Who's Better?

 Persons active in an organized religion, according to research of respected sociologists, are a bit better than the average person in two ways: There is a bit less criminal behavior among them and they are a bit happier.

RCS

Acupuncture: Historical Notes

 Acupuncture; history notes

 

                Are we too superior in our conceits to recognize the ability we ought to see in others?

                '

                I write here in hope that we may more enjoy the fruits of acupuncture. The French and Russians began to enjoy those fruits of the acupuncture part of Chinese Health Care many years ago. Our AMA has not pointed us to a legal road to making acupuncture an active part of our health care system. It  that seems finding and setting up that road is up us, we the people. 

               

                 The people of some countries have struggled a bit with deciding how to regulate acupuncture, bur most have allowed it legal practice. Russian elites have demanded it. Chinese demand that extensive education and careful oversight of the the practice be established and maintained. European countries have demanded that all acupuncturists be medical doctors as well. Some of them have neglected the supervision of its teaching.

 

                Some knowledge of the history of acupuncture may prove of help to to us. Allow me to pass on some of that history which have begun to learn.

 
Before 900 AD                

                A medical school was established in China during the Tang dynasty before 900 AD. Its name, translated to English can be, the Imperial Institute of Physicians. The college trained 350 students at a time in herbal medicine and surgery. Herbal medicine seems to have been the more important part of the instruction. Surgery was mainly limited to fractures, skin diseases, and wounds.

 
600 AD                

Tang emperors also organized the nation's doctors into the grand Medical Service. It will be great when we can organize our healthcare to include the best of the kinds available in other countries. The development of organized healthcare in China began at least as early as 600 AD. Certainly we ought to be able to improve and extend our healthcare in the near future.

 
About 700 AD             

    Chinese health care was regulated and delivery improved beginning in about 700 AD. Prospective doctors underwent rigorous examinations. Future doctors were examined on their familiarity with the principles of acupuncture and its diagnosis and techniques, also on the best written works. 

 

                Chinese controlled the quality of their health care then and now. There were and are laws prohibiting the practice of healthcare and cure without licenses.

 

                    

According to surviving healthcare books and documents from as far back as the Tang, a variety of maladies were treated. their practice dealt with tuberculosis, goiter, rickets, beriberi, dropsy, Cholera, dysentery, measles, smallpox, and leprosy.

As we begin to use our choice of the very best European and Asiatic healthcare, we can learn from and adopt some of their methods of  control and safety. There  is much of value we can learn if we would. We can learn to benefit from acupuncture as have the French, and Russians, and others. Our healthcare professionals have much to teach others.

Let's get back to the Tang dynasty way of dealing with acupuncture. On the second day of their examinations was a demonstration of one's effectiveness of dealing with the needles of acupuncture. A great deal more of Chinese history is becoming available these days and the Chinese share share much of their modern healthcare understanding, knowledge, and techniques. We can learn from them and help them to learn from us.

 Acupuncture points

                In 1027 AD the sung dynasty emperor, Je Tsug ordered Wang Wei, a noted acupuncturist and sculpture to cast two hollow figures with the acupuncture points points marked by their names and small holes. The figures were covered with wax and filled with water. These figures were used to train and test students. Similar figures are used by students and teachers and students today, Since the Sung dynasty only about a dozen points have been changed, added, or deleted. I understands that a total of about 365 points are used today. For the interested person there is much historic and present day information available online.

 
 Chaing Kai-shek              

 During the reign of Chaing Kai-shek, western medicine was extolled and acupuncture was repressed and schools closed. Still, the Chinese people looked to their traditional medicine. Thousands were killed by quacks and the untrained in the use of traditional medicine. Many came to doubt their ''medicine."

When the communist consolidated power acupuncturists began to use the needles where they were most likely to be used correctly, on themselves. A graduate from their schools may have pricked himself ten thousand times refining his skills and touch until teachers and testers were sure of his ability. There remained much to be learned of diagnosis.  

 

                Now, acupuncture has been modernized by Chinese doctors also trained in western medicine. Acupuncture is used extensively. Electronic needles are used, and their use has moved into most modern Chinese medicine. 

 "Head Zones"

                In 1893 Sir Henry Head, a British nerve specialist, noticed that some patients suffering from diseased gallbladders and kidneys felt pain in parts of the body far from from the stricken organs. The pain was external, on the surface of the skin, and a specific disease always resulted in pain from the same place. Think of the diagnostic possibilities, Some wise doctors have been trained in "Head Zones."

German doctors soon began to use their knowledge of "Head Zones" to deaden areas of the skin to relieve pain in internal organs. Does that remind you of anything in particular?

 

                Some American doctors add to this practice by injecting these surface areas with chemical Anesthesia to get the same result. American doctors were amazed to find that their injections in Head Zones not only relieved pain, but in many cases cure diseases. Head Zones have been too largely forgotten, but there is still a bit of ongoing work being done in the U.S. and elsewhere. 

 

            By the way, the areas of the skin Dr. Head linked with the gallbladder and kidneys are the same ones acupuncturists use today and the same ones they have used for many hundreds of years.

 

                I believe that we can benefit from careful training of good acupuncture practitioners in the U.S. I believe we would benefit even more by good appropriate oversight of those practitioners and of all physicians and health practitioners. For developing appropriate training of acupuncturists in the U.S. we could increase exchange of healthcare practitioners between China and America.

 

                

            Thank you for reading

 

 

                                                                                                RCS 

Chemistry and You and Me Too

RCS Posts science: Chemistry and me. Chemistry in your life and mine. We can live better with chemistry, but need to protect ourselves from their toxicity.

 

                I found myself thinking of chemistry the other day. Dozens of questions came to mind, memories too. 

                I began to think of myself and chemistry, I remembered that at some tender age I had collected a number of small glass bottles and containers in a space in our basement. And some larger bottles I had collected liquids and stuff from around the house. I did all this without informing my parents that I had become a chemist. After doing some mixing and matching, mostly by color, I began filling my small bottles with my marvelous mixtures. I was a chemist. As I remember, no one died or sickened from my work.

                Next I remembered that at about 8 years of age I carried out some experiments with matches, carbide, water, and alcohol. This was done mostly outdoors.

                Then came to mind a rather nice ''chemistry set'' my parents got for me when I was perhaps 10 or 11. My younger brothers got into it before I had explored it much. I hope that I did not want them to die from the quantities of my chemicals I believed that they had eaten.

                Another memory comes to mind. I was looking for my class at a high school new to me. I walked into a classroom with only a teacher there. As I came forward, I saw a rather daunting wall-chart and asked the teacher about it. He said that it was a "periodic table." I asked, "Of what?" and he said ''chemistry." I imagine that he meant to say elements. He told me where to get information about my class. As I walked on, I thought, "No chemistry for me." If he had said elements, I might have been a chemist.

                More recently after a brief review of a news article mentioning chemistry I began to think of toxic chemicals. That is when the question did begin to come. I still do not have very  useful answers to them. I will share a number of them at the end of this piece. Perhaps we have some of the same questions. Perhaps you can add some to   the list.

                There are people in the chemical industry who would provided answers to many of our questions should we ask them; teachers too. I imagine that there are others who would be pleased to help us to find answers when we show interest. I have begun to talk of "us," Perhaps because I have begun to see us as being in the same boat; a boat load of chemicals?

                It is good to remember that in many ways we do live better with chemicals. A chemist can be an honest neighbor, a good friend, a great lover, and his industry brings us a lot of good. 

                There are important members of the chemical industry who are interested in our goodwill, if not in our votes. There are people in that important industry who make it their business to know about our vote. Often they have found it more efficient to deal with our representatives in our House of Representatives than it is to deal more directly with us.

                However, many companies are making efforts to keep us informed about the chemicals used in their industries and products. Many of these companies have websites with a great deal of important information about the effects of chemicals on our lives. Much of the information they provide is free.

                There is information available. Your congress person or someone in her office her office is available to provide answers to our questions or to help us find them. She may also be interested in our comments and opinions. Search something like, House of Representatives, Washington DC online and get a phone number. Call that number and give the one who answers your zip code. You will be given the name of  your Representative the and phone number of your Reps office. When you call you can introduce yourself and it is best to have a specific question or comment.

                Once you have identified your representative you can find out how to contact his office by email or online. Then you may leave your Rep a note about what is on your mind. Or you might ask if there is pending legislation dealing with chemicals. Your courtesy will be appreciated.

                Should any questions about chemicals in our life come to you, please feel free to post them in the "comments" section. 

                You might consider joining an organization or starting one. There is power in even a very small organization.

Test on chemistry politics

~ Who can help us get the facts? How can we help ourselves to them?

~ Who would like to confuse us about the facts?

~ What do we want? 

~ What can we get now?

~ Who will help us find out how toxic a given chemical or compound in our life is?

~ Who agrees with me that we don't have to do anything?

~ Who is responsible? 

 

 

                                                                                                RCS

Trinidad & Tobago

RCS Posts: travel and cultural geography

 

Trinidad is a large island, 846 sq mi. about seven miles from Venezuela, near the mouth of the great Orinoco River. 

The people of Trinidad are from Black Africa, East India, and everywhere else. 

You can learn to bathe in glass there. You can also get a biodegradable coffin of hallucinogenic nutmeg on this interesting island.

The food is varied. The curried goat satisfying.

There  is an 85 foot tall red statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. Its the tallest one outside of India.

The Maine Ridge Forest Reserve is the oldest protected forest in the Western Hemisphere. The 14,000 acres of forest were declared a reserve in 1776 while the island was under British rule.

Pitch Lake a 100 acre, La Brea Tar Pit like place, has been mined to pave roadways around the world. 

There is a beach where you can better your love life, do a sand exfoliation, and listen to Syrian music. 

Tobago is the smaller of the two Caribbean islands which make up the nation of Trinidad and  Tobago.

Tobago has great ample sandy beaches.

The capital of Tobago is the village of Scarborough.

Kayak through the mangrove swamps of Tobago. 

If you are getting the idea that Tobago is more touristy of the two islands of this Island nation you are on the correct track.

Port of Spain is the big city of the nation and it is on Trinidad.

In Trinidad and Tobago you may begin to feel you are in the real Caribbean an you would be right. It is not all of the Caribbean, but it is a lot of it.

On the two islands there is magic, it comes down the great Orinoco, 
it comes from India, it comes from Africa, and it has found a home there.

Still, It pays to be a bit careful there. Some say that there too many birds. Many say one can get wet and dirty there.

 

 

RCS 

 

Faith, Governance, The Virus, and Lessons Learned

RCS Posts governance including: Richard Wolf, trust, government

                The stirring to publish this post seems to start as follows: Yesterday evening I watched a bit of a YouTube video by Richard Wolff. I suspect that I did not even watch it to its end. Last night I had dreams about our wars and dreams about our political beginnings. Vietnam seems to have dominated those about our wars and that dreams of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

            This morning I awoke slowly, feeling weak, fatigued, and exhausted as has been usual in recent weeks. However, I soon remembered something of my dreams and tried to remember more of them with little success. Then I began to recall a bit of the Wolff video to which I had not paid close attention.

                It seems from my present perspective that the video was about Lessons Learned (or learnable) from our Covi experience. I have not tried to revisit that video as I believe I would have in other days; so, some of what I write now may be more Sheehan than Wolff.

                As I remember, Mr. Wolff chose the following countries useful for comparing the quality of their dealings with The Virus. The countries he chose as good examples of dealing effectively with Covi: China and New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea, Cuba and Vietnam. The two countries he chose for dealing poorly with that virus were the United Kingdom and the United States. Wolf, it seemed, felt that he saw evidence that the people of the first six countries also had more faith in their government than the last two I mentioned.

                I believe that such comparing of the governance of a people with their ability to deal with This Virus, could aid us in learning an important lesson or two.

                Wolf himself seemed to believe that he had evidence that the people of the first six countries demonstrated a belief that their government had the power and ability to deal well with the Virus and so cooperated in that dealing. Wolff also seemed to have thought that the people of The U.K. and The U.S. did not have faith that, at this time, their government was ready, willing, and able to deal with This Virus successfully. 

            Thanks for reading.

 

                 Do you think that our dealing with The Virus has to do with our faith in our government/governance? What do you think we might learn from our experience with the Virus? What is the state of our faith in our government? What would you like the nature of our governance to be? What is our responsibility for the nature of our government? What important governance might we be able to learn? What would be a good simple measure of the quality of our dealing with this Virus? Would the % of deaths or the number of deaths per hundred be a useful measure? What could we learn, that is useful, by looking at more successful dealing with the Virus as compared with the real nature of governance of, say, 100 countries? How might the U.N. be useful in this effort? Why? How might my going back to bed and forgetting about all this be helpful?

                My questions above may be taken as rhetorical, but there is a window below called "comments" and sometimes "no comments!" I that window you may put questions of your own, or answer mine, or make comments, or one comment.

                Thanks for reading.

 

 

                                                                                    RCS 

 

An Introduction to Science with a hint about Self-Development and Knowledge

 Science: It's an Introduction

 

A Method of Understanding: 

               Science is the practice of a method of understanding and of communication. It may be called the scientific method. This method can be a great help in self-development and in being a successful human being.

                As you become better acquainted with this method of understanding you become a more effective person. You will also develop a better understanding of the sciences in general and of each individual science, even ytterbiumology.

Scientific Doings:                

                The scientific method generally includes the following doings: observation, identification/recognition, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena. So, a scientist observes a doing or happening and begins to explain it. The method is much about how she does this. That is, how you do it may be more important than what you do.

                To start well, let's try to define some of our terms. We can begin with the word 'science.' Starting at the beginning we see that science means knowledge, the business of knowing. Just how one knows is a serious subject. A subject we could check into later. Early in its history science became knowledge gained  by study. Science brings its history with it. It still means knowledge and it still means knowledge gained by study. The science quickly came to be the study of particular and specific subjects. In its more modern meaning it has come to mean the technical and mathematical study  of a subject. However the basic method of doing science is both a simpler and more powerful attitude then one might suppose.

                We already know that "method" means "the way how." So, science is a particular way of understanding, a particularly effective way of understanding. It may be useful to remember that the suffix -ology means study. So anthropology is the study of human species, of humanity in most of its aspects. It has often been a comparative study of behavior, biology, societies. Whereas biology is the natural scientific study of life and of living organisms. It is one of the more nicely developed sciences. Cells and genes are now important factors in this study.

Observation:                

It is important that a person interested in science develop a good grasp on the nature of scientific: observation, identification, explanation, knowing, researching,  and theoretical description. Also to develop their ability to recognize and observe natural phenomena is helpful to their use of scientific methodology.

                To gain and to communicate scientific knowledge one needs to become familiar with its concepts and vocabulary. As interest is shown, I hope to write more on the topic. I believe that you already have an understanding of the scientific method as a way many have found useful for gaining practical, productive knowledge and of communicating that knowledge.

                You probably already have the understanding that science is well begun and carried out with studied and practiced observation. 

                The ways of scientific observation are important to the development of knowledge. My dictionary says this about "to observe:" to notice, to perceive, to watch attentively, to make a scientific or systematic observation. "Systematic," that implies that there is a system to be learned. It seems that the way of a scientific doing is, at least, as the what.

                Observation is the act of observing; that is the act of noting and recording of a phenomena, doing, or happening, perhaps with instruments. Observation might lead to developing a judgement or inference. What are the methods for developing a judgement or an inference!

                "Identify" could be our next term to examine. If you would like me to continue some sort of exposition of science, please leave a comment to that effect in the "comment" window below.

                Identifying a phenomena is, in large part, for the purpose of being able to recognize the phenomena yourself and to enable others to also recognize it. There is more to say about the recognize/identify part of of our scientific process,  but I will leave it for another time.

                Oh, yes. Ytterbiumology is beyond my present knowledge; still it can be studied, known, and used. Its a chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number of 70. I may not live long enough to get deeply into the study of this element. Perhaps you can tell us more about it.

                                                                                            RCS                              

More Than Virus Its Us

                     The water's ten foot high and rising; seems a good time to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and not mess with mister in between.
                    

                    We see some thought provoking happenings and doings around us these days. Some few trained expert observers, some few men and women are keeping an expert eye on the happenings in our arctic and sub arctic around what we have called the north pole and they are saying that what they see happening there is happening more than twice as fast as are the worldwide changes. Did you get that last sentence?
                  

                     I have checked out some of what we have been being told for many, many decades. It seems that since the early '70s a significant number of began to hear and even understand what was being said. I began to pay better attention just before the first Earth Day when I was asked to write an appropriate paper. I even recalled my 7th and 8th grade science teachers telling us that we were living in calm and mild times on Earth and to expect greater and more rapid change in the future. Without scaring us they seemed to be that they were saying that we had best consider ways of adapting. Anyway when I started this paper three or so years ago I began to think that it may be useful to sound a definite alarm now. An alarme our great grandfathers might have sounded is "High water! Its ten foot high an risen'!"  "High water" Meant it was time to get the women, children, and stock to high ground. They probably ought to have already put the homestead on high ground. But the did already have a way to safety in mind.
                    

                    Here I am trying to say that now may be a very good time to consider ways to safety for our families and our culture. I began to write briefly and sensibly about how to put the "homestead on high ground" and what to do if it is too late to do that. It is not too late to seriously considering what we do now. It is not easy because the changes to are Earth may be sooner and bigger than many of us expected. We are already seeing  big ongoing change. We are seeing the biggest changes in 100 years. We may come to see the biggest changes in 1000 years or more. The changes are so big and life changing that people are leaving their homes for safety. The food crops that have been harvested in county may no longer grow well enough in your country. Adaptation is necessary for survival. Our adaptation may be necessary. 
                    

                    In the US the new settlers had much adapting to do.
                    

                    The changes we see may be bigger and more life changing than anyone of us likes to believe.
                    

                    It may be pleasing to know that many of the changes, perhaps most of them, are not our fault. The fact seems to be that we don't have s snowball's chance in hell of changing many of them. Perhaps we can't change most of them. We can adapt. We are very adaptable beings. Humanity has adapted to many changes. We can adapt and we can even co-operate in doing so. We can consider what we can do to help are children and youth survive and thrive. We can help them to do much for themselves. 
                    

                    There is that we cannot stop or even change. We may not be able to stop the truck coming toward us. but we may very well be able to get out of its way. We can act. We can adapt. We have made crosswalks, and pedestrian over- passes and underpasses to! We can make preparations for the future, even a fast approaching future.
                    

                    Many changes are celestial. To us many of us, those changes seem very slow some, others very fast. Most of them we cannot change. We can adapt to a great many of them.
                   

                     It may be pleasant to know that many problematic changes are not our fault. Still we causing ourselves trouble by avoiding even thoughts of some problems we can take care of or make corrections for. If we will, there is much we can do. There is that which each one of us can do, which we can do now. We are adaptable and able, each of us. 
                    

                    There are climate changes we do not welcome and which are causing more and more problems. However, there are problems which do not seem directly related to climate changes or our lack of understanding. What about volcanoes. There are times of more volcanism and times of more.There are times of less earthquakes and times of more. There are times when it is not easy adapt more. Major changes to the Sun ocure which we cannot, but have adapeted to. Large comets and asteroide seem to have had times of being more or less active. There are happenings which we have been unable to stop, but we have often had the ability to adapt before or after the effects of such happenings. 
                                     

                For now I just offer a view of that which seems to  have begun to cross our path.
    

                To avoid being overwhelming, I'll restrict myself to telling a bit about melting ice and thawing permafrost, and that which is being released.
     

                    Here goes, to begin with its water, a lot of it. Ten feet high and rising. Not surprising, but true.
   

                     A few years ago some 75 year old anthrax was released and it killed about twenty reindeer and one boy. Merry Christmas. Some snow and ice was bulldozed over it. That snow and ice is melting. 
    

                    Some radioactive waste has been exposed. And oh, oh. Some think more is being exposed.
   

                    Some very old antibiotic resistant bacteria is being released and no one is stopping that release. And, other bacteria are reviving.

    

                    Happenings keep happening.
   

                     Who is to blame. Not me. A fair number of good scientists say that slow and not so slow shifts, and wobbles, and such of our Earth's axis have been causing changes in our climate since long before Noah. Right now the best of them are saying that such axial tipping has led to a warming of our northern hemisphere, because we are tipping so as to get a bit more sunshine each year. That's probably not the fault of anyone we know.
     

                    Now that you might be semi-stunned, I'll put out some more thoughts, information, a couple of questions and a suggestion that you begin to check some of this out for yourself.
    

                    There is now a rapid release of antique methane gas from arctic and subarctic melts and thaws. Could that include the release of  ancient virus?
    

                    Could such melting and thawing turn out to be an existential threat to humanity?
   

                     May pay us to wake up and be more aware.
     

                    Permafrost, by the way, is frozen wet soil and plant matter that has frozen many yards down. Its been frozen so long that it has been called permafrost and houses and airports have been built on it.
   

                     Among the matter being released from thawing permafrost are gases including CO2 and methane. We have a lot to learn. You may have to look stuff up. I did.
    

                    Methane burns and causes burning which puts more CO2 in our atmosphere--which is our "greenhouse gas." Greenhouse gas causes warming of the Earth which causes the melting of  Earth's ice and permafrost which releases ... Of course  burning causes  the release of other stuff too. Like soot. Black soot covers white snow and frost and being as dark as soot, absorbs heat from the sun and so causes the melting of snow, ice, and permafrost which releases... You can start to figure it out.
   

                    Methane and other stuff being release can be useful. Methane's the main part of "natural gas" widely used for cooking and heating.
    

                    Then again methane is  suffocating, colorless, odorless and is increasing as a percentage of our atmosphere. I remember it being called swamp gas and as causing mysterious fires in swamps.
    

                     I hope our youth find more time to learn more about chemistry than we did. There is a lot to learn. We might end up learning a thing or two ourselves. This "new" world may be a tough place for an old man and not so easy for an older woman either.
     

                    Just about thawing and melting there is much more to learn. For example, northern ice in contact with warming sea water is melting and releasing  ancient matter into the sea and that includes mercury. Mercury accumulates in plants and animals and often does them harm. Top feeders, like humans, get harmed a lot.
    

                    Now I find that shallow seas and not so shallow seas have at their bottom earth and vegetative matter frozen to great depths much like permafrost. And now like permafrost it has begun to melt and release methane and much else. There in the sea depths CO2, virus, bacteria, and uncounted other materials are being released into the water and air.
    

                    The sun shines east and the sun shines west. The sun shines best on that part of the Earth tipped toward it. That's us here in our northern hemisphere. Earth's axis slowly and not so slowly wobbles and tips a bit differently each year. The tip we are now experiencing is one of the more extreme tips of recent centuries. Lucky us.  
    

                    Changes are a bit more extreme than we have experienced in our history. So, for example, Canada may soon have the best far north year round sea ports seen in our time on Earth. They can expect some competition from Russia. Canada may grow tropical fruit in their south. However they may both hundreds of years before either grows another good wheat crop. I may be exaggerating a bit but, great climate changes lead to great changes in growing patterns
   

                     Some of this stuff needs to be repeated to sink in. From the thaws and melts in our north come massive emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases, and also a variety of microorganisms. These emissions lead to other changes. 

    

                    Metals are being released, among them, mercury. Mercury is toxic, causes brain damage and it accumulates in human bodies as well as in fish, fowl, cattle, etc. Mercury accumulates in seaweed I'm told. We use a seaweed product to make ice-cream.  So, one way we may help our children is to take away their ice-cream.
    

                    Sorry, but stuff is happening and more shit is coming. Its a good thing that we can learn, We have a lot of learning to do. We still have the job of taking care of ourselves and our children. There are not only massive emissions of CO2 and methane already here, but ancient and new sources of disease are also being released. And we are still having trouble protecting ourselves from one weak little c19 virus.
     

                    Frozen fungi, spore, bacteria, and virus are being released from 500 years ago, 1,000 years ago, 10,000 years ago, 20,000 years, 30, 40, an 50 thousand years of frozen sleep! Many are reviving. Some have been revived. Most are of little danger to us even when they are very live. Some are of value to humanity. Some others would sicken and kill us. Where did C19 come from. Weak little bugger.
   

                     Researchers have revived one virus which had been frozen for more than 30,000 years. It was reactivated, revived right before their eyes. It is one, it seems, which does us no harm.
     

                    There are things we can do to protect ourselves and our children. You can think of a thing or two yourself. With friends and neighbors, more. With the help of students of the problems and of scientists, even more. With cooperation we can do a lot. We can organize, We can handle these dangerous changes. Trying seems a lot better than calling one another names.
    

                    Some few persons began to do what they can some years ago. They have been doing what they can to protect themselves and others. Some have been collecting and saving seeds and storing them in 'safe'' places. Crops that were once grown on one continent may no longer grow there. That's a big change which can cause massive movements of people and crops. Some people will find it useful to have seeds which will grow where they are. One of the largest and most famous of these 'safe' sites for seeds came to be called the Doomsday Vault. That vault for preserving seed has been invaded by melt water. Melting is proceeding faster than anticipated.
         

                    Change continues at a faster rate then we have been accustomed to.
    

                    Bacteria dormant for many centuries and trapped in permafrost and ice are reviving with warming and melting, and thawing. This release is happening much more rapidly than we were prepared for. Time to get busy.
    Some good things may happen automatically. Perhaps one of the few bacteria that can be deadly to humans will kill enough of us so that we will no longer feel the need to kill so many of one another as we have for so long.
    We know that vectors for anthrax, smallpox, Spanish flu have long been trapped in ice and permafrost. And now that some are reviving. Might we be able to learn something from our public health expert that we can use to help one another.
    We were once accustomed to cooperate to protect one another. I bet that there are some truly helpful things we can do. We could try killing fewer foreign health experts. I'm willing to try.
     Recently history seems to be catching up with us. A couple of years ago a 30,000 year old non dangerous virus revived. An 8 million year old virus is said to have revived. A giant virus has revived. Potentially dangerous virus are reviving. Recent studies suggest that antibiotic resistant bacteria many millions of years old are reviving. Holy Moly!
    It might be good to start some conversation about practical doings for interested parties to take up. We could ask experts what's what. We can get ourselves taught. We could try to arrange to cooperate to live.
    Do you think that this has been less than a pile of words. Check it out for veracity. If you don't know how to check it out, this might be the time to learn.

                    Some blame for our state of affairs may correctly be placed on us, but a large number of good scientists suggest some causes are universal or, at least, solar systemic. The speak of slow and not so slow shifts, wobbles and such, of our Earth's axis have been causing changes in the Earth's climate since long before Noah and to this day.Right now the best of them are saying that it is clear that such axial tipping has led to warming of our northern hemisphere, because we are being tipped so as to get more sunshine here. Others say the results may be complicated by other factors. That's probably not the fault of anyone we know.

Still, if we want to be comfy here on Earth we need to make some adjustments in our lives.

                    I suggest that it would be useful for more of us to continue checking this stuff out. We can learn how to do so.

                    We know that one thing leads to another. There is now a rapid release of antique methane gas from arctic and subarctic melts and thaws, and that leads to other changes. As an example methane gas has a stronger greenhouse effect than does co2. An interesting side effect is that the melts and more specifically the thaws lead to the release of reviving ancient virus.

                    So melting arctic ice causes a number of threats to humanity. I also means that Canada and Russia are getting some new sea trade routes.

                    It is healthy for us and our youth to keep up on that which is going on with a bit more understanding of what it means for our well being. It pays for us and ours to be aware of our situation so as to be more ready to adapt.

                    I have probably already said that permfrost is no longer permanent and is made up mostly of frozen soil and plant matter which has been frozen deep into the earth and even deep into the earth below the sea. That matter releases microbes, methane, co2 and more, most of which has deleterious effects on us. The permafrost seemed so permanent that constructed buildings and airports on it. It is now quickly changing from cement like ice to slush and the remains of  ages.

                    We have a lot to learn. Many of us are just hearing about  the nature of co2 and methane. You can tell us what you are learning by using the "comments" app below.   

                    Methane can catch on fire with no help from us. That fire releases co2 which leads to climate warming. That will be good to know when another Ice Age begins. We have come to know co2 as a greenhouse gas which causes warming of the Earth which causes the melting of polar ice leading to a rise in sea level and the release of methane,etc.

                    Of course burning causes the release of other stuff too. Stuff like soot which is damaging to lungs. Black soot also lands on white snow and frost. being dark it absorbs heat from the sun and so transmits heat to snow and ice melting it; that melting has is own effects and around we go.

                    There is probably a way to capture some of the released methane. We can use it for cooking and heating, but that releases co2. Methane is the main portion of the natural gas we use in our homes. We know it as a colorless suffocating gas. The percentage of methane in our atmosphere is increasing. I do not think that our sky will burn, but I do remember that what we called swamp gas is methane and it caused mysterious fires in swamps.

                    I hope our youth will have time to learn more chemistry than we did. There is a lot to learn. Much of it good and interesting. We could do some learning on our own. This new world may be a tough place for a old man and not easy for an older woman either.

                    There is a lot to learn just about melting and thawing. Polar ice in contact with sa water is melting and releasing ancient matter faster than ever.

Just the addition of so much fresh water so quickly causes problems for sea life and even so changes the flow of sea water so much that it causes other climate changes. The matter released includes mercury. Mercury accumulates in plants and animals doing them harm.We eat sea life. Top feeders like humans can get harmed a lot. We can find out what to do about that.

                    Not very long ago, I learned that in shallow seas and in some not so shallow, that there is soil, plant matter, and more which has frozen deeply into the earth at the bottom of the sea. It is subsea permafrost and it is melting, quickly. It has been frozen long and long. That melting permafrost is releasing methane and much else. I don't think the sea will burn, but the gas might as it bubbles to the surface.Among other things being released are co2, virus, bacteria fungus, and heavy metals like mercury. Ancient life is reviving. 

                    The sun shines east and the sun shines west. The sun shines best on that part of the Earth tipped or turned moat toward it. That seems to be us in our northern hemisphere. Although here in the Colombian highlands the sun does shine but its often cold and rainy. All the Earth's climate is affected by our changing relationship with the Sun, bit each part a bit differently. Over time the orientation of the Earth changes; sometimes slowly at other times not so slowly. The tip we are experiencing is one more extreme for a long time. Lucky us. We are having a learning experience.