conveniently. If you’re nomadic, a smaller tool could be a big advantage.
/////////////////////////////////xcerpt from High-Achieving Genes article found at:
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/25/genghis-khan-descendants-lead_achieve07_cz_cz_0301khan.html:
“While some chunks of DNA are common today thanks to the conquest of kings or historical flukes, others have become widespread thanks to good old natural selection. People from time to time have been born with mutant genes that gave them a slight reproductive edge, one that their offspring enjoyed as well. These lucky mutants might be less likely to die of malaria, for example, or be better able to tolerate lactose or handle the complexities of full-blown language. In any case, their versions of genes spread through the human population while others dwindled away.
We’ll never know exactly who first carried those adaptive genes. But ultimately that doesn’t matter. It’s the genes, not the people, who have achieved this kind of greatness. The starkest proof of this comes from a gene called microcephalin, which is involved in brain development. All humans carry some version of microcephalin. One version is far more common than the others, found in 70% of all people.
Recently scientists at the University of Chicago compared the different versions of microcephalin to figure out how long ago they all originated from a single ancestral gene. The answer was startling: over a million years ago–long before our species emerged. But weirder still, the most common version of microcephalin only began to spread 37,000 years ago. What was that version of microcephalin doing in the intervening time?
The best explanation for this finding is that the most common version of microcephalin in our species came to us from Neanderthals. Neanderthals and humans evolved from a common ancestor that lived in Africa about half a million years ago. The ancestors of Neanderthals moved out of Africa and arrived in Europe about 300,000 years ago. These rugged, barrel-chested people survived the vast flux of Ice Age rhythms, hunting and building shelters. They had Europe to themselves until about 45,000 years ago, when modern humans arrived from Africa.
The slender, clever Africans came to stay. Over the next 15,000 years or so, Neanderthals shrank back into remote mountain refuges, while modern humans spread across the continent. And then the last true Neanderthal died–yet another species hurled onto the ash heap of extinction.
Neanderthals and humans presumably could have interbred, just as closely related species of other mammals do today. And the microcephalin study suggests that they did. Their Neanderthal-human hybrid children carried genes from both species, but it appears that most of the genes from the Neanderthals gradually disappeared from the human gene pool.
Microcephalin was different, though. Humans who carried the Neanderthal version had more children than those who didn’t, and the gene spread steadily.
Scientists don’t yet know why this particular Neanderthal gene gave humans such a reproductive edge. But scientists do know that microcephalin helps build brains. Its name–which means “tiny head”–comes from the devastating birth defects that can be produced when the gene is crippled by a mutation. So it’s possible that the human mind itself was reshaped by a Neanderthal gene.
In evolution, it seems, achievement is a very strange thing. A gene may break free from its ancestral species and go on to enjoy greatness, even as that species vanishes into extinction.”
Carl Zimmer is the author of At the Water’s Edge and Evolution: The Triumph of An Idea, among other books.
////////////////////////neanderthals originated in Europe, presumably from Homo erectus ancestry
///////////////////////////..........I think the early suggestions that microcephalin was related to brain size and was derived from Neanderthals was quite speculative and seems to have not been verified. It seems like all it has going for it was the time association. If when the Neanderthal genome is sequenced they find the now more common variant of microcephalin, that may increase the likelihood of gene flow from Neanderthal to human. But the gene flow could have been the other way, the microcephalin variant may have occurred in the human line and then been transferred to Neanderthal.
/////////////////////////Homo neanderthalensis
King, 1864
///////////////////////////////Neanderthals were generally only 12 to 14 cm (4½-5½ in) shorter than modern humans, contrary to a common view of them as "very short" or "just over 5 feet". Based on 45 long bones from (at most) 14 males and 7 females, Neanderthal males averaged between 164 to 168 cm (5 ft 4½ in to 5 ft 6 in) and females 152 to 156 cm (5 ft to 5 ft 1½) tall. Compared to Europeans some 20,000 years ago, it is nearly identical, perhaps slightly higher. Considering the body build of Neanderthals, new body weight estimates show they are only slightly above the cm/weight or the Body Mass Index of modern Americans or Canadians.[24]
/////////////////////EXTINCN-CANNOT PASS ONETO THEIR GENES
//////////////////////On November 16, 2006, Science Daily published an interview that suggested that Neanderthals and ancient humans probably did not interbreed. Edward M. Rubin, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), sequenced a fraction (0.00002) of genomic nuclear DNA (nDNA) from a 38,000-year-old Vindia Neanderthal femur bone. They calculated the common ancestor to be about 353,000 years ago, and a complete separation of the ancestors of the species about 188,000 years ago. Their results show the genomes of modern humans and Neanderthals are at least 99.5% identical, but despite this genetic similarity, and despite the two species having coexisted in the same geographic region for thousands of years, Rubin and his team did not find any evidence of any significant crossbreeding between the two. Rubin said, “While unable to definitively conclude that interbreeding between the two species of humans did not occur, analysis of the nuclear DNA from the Neanderthal suggests the low likelihood of it having occurred at any appreciable level.”
///////////////////////////////////Neanderthals also performed many sophisticated tasks which are normally associated only with humans. For example, it is known that they controlled fire, constructed complex shelters, and skinned animals. A trap excavated at La Cotte de St Brelade in Jersey gives testament to their intelligence and success as hunters [59].
Particularly intriguing is a hollowed-out bear femur with holes which may have been deliberately bored into it. This bone was found in western Slovenia in 1995, near a Mousterian fireplace, but its significance is still a matter of dispute. Some paleoanthropologists have hypothesized that it was a flute, while others believe it was created by accident through the chomping action of another bear. See: Divje Babe.
/////////////////////////////////Neanderthal children might have grown faster than modern human children. Modern humans have the slowest body growth of any mammal during childhood (the period between infancy and puberty) with lack of growth during this period being made up later in an adolescent growth spurt.[86][87][88] The possibility that Neanderthal childhood growth was different was first raised in 1928 by the excavators of the Mousterian rock-shelter of a Neanderthal juvenile.[89] Arthur Keith in 1931[90] wrote, “Apparently Neanderthal children assumed the appearances of maturity at an earlier age than modern children”. The earliness of body maturation can be inferred from the maturity of a juvenile's fossile remains and estimated age of death. The age at which juveniles die can be indirectly inferred from their tooth morphology, development and emergence. This has been argued to both support[91] and question[92] the existence of a maturation difference between Neanderthals and modern humans. Since 2007 tooth age can be directly calculated using the noninvasive imaging of growth patterns in tooth enamel by means of x-ray synchrotron microtomography.[93] This research supports the existence of a much quicker physical development in Neanderthals than in modern human children.[94] The x-ray synchrotron microtomography study of early H. sapiens sapiens argues that this difference existed between the two species as far back as 160,000 years before present.[95]
/////////////////////////////////Professor Trenton Holliday is a body plan expert from Tulane University, New Orleans. After seeing the skeleton, he believed it had comparatively short limbs and a deep, wide ribcage. This body plan minimises the body's surface area to retain heat, and keeps vital organs embedded deep within the body to insulate them from the cold.
///////////////////////////////The forests on which they depended began to recede, giving way to open plains. On these plains, Professor Shea believes, the Neanderthal thrusting spear and ambush strategy wouldn't have worked. So Neanderthals retreated with the forests, their population falling as their hunting grounds shrank.
///////////////////////////////Returning to the skeleton, Professor Holliday found an explanation for this - that the short limbs and wide pelvis of Neanderthals would have resulted in less efficient locomotion than modern humans. The energy costs in travelling would have been higher, and this would have been a serious evolutionary disadvantage.
For Neanderthal, it was an ironic end. The very body plan that had made Neanderthal so well adapted to the Ice Age, had locked him into an evolutionary cul-de-sac. He might have been better adapted to the cold than the first modern humans, but as the landscape changed, it was our ancestors, who could take better advantage of the more open environment, who survived.
///////////////////////////////Several features of the skeleton unique to Neanderthals appear to be related to cold climate adaptations. These features include limb-bone proportions and muscle attachments indicative of a broad, slightly short, and strong body; a large, rounded nasal opening; and a suite of anatomical traits of the skull (compare the crania of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens).
///////////////////////////////////PORTUGAL -ATLANTIC SHORE-LAST PLACE OF THE NEANDETHRALS B4 EXTINCN
//////////////////////////////////////Neanderthal:
Neanderthal skeleton vs. modern human
Neanderthal skeleton vs. modern human
© AMNH Exhibitions
* long, low braincase and double-arched browridge
* flaring, funnel-shaped chest
* flaring pelvis
* robust fingers and toes
Modern human:
* tall, rounded braincase and small, divided browridge
* cylindrical, barrel-shaped chest
* narrow pelvis
* slender fingers and toes
///////////////////////////////////
MULTIVERSE-FINE TUNING
Anthropic Principle
Posted by: "Antony Van der Mude" vandermude@acm.org tonyvandermude
Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:33 am (PST)
> The multiverse may well be the only viable nonreligious explanation
> for what is often called the "fine-tuning problem" (or the anthropic
> principle)-- the baffling observation that the laws of the universe
> seem custom-tailored to favor the emergence of life.
I do not agree with this statement at all.
A fundamental result in twentieth century formal logic is the Recursion
Theorem which states that every enumeration of the partial recursive
functions contains a fixed point (a function that outputs its input).
That is a bunch of mathematical gobbledygook. Where it gets interesting
is a corollary whose upshot is that fixed point functions are
essentially machines that reproduce themselves. Computer viruses
implement the recursion theorem. Real viruses too. The proteins to copy
DNA, along with the DNA is a fixed point function. Evolution though
mutation is just a perturbation of this fixed point: instead of f(x)=x,
we get f(x)=x'.
The essence of life is the ability to reproduce. Therefore the
conclusion we can draw from the Recursion Theorem is that any universe
where it is possible to compute elementary arithmetic (functions that do
addition and subtraction) life is possible. Not having a range of
universes around to determine how likely arithmetic is, I can only
guess, but I would feel comfortable to claim that most possible
universes can implement arithmetic functions.
Therefore, the "fine tuning problem" is a red herring. It is very likely
that almost any universe having a basic complexity is capable of life,
although how that life is manifested can be wildly different from one
universe to another. The only fine tuning is in the result that life in
the universe is life in this planet and not a collection of quarks (or
other basic particles) in some kind interplanetary soup or at the heart
of that universe's equivalent of a sun.
A
////////////////////////////I'm getting beyond my level of neuroscience understanding here, but
I'll hazard some guesses. First of all, I'm not sure that there are
any clear operational definitions of losing the sense of self,
feeling that one is part of some larger community restricted to
humans or inclusive of other living beings, feeling at one with the
universe, and enlightenment. All 4 of these may be different ways of
describing the same experience, perhaps with some variation in degree
of intensity, or they may be distinctly different experiences.
Functional MRIs done on meditating Buddhist monks find an increase in
activity in certain limited areas of the prefrontal cortex, and what
is probably a reflex inhibition of the orientation- association area
in the left parietal lobe. I don't know how the monks involved
described their experience, and possibly a different cultural group
with substantially similar functional MRI scans would describe the
experience differently. Jill Taylor lost the function of her left
parietal orientation- association cortex when a malformed blood vessel
burst in her brain. She talked about feeling at one with the
universe, presumably in a way that she had not previously, and
experiencing herself very differently, but not about losing her sense
of self. Perhaps the 4 perceptual states categorized above each have
a distinctive functional MRI pattern, or maybe the patterns are the
same and different people just describe their experiences
differently. Or maybe functional MRI is not the tool with which the
differences in brain activity with these different experiences can be
visually detected.
The brain, in particular the pituitary gland, secretes not only
locally acting neurotransmitters but also blood borne hormones. One
in particular, oxytocin, is found in very high levels during labor
and breastfeeding, but is present in lower levels most of the time in
both men and women. People with autism have little or no oxytocin,
and they generally do not connect well with other people. One can
speculate that a low oxytocin level is the cause of their diminished
social perception, but this remains unproven. Meanwhile, some women
report an astounding sense of connectedness, sometimes to distant
generations of their blood line, both past and future, and sometimes
to other living beings or the universe as a whole as it presently
exists. I'm not aware that such experiences have been reported by
women who receive exogenous oxytocin to enhance uterine contractions,
but perhaps some have them. In my experience, those women find their
contractions much less bearable, and perhaps the pain distracts them
from a more pleasant experience.
Anyway, I would speculate that folks who easily experience a sense of
connectedness with at least some aspects of the world around them
might have higher levels of endogenous oxytocin, or that receptors on
their brain cells bind oxytocin more tightly, or that some other
mechanism that modulates oxytocin effects is at play. Perhaps the
act of meditation not only stimulates certain areas of the prefrontal
cortex, but also induces the pituitary gland to secrete more
oxytocin. Or perhaps the oxytocin-induced sense of connectedness and
the meditation-induced sense of connectedness are qualitatively
different.
Another possible neurochemical in play here is dopamine, which is a
localized neurotransmitter. Genereally people find high levels of
dopamine quite pleasant, and if I remember correctly, dopamine levels
are higher with and following orgasm. Much of drug, and presumably
also sex addiction seems to involve the seeking of higher dopamine
levels. My theory is that folks with this sort of problem have
defective dopamine receptors and need higher dopamine levels in order
to feel the way other people do. But unfortunately the drugs do more
than raise dopamine levels.
Of interest here is that dopamine receptors are also stimulated by
hihg levels of nor-epinephrine, which is probably the reason some
people like amphetamines as they induce nor-epinephrine secretion.
Folks with a manic episode, like folks on amphetamines, have a lot of
energy, overestimate what they can and have achieve(d), and don't
feel a need for much food or sleep, which leads me to believe that
nor-epinephrine levels are high during mania. So my guess would be
that a mania-induced sense of euphoria or peace is qualitatively
different from what occurs as the result of meditation or increased
oxytocin levels, if for no other reason than one does not see
amphetamine- like effects in those who are meditating. But perhaps
meditation increases dopamine, and produces a mania-like euphoria
directly, without the accompanying substantial nor-epinephrine
effects.
J
///////////////////////////////////To survive, a child has to learn to move about and manipulate
objects. I'm not sure readiness to experience or re-experience
oneness with the universe has got anything to do with developing
an "autonomous self" beyond the sense of being an organism with
physiologic needs that can move and manipulate objects in the
environment in order to satisfy those needs. Once the child has
learned how to satisfy its physiologic needs, presumably it could
also learn how to suppress activity in the orientation- association
area if taught the techniques for doing so."
>
The need to be an autonomous self from an evolutionary point of view
is obvious. We have to have the sense that we are in
a real way separate from our surroundings so that we will respond to
threats to our survival. So necessarily we carry around with us
almost all the time this sense of "me" that keeps us from the
experience of "oneness with the universe".
>
I just finished reading Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" wherein he has
a discussion about losing the sense of self and experiencing oneness
with the universe. I'm not sure why he included it in his book-
perhaps it is his opinion that this desire for experiencing oneness
with the universe was the original impetus for the development of
religions. In a sense such an experience is a pathology- as Judy
points out we must have a sense of self to function in the
environment. But in another sense it is, perhaps, enlightenment? I'm
not really familiar with this type of religious experience. Are there
any on list who have experienced this or who are chasing it?
>
When I had my big manic attack, there was a period of time when I was
apparently functioning but I don't remember any part of it. My wife
told me that during it I said, "I'm at perfect peace" while trying to
suppress laughter. It would be a shame if I experienced enlightenment
but don't remember it! One thing that did help precipitate this
attack was some writing I was doing, the theme of which was that the
fall of humankind was not knowledge of good and evil but knowledge of
self. It is this belief that we are a "self" that keeps us separate
from oneness with the universe. According to Sam Harris, it is
possible for humans to be conscious of the universe without also
being awareness of selfhood. Is this experience worth pursuing? The
older I get, the less I seem to want to pursue new things.
>
F
///////////////////////////////////Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
ROBERT FROST
////////////////////////NAZRUL-AMI BIDROHI RONOKLANTO,AMI SHEIDIN HOBO SHANTO....
Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I the great rebel.[8]
/////////////////////////////All You who Sleep Tonight
All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right
And emptiness above -
Know that you aren't alone
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years.
Vikram Seth
////////////////////////////////EVOLUTION OF GIT
GASTROLITHS TO DIGEST FOOD-DINO,BIRDS-AS CRUSHER OF FOOD
///////////////////////////FOLK SCIENCE SO DIFFERENT FROM ACCURATE SCIENCE BCOS WE LIVE AND OBSERVE IN MIDDLE WORLD,NOT QUANTUM LEVEL OR ASTRONOMICAL LEVEL
///////////////////////
Posted by: "Antony Van der Mude" vandermude@acm.org tonyvandermude
Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:33 am (PST)
> The multiverse may well be the only viable nonreligious explanation
> for what is often called the "fine-tuning problem" (or the anthropic
> principle)-- the baffling observation that the laws of the universe
> seem custom-tailored to favor the emergence of life.
I do not agree with this statement at all.
A fundamental result in twentieth century formal logic is the Recursion
Theorem which states that every enumeration of the partial recursive
functions contains a fixed point (a function that outputs its input).
That is a bunch of mathematical gobbledygook. Where it gets interesting
is a corollary whose upshot is that fixed point functions are
essentially machines that reproduce themselves. Computer viruses
implement the recursion theorem. Real viruses too. The proteins to copy
DNA, along with the DNA is a fixed point function. Evolution though
mutation is just a perturbation of this fixed point: instead of f(x)=x,
we get f(x)=x'.
The essence of life is the ability to reproduce. Therefore the
conclusion we can draw from the Recursion Theorem is that any universe
where it is possible to compute elementary arithmetic (functions that do
addition and subtraction) life is possible. Not having a range of
universes around to determine how likely arithmetic is, I can only
guess, but I would feel comfortable to claim that most possible
universes can implement arithmetic functions.
Therefore, the "fine tuning problem" is a red herring. It is very likely
that almost any universe having a basic complexity is capable of life,
although how that life is manifested can be wildly different from one
universe to another. The only fine tuning is in the result that life in
the universe is life in this planet and not a collection of quarks (or
other basic particles) in some kind interplanetary soup or at the heart
of that universe's equivalent of a sun.
A
////////////////////////////I'm getting beyond my level of neuroscience understanding here, but
I'll hazard some guesses. First of all, I'm not sure that there are
any clear operational definitions of losing the sense of self,
feeling that one is part of some larger community restricted to
humans or inclusive of other living beings, feeling at one with the
universe, and enlightenment. All 4 of these may be different ways of
describing the same experience, perhaps with some variation in degree
of intensity, or they may be distinctly different experiences.
Functional MRIs done on meditating Buddhist monks find an increase in
activity in certain limited areas of the prefrontal cortex, and what
is probably a reflex inhibition of the orientation- association area
in the left parietal lobe. I don't know how the monks involved
described their experience, and possibly a different cultural group
with substantially similar functional MRI scans would describe the
experience differently. Jill Taylor lost the function of her left
parietal orientation- association cortex when a malformed blood vessel
burst in her brain. She talked about feeling at one with the
universe, presumably in a way that she had not previously, and
experiencing herself very differently, but not about losing her sense
of self. Perhaps the 4 perceptual states categorized above each have
a distinctive functional MRI pattern, or maybe the patterns are the
same and different people just describe their experiences
differently. Or maybe functional MRI is not the tool with which the
differences in brain activity with these different experiences can be
visually detected.
The brain, in particular the pituitary gland, secretes not only
locally acting neurotransmitters but also blood borne hormones. One
in particular, oxytocin, is found in very high levels during labor
and breastfeeding, but is present in lower levels most of the time in
both men and women. People with autism have little or no oxytocin,
and they generally do not connect well with other people. One can
speculate that a low oxytocin level is the cause of their diminished
social perception, but this remains unproven. Meanwhile, some women
report an astounding sense of connectedness, sometimes to distant
generations of their blood line, both past and future, and sometimes
to other living beings or the universe as a whole as it presently
exists. I'm not aware that such experiences have been reported by
women who receive exogenous oxytocin to enhance uterine contractions,
but perhaps some have them. In my experience, those women find their
contractions much less bearable, and perhaps the pain distracts them
from a more pleasant experience.
Anyway, I would speculate that folks who easily experience a sense of
connectedness with at least some aspects of the world around them
might have higher levels of endogenous oxytocin, or that receptors on
their brain cells bind oxytocin more tightly, or that some other
mechanism that modulates oxytocin effects is at play. Perhaps the
act of meditation not only stimulates certain areas of the prefrontal
cortex, but also induces the pituitary gland to secrete more
oxytocin. Or perhaps the oxytocin-induced sense of connectedness and
the meditation-induced sense of connectedness are qualitatively
different.
Another possible neurochemical in play here is dopamine, which is a
localized neurotransmitter. Genereally people find high levels of
dopamine quite pleasant, and if I remember correctly, dopamine levels
are higher with and following orgasm. Much of drug, and presumably
also sex addiction seems to involve the seeking of higher dopamine
levels. My theory is that folks with this sort of problem have
defective dopamine receptors and need higher dopamine levels in order
to feel the way other people do. But unfortunately the drugs do more
than raise dopamine levels.
Of interest here is that dopamine receptors are also stimulated by
hihg levels of nor-epinephrine, which is probably the reason some
people like amphetamines as they induce nor-epinephrine secretion.
Folks with a manic episode, like folks on amphetamines, have a lot of
energy, overestimate what they can and have achieve(d), and don't
feel a need for much food or sleep, which leads me to believe that
nor-epinephrine levels are high during mania. So my guess would be
that a mania-induced sense of euphoria or peace is qualitatively
different from what occurs as the result of meditation or increased
oxytocin levels, if for no other reason than one does not see
amphetamine- like effects in those who are meditating. But perhaps
meditation increases dopamine, and produces a mania-like euphoria
directly, without the accompanying substantial nor-epinephrine
effects.
J
///////////////////////////////////To survive, a child has to learn to move about and manipulate
objects. I'm not sure readiness to experience or re-experience
oneness with the universe has got anything to do with developing
an "autonomous self" beyond the sense of being an organism with
physiologic needs that can move and manipulate objects in the
environment in order to satisfy those needs. Once the child has
learned how to satisfy its physiologic needs, presumably it could
also learn how to suppress activity in the orientation- association
area if taught the techniques for doing so."
>
The need to be an autonomous self from an evolutionary point of view
is obvious. We have to have the sense that we are in
a real way separate from our surroundings so that we will respond to
threats to our survival. So necessarily we carry around with us
almost all the time this sense of "me" that keeps us from the
experience of "oneness with the universe".
>
I just finished reading Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" wherein he has
a discussion about losing the sense of self and experiencing oneness
with the universe. I'm not sure why he included it in his book-
perhaps it is his opinion that this desire for experiencing oneness
with the universe was the original impetus for the development of
religions. In a sense such an experience is a pathology- as Judy
points out we must have a sense of self to function in the
environment. But in another sense it is, perhaps, enlightenment? I'm
not really familiar with this type of religious experience. Are there
any on list who have experienced this or who are chasing it?
>
When I had my big manic attack, there was a period of time when I was
apparently functioning but I don't remember any part of it. My wife
told me that during it I said, "I'm at perfect peace" while trying to
suppress laughter. It would be a shame if I experienced enlightenment
but don't remember it! One thing that did help precipitate this
attack was some writing I was doing, the theme of which was that the
fall of humankind was not knowledge of good and evil but knowledge of
self. It is this belief that we are a "self" that keeps us separate
from oneness with the universe. According to Sam Harris, it is
possible for humans to be conscious of the universe without also
being awareness of selfhood. Is this experience worth pursuing? The
older I get, the less I seem to want to pursue new things.
>
F
///////////////////////////////////Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
ROBERT FROST
////////////////////////NAZRUL-AMI BIDROHI RONOKLANTO,AMI SHEIDIN HOBO SHANTO....
Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I the great rebel.[8]
/////////////////////////////All You who Sleep Tonight
All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right
And emptiness above -
Know that you aren't alone
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years.
Vikram Seth
////////////////////////////////EVOLUTION OF GIT
GASTROLITHS TO DIGEST FOOD-DINO,BIRDS-AS CRUSHER OF FOOD
///////////////////////////FOLK SCIENCE SO DIFFERENT FROM ACCURATE SCIENCE BCOS WE LIVE AND OBSERVE IN MIDDLE WORLD,NOT QUANTUM LEVEL OR ASTRONOMICAL LEVEL
///////////////////////
CDS 231108-RMMBR NHRU STDIUM,DRGPR
/////////////////VI.5. UDDHAREDAATMANAATMAANAM NAATMAANAMAVASAADAYET;
ATMAIVA HYAATMANO BANDHURAATMAIVA RIPURAATMANAH.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone; let him not
lower himself, for this self alone is the friend of oneself
and this self alone is the enemy of oneself.
VI.6. BANDHURAATMAA'TMANASTASYA YENAATMAIVAATMANAA JITAH;
ANAATMANASTU SHATRUTWE VARTETAATMAIVA SHATRUVAT.
The self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered
himself by the Self, but to the unconquered self, this self
stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.
//////////////////////paranjape also makes an interesting observation about how the
diasporic experience *transforms* the writer even as he gazes
homeward. naipaul takes it a step further in the essay in his book, A
Writer's People: Ways of Looking and Feeling,
where he compares the writing of 3 people and the degree to which
their own observation and transformation informed their writing. in
other words gandhi would never have become the mahatma and his
Experiments with Truth would never have been born had he not gone to
South Africa. his time and work there permanently changed his way of
observing india, and in particular at the peasants and their
condition, caste and pollution and sanitation.
champa
////////////////////////
kismet (n) Fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
/////////////////////////History would be an excellent thing if only it were true.
--Leo Tolstoy
/////////////////////////
ATMAIVA HYAATMANO BANDHURAATMAIVA RIPURAATMANAH.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone; let him not
lower himself, for this self alone is the friend of oneself
and this self alone is the enemy of oneself.
VI.6. BANDHURAATMAA'TMANASTASYA YENAATMAIVAATMANAA JITAH;
ANAATMANASTU SHATRUTWE VARTETAATMAIVA SHATRUVAT.
The self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered
himself by the Self, but to the unconquered self, this self
stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.
//////////////////////paranjape also makes an interesting observation about how the
diasporic experience *transforms* the writer even as he gazes
homeward. naipaul takes it a step further in the essay in his book, A
Writer's People: Ways of Looking and Feeling,
where he compares the writing of 3 people and the degree to which
their own observation and transformation informed their writing. in
other words gandhi would never have become the mahatma and his
Experiments with Truth would never have been born had he not gone to
South Africa. his time and work there permanently changed his way of
observing india, and in particular at the peasants and their
condition, caste and pollution and sanitation.
champa
////////////////////////
kismet (n) Fate; a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.
/////////////////////////History would be an excellent thing if only it were true.
--Leo Tolstoy
/////////////////////////
Friday 21 November 2008
CDS -201108-DBL BNG TO CLLGS-ADEM,PANCR CA
////////////GONSAK
/////////////////LF IS FRAGILE=LEX/70
.///////////////////////////////
/////////////////LF IS FRAGILE=LEX/70
.///////////////////////////////
Thursday 20 November 2008
CDS -201108-DBL BNG TO CLLGS-ADEM,PANCR CA
////////////GONSAK
/////////////////LF IS FRAGILE=LEX/70
.///////////////////////////////
/////////////////LF IS FRAGILE=LEX/70
.///////////////////////////////
Monday 17 November 2008
RENUNCIATION
Chapter V: The Yoga of Renunciation of Action
V.24. YO'NTAH SUKHO'NTARAARAAMAS TATHAANTARJYOTIR EVA YAH;
SA YOGEE BRAHMA NIRVAANAM BRAHMABHOOTO'DHIGACCHATI.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
He who is ever happy within, who rejoices within,
who is illumined within, such a Yogi attains absolute
freedom or Moksha, himself becoming Brahman.
V.25. LABHANTE BRAHMA NIRVAANAM RISHAYAH KSHEENAKALMASHAAH;
CCHINNADWAIDHAA YATAATMAANAH SARVABHOOTAHITE RATAAH.
The sages obtain absolute freedom or Moksha-they whose sins
have been destroyed, whose dualities (perception of dualities
or experience of the pairs of opposites) are torn asunder,
who are self-controlled, and intent on the welfare of all beings.
//////////////////////// “I have always been fascinated by the law of reversed effort.
Sometimes I call it the “backwards law.”
When you try to stay on the surface of the water you sink;
but when you try to sink you float.
When you hold your breath you lose it—”
Alan Watts—
The Wisdom Of Insecurity
//////////////////////////“I want to know God’s thoughts. The rest are details.”
///////////////////////STEEL LOSES ITS SHEEN
Shut factory gates, jittery workers and plunging production. If the scene in the Durgapur belt is anything to go by, the steel industry may be facing its worst crisis yet
Ajanta Chakraborty, Udit Prasanna Mukherji & Debajyoti Chakraborty | TNN
It’s 12 noon and Durgapur is glowing under a November sun. It’s a pleasant sight, but then you realize something is not quite right. For one, the smoke haze that hangs over Bengal’s most polluted town is gone. Then, you notice the chimneys on either side of Durgapur Expressway. Hardly any of them are spewing the black smoke that normally shrouds the town. Most of the factories have fallen silent, casting a cloud over Bengal’s industrial scene.
The source of Durgapur’s despair is a five letter word: steel. “Till a few weeks back, we hadn’t realized that global meltdown had hit us so hard. There’s no production. A total shutdown seems imminent,” said a senior official of a unit at Mongolpur.
There is a thin line between “no production” and “closed down” though. The
gates of most sponge iron units in the industrial estates of Mongolpur, Jamuria, Bamunara and Angadpur (in the Durgapur-Asansol belt) are locked. But that’s not to be read as “closed down”. The factories are silent, but not quite deserted. A peep inside one — Sri Gopal HiTech at Bamunara — gives you the real picture. Two or three groups of workers sit huddled together, while the management staff amble around. “The rolling mill isn’t manufacturing, but we’re getting our salaries,” says Akhil Karmakar, a hydro operator.
The blast furnace is still operating, but it’s not enough to stem the anxiety. The labourers say being paid without doing any work can be depressing. “It’s no use denying that the slump is here to stay — at least for the next year. By then, we don’t know what will happen,” admits Bipin Vohra, chairman, SPS group, which is an integrated steel plant at Durgapur.
“Everyone is on a cost-cutting spree and we’re no exception. The worst hit are the stand-alone sponge iron units,” he says. Vohra then voices the worst fear. “Largescale retrenchment is on the cards.”
The future is tense. These 20-odd workers inside the deserted Bamunara industrial estate are symbolic of the major crisis looming over Bengal’s key sector. The lucrative business of the past four-five years seems like a dream now. The catalyst then was China, which bought much of its steel for infrastructural upgrade before the Beijing Olympics from Bengal. The economics of demand-and-supply worked wonders, triggering vertical growth at sponge iron and ferro alloy plants in Durgapur. The good times spread to Bankura and Purulia (Jamuria, Kanksa, Nituria, Mezia, Borjora and Bishnupur) as well. Then came the slump.
Old-timers say this isn’t the first crisis the Steel City — or the industry itself — has seen. Soon after the British left, the steel sector went through a bad patch. Technology, or the lack of it, was the major hurdle. This was as true for Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), as for smaller units. But the plants managed to live through the next decade until they bumped into the labour unrest in the late Sixties.
Years passed and good sense finally dawned. The government started thinking of reviving sick industries. DFID funds came handy. The late ’80s saw a turnaround in SAIL’s fortunes and DSP was modernised for a whopping Rs 5,000 crore even as it continued to make operational losses. The trade unions came to DSP’s aid and the public sector soon started earning profits.
Cut to 2001. The positivite vibes remained. Many first-generation entrepreneurs, who banked on the sector’s robust growth and received green signals from the state government, took the plunge. And why not? A sponge iron unit could be set up for just Rs 25-50 crore but earned profits to the tune of Rs 2,500 per tonne. A unit with a 100-tonne capacity raked in around Rs 60 lakh a month. The profit has now been replaced by a loss of Rs 30 lakh a month.
The euphoria continued till September 2008. By then, at least 15 middle and largescale industrialists had invested in iron and steel. Among them were bigger players like MB Group, Jai Balaji, Adhunik Group of Industries, Neo Metalic, Super Smelters and Shyam Steel. They were announcing crores of investment and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation was only too happy to show them off as proof of Bengal’s industrial success. The plants mostly made value-added products like sponge iron, wire rod, thermomechanical treatment (TMT) — all used for construction, iron casting powder, etc.
It was too good to last. Lalit Beriwala, director, Shyam Steel (an integrated plant at Angadpur), cites four factors for the crisis. “Blame it on the unnecessary boom in real estate. The artificial requirement created a synthetic supply that couldn’t last. And now the bubble has burst,” he says. Around 26% of the manufactured steel caters to the real estate market.
Another factor was the steady erosion of the ferro alloy market and its near-zero export demand. Then there was the sudden plateau in the automobile sector. The final nail in the coffin was the go-slow at various industrial and infrastructure projects that had been hyped for political goals.
Now politicians, too, are at their wit’s end. Says P K Das, president of the Citubacked Steel Workers’ Federation of India, “This is the worst crisis the steel industry has faced since the 1930 recession.”
We’ve been making losses for the past two months. If we can’t decrease the workforce by 25% then most of the units here will be closed
////////////////////////I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.
--Samuel Johnson
/////////////////
V.24. YO'NTAH SUKHO'NTARAARAAMAS TATHAANTARJYOTIR EVA YAH;
SA YOGEE BRAHMA NIRVAANAM BRAHMABHOOTO'DHIGACCHATI.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
He who is ever happy within, who rejoices within,
who is illumined within, such a Yogi attains absolute
freedom or Moksha, himself becoming Brahman.
V.25. LABHANTE BRAHMA NIRVAANAM RISHAYAH KSHEENAKALMASHAAH;
CCHINNADWAIDHAA YATAATMAANAH SARVABHOOTAHITE RATAAH.
The sages obtain absolute freedom or Moksha-they whose sins
have been destroyed, whose dualities (perception of dualities
or experience of the pairs of opposites) are torn asunder,
who are self-controlled, and intent on the welfare of all beings.
//////////////////////// “I have always been fascinated by the law of reversed effort.
Sometimes I call it the “backwards law.”
When you try to stay on the surface of the water you sink;
but when you try to sink you float.
When you hold your breath you lose it—”
Alan Watts—
The Wisdom Of Insecurity
//////////////////////////“I want to know God’s thoughts. The rest are details.”
///////////////////////STEEL LOSES ITS SHEEN
Shut factory gates, jittery workers and plunging production. If the scene in the Durgapur belt is anything to go by, the steel industry may be facing its worst crisis yet
Ajanta Chakraborty, Udit Prasanna Mukherji & Debajyoti Chakraborty | TNN
It’s 12 noon and Durgapur is glowing under a November sun. It’s a pleasant sight, but then you realize something is not quite right. For one, the smoke haze that hangs over Bengal’s most polluted town is gone. Then, you notice the chimneys on either side of Durgapur Expressway. Hardly any of them are spewing the black smoke that normally shrouds the town. Most of the factories have fallen silent, casting a cloud over Bengal’s industrial scene.
The source of Durgapur’s despair is a five letter word: steel. “Till a few weeks back, we hadn’t realized that global meltdown had hit us so hard. There’s no production. A total shutdown seems imminent,” said a senior official of a unit at Mongolpur.
There is a thin line between “no production” and “closed down” though. The
gates of most sponge iron units in the industrial estates of Mongolpur, Jamuria, Bamunara and Angadpur (in the Durgapur-Asansol belt) are locked. But that’s not to be read as “closed down”. The factories are silent, but not quite deserted. A peep inside one — Sri Gopal HiTech at Bamunara — gives you the real picture. Two or three groups of workers sit huddled together, while the management staff amble around. “The rolling mill isn’t manufacturing, but we’re getting our salaries,” says Akhil Karmakar, a hydro operator.
The blast furnace is still operating, but it’s not enough to stem the anxiety. The labourers say being paid without doing any work can be depressing. “It’s no use denying that the slump is here to stay — at least for the next year. By then, we don’t know what will happen,” admits Bipin Vohra, chairman, SPS group, which is an integrated steel plant at Durgapur.
“Everyone is on a cost-cutting spree and we’re no exception. The worst hit are the stand-alone sponge iron units,” he says. Vohra then voices the worst fear. “Largescale retrenchment is on the cards.”
The future is tense. These 20-odd workers inside the deserted Bamunara industrial estate are symbolic of the major crisis looming over Bengal’s key sector. The lucrative business of the past four-five years seems like a dream now. The catalyst then was China, which bought much of its steel for infrastructural upgrade before the Beijing Olympics from Bengal. The economics of demand-and-supply worked wonders, triggering vertical growth at sponge iron and ferro alloy plants in Durgapur. The good times spread to Bankura and Purulia (Jamuria, Kanksa, Nituria, Mezia, Borjora and Bishnupur) as well. Then came the slump.
Old-timers say this isn’t the first crisis the Steel City — or the industry itself — has seen. Soon after the British left, the steel sector went through a bad patch. Technology, or the lack of it, was the major hurdle. This was as true for Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), as for smaller units. But the plants managed to live through the next decade until they bumped into the labour unrest in the late Sixties.
Years passed and good sense finally dawned. The government started thinking of reviving sick industries. DFID funds came handy. The late ’80s saw a turnaround in SAIL’s fortunes and DSP was modernised for a whopping Rs 5,000 crore even as it continued to make operational losses. The trade unions came to DSP’s aid and the public sector soon started earning profits.
Cut to 2001. The positivite vibes remained. Many first-generation entrepreneurs, who banked on the sector’s robust growth and received green signals from the state government, took the plunge. And why not? A sponge iron unit could be set up for just Rs 25-50 crore but earned profits to the tune of Rs 2,500 per tonne. A unit with a 100-tonne capacity raked in around Rs 60 lakh a month. The profit has now been replaced by a loss of Rs 30 lakh a month.
The euphoria continued till September 2008. By then, at least 15 middle and largescale industrialists had invested in iron and steel. Among them were bigger players like MB Group, Jai Balaji, Adhunik Group of Industries, Neo Metalic, Super Smelters and Shyam Steel. They were announcing crores of investment and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation was only too happy to show them off as proof of Bengal’s industrial success. The plants mostly made value-added products like sponge iron, wire rod, thermomechanical treatment (TMT) — all used for construction, iron casting powder, etc.
It was too good to last. Lalit Beriwala, director, Shyam Steel (an integrated plant at Angadpur), cites four factors for the crisis. “Blame it on the unnecessary boom in real estate. The artificial requirement created a synthetic supply that couldn’t last. And now the bubble has burst,” he says. Around 26% of the manufactured steel caters to the real estate market.
Another factor was the steady erosion of the ferro alloy market and its near-zero export demand. Then there was the sudden plateau in the automobile sector. The final nail in the coffin was the go-slow at various industrial and infrastructure projects that had been hyped for political goals.
Now politicians, too, are at their wit’s end. Says P K Das, president of the Citubacked Steel Workers’ Federation of India, “This is the worst crisis the steel industry has faced since the 1930 recession.”
We’ve been making losses for the past two months. If we can’t decrease the workforce by 25% then most of the units here will be closed
////////////////////////I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.
--Samuel Johnson
/////////////////
CDS 171108-WTING FR FTHR,NOW WF TO CM HM
/////////////////
For what cannot be cured, patience is best.
-- Irish Proverb
Patience and passage of time do more than strength and fury.
-- Jean de la Fontaine
/////////////////
"It's not what happens to you in life that counts; it's how you take it, and what you make of it." -- Denis Waitley
/////////////////////BURDEN OF CHR DIS-CF-A/W ORGAN TX
//////////////////////Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize
A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. Additionally, data from time use surveys, suggests that TV viewing may increase as the economy worsens and people lose their jobs.
Social Indicators Research, Dec-2008
//////////////////////ECO-WARRIOR-WORRIER
///////////////////////
"A problem well stated is a problem half-solved."
////////////////////////Craving chocolate? A walk may help
Researchers say that taking a brisk 15-minute walk may help you turn down chocolate and other tempting sweets. Read more>
//////////////////////WRLD RECESSION-MR JBCTS
//////////////////GOODBYE AND F*** U
/////////////////////
For what cannot be cured, patience is best.
-- Irish Proverb
Patience and passage of time do more than strength and fury.
-- Jean de la Fontaine
/////////////////
"It's not what happens to you in life that counts; it's how you take it, and what you make of it." -- Denis Waitley
/////////////////////BURDEN OF CHR DIS-CF-A/W ORGAN TX
//////////////////////Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize
A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. Additionally, data from time use surveys, suggests that TV viewing may increase as the economy worsens and people lose their jobs.
Social Indicators Research, Dec-2008
//////////////////////ECO-WARRIOR-WORRIER
///////////////////////
"A problem well stated is a problem half-solved."
////////////////////////Craving chocolate? A walk may help
Researchers say that taking a brisk 15-minute walk may help you turn down chocolate and other tempting sweets. Read more>
//////////////////////WRLD RECESSION-MR JBCTS
//////////////////GOODBYE AND F*** U
/////////////////////
Tuesday 11 November 2008
Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. Author unknown
/////////////Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
Author unknown
////////////////Now I'm wondering if you believe that value existed before any sentient beings existed. My tendency is to say no, in the same way that physicists say that time did not exist "before" the big bang. However I get the impression that you believe that there was such a thing as value in nature before the existence of any beings capable of appreciating that value.
The question is rather like the old one about a tree falling in a forest- does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it?
Fred
////////////////Should healthy people take statins too?
Rosuvastatin appears to lower the risk of heart disease in healthy people.
/////////////Chapter V: The Yoga of Renunciation of Action
V.12. YUKTAH KARMAPHALAM TYAKTWAA SHAANTIM AAPNOTI NAISHTHIKEEM;
AYUKTAH KAAMAKAARENA PHALE SAKTO NIBADHYATE.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
The united one (the well poised or the harmonised),
having abandoned the fruit of action, attains to the
eternal peace; the non-united only (the unsteady or the
unbalanced), impelled by desire and attached to the fruit,
is bound.
V.13. SARVAKARMAANI MANASAA SANNYASYAASTE SUKHAM VASHEE;
NAVADWAARE PURE DEHEE NAIVA KURVAN NA KAARAYAN.
Mentally renouncing all actions and self-controlled,
the embodied one rests happily in the nine-gated city,
neither acting nor causing others (body and senses) to act.
/////////////////
Author unknown
////////////////Now I'm wondering if you believe that value existed before any sentient beings existed. My tendency is to say no, in the same way that physicists say that time did not exist "before" the big bang. However I get the impression that you believe that there was such a thing as value in nature before the existence of any beings capable of appreciating that value.
The question is rather like the old one about a tree falling in a forest- does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it?
Fred
////////////////Should healthy people take statins too?
Rosuvastatin appears to lower the risk of heart disease in healthy people.
/////////////Chapter V: The Yoga of Renunciation of Action
V.12. YUKTAH KARMAPHALAM TYAKTWAA SHAANTIM AAPNOTI NAISHTHIKEEM;
AYUKTAH KAAMAKAARENA PHALE SAKTO NIBADHYATE.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
The united one (the well poised or the harmonised),
having abandoned the fruit of action, attains to the
eternal peace; the non-united only (the unsteady or the
unbalanced), impelled by desire and attached to the fruit,
is bound.
V.13. SARVAKARMAANI MANASAA SANNYASYAASTE SUKHAM VASHEE;
NAVADWAARE PURE DEHEE NAIVA KURVAN NA KAARAYAN.
Mentally renouncing all actions and self-controlled,
the embodied one rests happily in the nine-gated city,
neither acting nor causing others (body and senses) to act.
/////////////////
CDS 111008-DTH-GRF-MOWM
BRVMNT-JNNI THMS TALK-MV ON WTH MMRIES
///////////////LOSS ORIENTED WMN -RESTORATIVE ORIENTED MN-STROUBE MODEL
//////////////////
Sunday 9 November 2008
CDS 081108-AILNG PRNTS
The Story of the Luckiest Man Alive
Posted in Weird and Funny by Neil on October 24th, 2008
Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents… then won Million Dollar lottery!
Luck has always been on his side or vice versa for croatian music teacher Frane Selak (born in 1929), who is well known around the world for as many fatal accidents as spectacular escapes. The first of his numerous near-death experiences began on a cold January day in 1962, when Selak was on a train to Dubrovnik. Seldom had Selak thought where he was heading until odyssey terminated, with the train suddenly plunging into the icy river killing 17 passengers. Although he managed to escape, not without a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises.
A year later, Selak was flying from Zagreb to Rijeka when abruptly a door blew away from the cockpit of the plane, as he was blown off the plane. The accident took a tool of 19 people; however, Selak was lucky enough to land on a haystack, to wake up in hospital with minor injuries. It was in 1966 that he met with the third misadventure while traveling on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. There were four people dead, astonishingly Selak managed to escape unharmed.
/////////////////RAKHE HARI MARE KE-JST LCK,NO DVN INTNTN
/////////////////////
Posted in Weird and Funny by Neil on October 24th, 2008
Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents… then won Million Dollar lottery!
Luck has always been on his side or vice versa for croatian music teacher Frane Selak (born in 1929), who is well known around the world for as many fatal accidents as spectacular escapes. The first of his numerous near-death experiences began on a cold January day in 1962, when Selak was on a train to Dubrovnik. Seldom had Selak thought where he was heading until odyssey terminated, with the train suddenly plunging into the icy river killing 17 passengers. Although he managed to escape, not without a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises.
A year later, Selak was flying from Zagreb to Rijeka when abruptly a door blew away from the cockpit of the plane, as he was blown off the plane. The accident took a tool of 19 people; however, Selak was lucky enough to land on a haystack, to wake up in hospital with minor injuries. It was in 1966 that he met with the third misadventure while traveling on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. There were four people dead, astonishingly Selak managed to escape unharmed.
/////////////////RAKHE HARI MARE KE-JST LCK,NO DVN INTNTN
/////////////////////
Saturday 8 November 2008
CDS 081108-AILNG PRNTS
The Story of the Luckiest Man Alive
Posted in Weird and Funny by Neil on October 24th, 2008
Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents… then won Million Dollar lottery!
Luck has always been on his side or vice versa for croatian music teacher Frane Selak (born in 1929), who is well known around the world for as many fatal accidents as spectacular escapes. The first of his numerous near-death experiences began on a cold January day in 1962, when Selak was on a train to Dubrovnik. Seldom had Selak thought where he was heading until odyssey terminated, with the train suddenly plunging into the icy river killing 17 passengers. Although he managed to escape, not without a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises.
A year later, Selak was flying from Zagreb to Rijeka when abruptly a door blew away from the cockpit of the plane, as he was blown off the plane. The accident took a tool of 19 people; however, Selak was lucky enough to land on a haystack, to wake up in hospital with minor injuries. It was in 1966 that he met with the third misadventure while traveling on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. There were four people dead, astonishingly Selak managed to escape unharmed.
/////////////////RAKHE HARI MARE KE-JST LCK,NO DVN INTNTN
/////////////////////
Posted in Weird and Funny by Neil on October 24th, 2008
Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents… then won Million Dollar lottery!
Luck has always been on his side or vice versa for croatian music teacher Frane Selak (born in 1929), who is well known around the world for as many fatal accidents as spectacular escapes. The first of his numerous near-death experiences began on a cold January day in 1962, when Selak was on a train to Dubrovnik. Seldom had Selak thought where he was heading until odyssey terminated, with the train suddenly plunging into the icy river killing 17 passengers. Although he managed to escape, not without a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises.
A year later, Selak was flying from Zagreb to Rijeka when abruptly a door blew away from the cockpit of the plane, as he was blown off the plane. The accident took a tool of 19 people; however, Selak was lucky enough to land on a haystack, to wake up in hospital with minor injuries. It was in 1966 that he met with the third misadventure while traveling on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. There were four people dead, astonishingly Selak managed to escape unharmed.
/////////////////RAKHE HARI MARE KE-JST LCK,NO DVN INTNTN
/////////////////////
PRNTS-70+/70
////////////Stop being offended.
The behavior of others isn’t a reason to be immobilized. That which offends you only weakens you. If you’re looking for occasions to be offended, you’ll find them at every turn. This is your ego at work convincing you that the world shouldn't be the way it is. But you can become an appreciator of life and match up with the universal Spirit of Creation. You can’t reach the power of intention by being offended. By all means, act to eradicate the horrors of the world, which emanate from massive ego identification, but stay in peace. As A Course in Miracles reminds us: Peace is of God, you who are part of God are not at home except in his peace. Being is of God, you who are part of God are not at home except in his peace. Being offended creates the same destructive energy that offended you in the first place and leads to attack, counterattack, and war.
////////////////////Let go of your need to win.
Ego loves to divide us up into winners and losers. The pursuit of winning is a surefire means to avoid conscious contact with intention. Why? Because ultimately, winning is impossible all of the time. Someone out there will be faster, luckier, younger, stronger, and smarter-and back you’ll go to feeling worthless and insignificant.
////////////////////Let go of your need to be right.
Ego is the source of a lot of conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of making other people wrong. When you’re hostile, you’ve disconnected from the power of intention. The creative Spirit is kind, loving, and receptive; and free of anger, resentment, or bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your discussions and relationships is like saying to ego, I’m not a slave to you. I want to embrace kindness, and I reject your need to be right. In fact, I’m going to offer this person a chance to feel better by saying that she’s right, and thank her for pointing me in the direction of truth.
///////////////////Let go of your need to be superior.
True nobility isn’t about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be. Stay focused on your growth, with a constant awareness that no one on this planet is any better than anyone else. We all emanate from the same creative life force. We all have a mission to realize our intended essence; all that we need to fulfill our destiny is available to us. None of this is possible when you see yourself as superior to others. It’s an old saw, but nonetheless true: we are all equal in the eyes of God. Let go of your need to feel superior by seeing the unfolding of God in everyone. Don’t assess others on the basis of their appearance, achievements, possessions, and other indices of ego. When you project feelings of superiority that’s what you get back, leading to resentments and ultimately hostile feelings. These feelings become the vehicle that takes you farther away from intention. A Course in Miracles addresses this need to be special and superior: Special ness always makes comparisons. It is established by a lack seen in another, and maintained by searching for, and keeping clear in sight, all lacks it can perceive.
/////////////////Let go of your need to have more.
The mantra of ego is more. It’s never satisfied. No matter how much you achieve or acquire, your ego will insist that it isn’t enough. You’ll find yourself in a perpetual state of striving, and eliminate the possibility of ever arriving. Yet in reality you’ve already arrived, and how you choose to use this present moment of your life is your choice. Ironically, when you stop needing more, more of what you desire seems to arrive in your life. Since you’re detached from the need for it, you find it easier to pass it along to others, because you realize how little you need in order to be satisfied and at peace.
///////////////// Let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your achievements.
////////////////////Let go of your reputation.
/////////////////DYER=
/////////////////MTHR GTTING CAHECTIC-TALU
///////////////
The behavior of others isn’t a reason to be immobilized. That which offends you only weakens you. If you’re looking for occasions to be offended, you’ll find them at every turn. This is your ego at work convincing you that the world shouldn't be the way it is. But you can become an appreciator of life and match up with the universal Spirit of Creation. You can’t reach the power of intention by being offended. By all means, act to eradicate the horrors of the world, which emanate from massive ego identification, but stay in peace. As A Course in Miracles reminds us: Peace is of God, you who are part of God are not at home except in his peace. Being is of God, you who are part of God are not at home except in his peace. Being offended creates the same destructive energy that offended you in the first place and leads to attack, counterattack, and war.
////////////////////Let go of your need to win.
Ego loves to divide us up into winners and losers. The pursuit of winning is a surefire means to avoid conscious contact with intention. Why? Because ultimately, winning is impossible all of the time. Someone out there will be faster, luckier, younger, stronger, and smarter-and back you’ll go to feeling worthless and insignificant.
////////////////////Let go of your need to be right.
Ego is the source of a lot of conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of making other people wrong. When you’re hostile, you’ve disconnected from the power of intention. The creative Spirit is kind, loving, and receptive; and free of anger, resentment, or bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your discussions and relationships is like saying to ego, I’m not a slave to you. I want to embrace kindness, and I reject your need to be right. In fact, I’m going to offer this person a chance to feel better by saying that she’s right, and thank her for pointing me in the direction of truth.
///////////////////Let go of your need to be superior.
True nobility isn’t about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be. Stay focused on your growth, with a constant awareness that no one on this planet is any better than anyone else. We all emanate from the same creative life force. We all have a mission to realize our intended essence; all that we need to fulfill our destiny is available to us. None of this is possible when you see yourself as superior to others. It’s an old saw, but nonetheless true: we are all equal in the eyes of God. Let go of your need to feel superior by seeing the unfolding of God in everyone. Don’t assess others on the basis of their appearance, achievements, possessions, and other indices of ego. When you project feelings of superiority that’s what you get back, leading to resentments and ultimately hostile feelings. These feelings become the vehicle that takes you farther away from intention. A Course in Miracles addresses this need to be special and superior: Special ness always makes comparisons. It is established by a lack seen in another, and maintained by searching for, and keeping clear in sight, all lacks it can perceive.
/////////////////Let go of your need to have more.
The mantra of ego is more. It’s never satisfied. No matter how much you achieve or acquire, your ego will insist that it isn’t enough. You’ll find yourself in a perpetual state of striving, and eliminate the possibility of ever arriving. Yet in reality you’ve already arrived, and how you choose to use this present moment of your life is your choice. Ironically, when you stop needing more, more of what you desire seems to arrive in your life. Since you’re detached from the need for it, you find it easier to pass it along to others, because you realize how little you need in order to be satisfied and at peace.
///////////////// Let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your achievements.
////////////////////Let go of your reputation.
/////////////////DYER=
/////////////////MTHR GTTING CAHECTIC-TALU
///////////////
CDS 081108-EVN THN NEED MCLWP
///////////////GATHERING SENSE OF POINTLESS SUFFERING
///////////////SWISS IDEAS-RED CROSS,DIGNITAS
////////////////////Team finds language without numbers (7/3/2008)
Tags:
language, mathematics, culture
A Piraha man participates in an experiment that MIT researchers say indicates his language contains no number words. - Photo Credit: Edward Gibson
A Piraha man participates in an experiment that MIT researchers say indicates his language contains no number words. - Photo Credit: Edward Gibson
Amazonian tribe has no word to express 'one,' other numbers
An Amazonian language with only 300 speakers has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team.
The team, led by MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences Edward Gibson, found that members of the Piraha tribe in remote northwestern Brazil use language to express relative quantities such as "some" and "more," but not precise numbers.
///////////////////Do not overreact. Remember, most incidents are temporary so don't magnify what happened. Serious jealousy stems from a fear of loss, reputation, control of ourselves, our spouses, or relationships. Losing control of our emotions and feelings will only make things worse.
//////////////// How hospitals make decisions -Just for a laugh
Posted by: "Dr.Anil Mohandas" anilmohandas@yahoo.com anilmohandas
Fri Nov 7, 2008 5:07 pm (PST)
When a panel of doctors was asked to vote on adding a new wing to their hospital:
The Allergists voted to scratch it and the Dermatologists said not to make any rash moves.
The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve, and the Obstetricians felt they were all labouring under a misconception.
The Ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted; the Pathologists yelled, 'Over our dead bodies,' while the Paediatricians said, 'Oh, grow up!'
The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, the Radiologists could see right through it and the Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, 'This puts a whole new face on the matter.'
The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water.
The Anaesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
In the end, the Proctologists persuaded everyone to leave the decision up to some A*seh*le in Administration.
//////////////////////Cutting off healthy limbs OK, says Dr Christopher Ryan
By staff writers
NEWS.com.au
November 07, 2008 12:12am
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o What are these?
Amputee
Amputee wannabes ... a rare condition makes people crave having a healthy limb removed.
* Condition makes people crave an amputation
* Expert says let them become amputees
* Removing limbs "makes them far happier"
TO most people, the thought of amputating a perfectly healthy limb is unimaginable.
But for at least three Australians, possibly dozens more, cutting off their leg has felt perfectly normal.
These so-called "amputee wannabes" have a very rare condition in which they feel one of their limbs is not truly their own, and they become obsessed with cutting it off.
And people suffering from the bizarre body image disorder should be able to opt for amputation, a Sydney psychiatrist says.
Christopher Ryan, a psychiatrist at the University of Sydney, says there is a good argument for allowing patients with body integrity identity disorder (BIID) to have their unwanted limb removed.
///////////////////5 BEN NEVISES=1 MT EVEREST
//////////////////A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the Universe, "the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."
--Stephen Crane
///////////////////A man of sixty has spent twenty years in bed
and over three years in eating.
-- Arnold Bennett
/////////////////In 1925 British adventurer Colonel Percy Fawcett disappeared into the wilds of the Amazon, never to be heard from again after going there in search of a lost city he called Z. But decades later, a city of sorts—actually a series of settlements connected by roads—has been found at the headwaters of the Xingu River where Fawcett went missing in an area previously buried beneath the dense foliage in what is now Xingu National Park.
///////////////Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
////////////////ACCEPT SKYPE VIDEO AS VIEWING-PRNTS TO HS
//////////////////"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
////////////////////// “A well-spent day brings happy sleep [and] as a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.”
////////////////////////It's nothing more than a personal choice of whether you want to make life happen, or if you want life to happen to you.
/////////////////////"You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.”
///////////////////
Tuesday 4 November 2008
SHRUKH-43-BDAY
////////////////SANATAN DHARMA-PERENNIAL PHILO-B GITA
/////////////////BETEL NUTS-PAN SUPARI
////////////////M1 - the road leading 193 miles (311 km) out of London
///////////////
/////////////////BETEL NUTS-PAN SUPARI
////////////////M1 - the road leading 193 miles (311 km) out of London
///////////////
Sunday 2 November 2008
SHRUKH-43-BDAY
////////////////SANATAN DHARMA-PERENNIAL PHILO-B GITA
/////////////////BETEL NUTS-PAN SUPARI
////////////////M1 - the road leading 193 miles (311 km) out of London
///////////////
/////////////////BETEL NUTS-PAN SUPARI
////////////////M1 - the road leading 193 miles (311 km) out of London
///////////////
LENTIL SOUP-ORTHAT DAL
Lentil Soup
Lentils are a staple in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking and make a thick, rich and delicious soup. They're also a good source of fiber and magnesium and the quickest legume to cook. With bread and a salad, this soup makes a whole meal. On a cold night, a filling soup like this is perfect nourishment for warming body and soul.
//////////////////////"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C. S. Lewis
///////////////////PEACE=MEANS HAVING A BIGGER STICK THAN THE OTHER GUY
///////////////////////////UN says eat less meat to curb global warming
Editor: Vickey Shen
27 Oct 2008 06:47:32 GMT
People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer.
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further.
His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning.
Pachauri, who was re-elected the panel's chairman for a second six-year term last week, said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century.
'In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,' said Pachauri. 'Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,' said the Indian economist, who is a vegetarian.
However, he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to combat climate change. 'That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.'
Pachauri can expect some vociferous responses from the food industry to his advice, though last night he was given unexpected support by Masterchef presenter and restaurateur John Torode, who is about to publish a new book, John Torode's Beef. 'I have a little bit and enjoy it,' said Torode. 'Too much for any person becomes gluttony. But there's a bigger issue here: where [the meat] comes from. If we all bought British and stopped buying imported food we'd save a huge amount of carbon emissions.'
Tomorrow, Pachauri will speak at an event hosted by animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming, which has calculated that if the average UK household halved meat consumption that would cut emissions more than if car use was cut in half.
The group has called for governments to lead campaigns to reduce meat consumption by 60 per cent by 2020. Campaigners have also pointed out the health benefits of eating less meat. The average person in the UK eats 50g of protein from meat a day, equivalent to a chicken breast and a lamb chop - a relatively low level for rich nations but 25-50 per cent more than World Heath Organisation guidelines.
Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, who will also speak at tomorrow's event in London, said government could help educate people about the benefits of eating less meat, but it should not 'regulate'. 'Eating less meat would help, there's no question about that, but there are other things,' Watson said.
However, Chris Lamb, head of marketing for pig industry group BPEX, said the meat industry had been unfairly targeted and was working hard to find out which activities had the biggest environmental impact and reduce those. Some ideas were contradictory, he said - for example, one solution to emissions from livestock was to keep them indoors, but this would damage animal welfare. 'Climate change is a very young science and our view is there are a lot of simplistic solutions being proposed,' he said.
Last year a major report into the environmental impact of meat eating by the Food Climate Research Network at Surrey University claimed livestock generated 8 per cent of UK emissions - but eating some meat was good for the planet because some habitats benefited from grazing. It also said vegetarian diets that included lots of milk, butter and cheese would probably not noticeably reduce emissions because dairy cows are a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released through flatulence.
///////////////////
Lentils are a staple in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking and make a thick, rich and delicious soup. They're also a good source of fiber and magnesium and the quickest legume to cook. With bread and a salad, this soup makes a whole meal. On a cold night, a filling soup like this is perfect nourishment for warming body and soul.
//////////////////////"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C. S. Lewis
///////////////////PEACE=MEANS HAVING A BIGGER STICK THAN THE OTHER GUY
///////////////////////////UN says eat less meat to curb global warming
Editor: Vickey Shen
27 Oct 2008 06:47:32 GMT
People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer.
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further.
His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning.
Pachauri, who was re-elected the panel's chairman for a second six-year term last week, said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century.
'In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,' said Pachauri. 'Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,' said the Indian economist, who is a vegetarian.
However, he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to combat climate change. 'That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.'
Pachauri can expect some vociferous responses from the food industry to his advice, though last night he was given unexpected support by Masterchef presenter and restaurateur John Torode, who is about to publish a new book, John Torode's Beef. 'I have a little bit and enjoy it,' said Torode. 'Too much for any person becomes gluttony. But there's a bigger issue here: where [the meat] comes from. If we all bought British and stopped buying imported food we'd save a huge amount of carbon emissions.'
Tomorrow, Pachauri will speak at an event hosted by animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming, which has calculated that if the average UK household halved meat consumption that would cut emissions more than if car use was cut in half.
The group has called for governments to lead campaigns to reduce meat consumption by 60 per cent by 2020. Campaigners have also pointed out the health benefits of eating less meat. The average person in the UK eats 50g of protein from meat a day, equivalent to a chicken breast and a lamb chop - a relatively low level for rich nations but 25-50 per cent more than World Heath Organisation guidelines.
Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, who will also speak at tomorrow's event in London, said government could help educate people about the benefits of eating less meat, but it should not 'regulate'. 'Eating less meat would help, there's no question about that, but there are other things,' Watson said.
However, Chris Lamb, head of marketing for pig industry group BPEX, said the meat industry had been unfairly targeted and was working hard to find out which activities had the biggest environmental impact and reduce those. Some ideas were contradictory, he said - for example, one solution to emissions from livestock was to keep them indoors, but this would damage animal welfare. 'Climate change is a very young science and our view is there are a lot of simplistic solutions being proposed,' he said.
Last year a major report into the environmental impact of meat eating by the Food Climate Research Network at Surrey University claimed livestock generated 8 per cent of UK emissions - but eating some meat was good for the planet because some habitats benefited from grazing. It also said vegetarian diets that included lots of milk, butter and cheese would probably not noticeably reduce emissions because dairy cows are a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released through flatulence.
///////////////////
PALIN TRAVELS
/////////////////CHHAT PUJA IN DURGAPUR-POND-1978
///////////////////If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.-Sagan
/////////////////////Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards.
--Fred Hoyle
//////////////////BRADLEY EFFECT
//////////////////// Obsessed with saving the planet? There are worse fates
By Bryony Gordon
Last Updated: 11:01pm BST 22/10/2008
Have your say Read comments
Do you feel anxious when you see a television set left on standby? Does the sight of a plastic bottle haphazardly tossed into a paper-only recycling bin make you feel nauseous? Are you consumed with rage when someone has left an empty room and not switched off the light?
Have you recently found yourself overcome with a desire to spit on your car-driving friends and family? When a loved one tells you that he is flying off for some winter sun, do you feel like bludgeoning him over the head with a blunt instrument until he appears no longer to be breathing?
# Read more from Bryony Gordon
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If so, don't worry! You are probably suffering from "carborexia", Or "energy anorexia". Psychiatrists in America have identified a new mental illness that threatens the very fabric of society: an obsession with saving the planet. Some people are so addicted to cutting their carbon emissions that they seem to have gone quite mad.
Take, for example, Sharon Astyk, who makes her four children sleep in a huddle so she doesn't have to turn on the heating (if she was that concerned about the planet, perhaps she could have stopped reproducing after baby number two).
///////////////////You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.
- Margaret Thatcher
///////////////////It goes beyond words
This thing I feel
I just can’t explain
Just look me in the eye
And you will know
It goes beyond words
This numbness
I just can’t describe
Words welling up
Stuck somewhere beneath
My throat –
It goes beyond words
simon
////////////////
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