Way of Learning

 RCS Posts: Learning/teaching/culture. Learning Activity

 

                A teacher's activity and the activity of a student both have esoteric facets. Nevertheless, most of us have important understandings of both learning and teaching.

                A teacher arranges data, facts, information, and knowledge for students to do the same for themselves and for others. Also a teacher aims aims to avoid damaging a student's motivation. It's the transmission of culture.

                A teacher helps students to use logic, definitions, and analysis to their benefit and the benefit of their world. Who was it that said teaching is easy?

                Good teacher's words are often like tiny seeds which may be held in many different hands and are pregnant with meaning. A simple utterance, like "The beginning is half of the whole." may confuse one for a time, but later help that one through difficult times. 

                A teacher's words may be powerful and impart power, and being so, also be dangerous. A good teacher offers them as tiny, easily controlled sparks which may, in time, spark a productive fire which makes a smith's fire seem small.

                To be a truly good learner or disciple, is to be heard by the teacher. Too be heard the pupil must speak. The teacher is a reacher. A teacher wants to extend himself or herself to the learner. Good teachers and good students must both be good listeners. Good listening is not easy. That good teacher wants to be prompt to hear, to listen, and to understand. A hard job, a difficult one. But, first the disciple must speak; often not an easy task. Even so it is best that the disciple speak well. Disciple and master desire to retain and preserve in memory the better part of that which is heard and to understand it. Each interprets and probably reinterprets.

                A good student dismisses nothing which is taught until the the rudiments are mastered. It can sometimes seem much to swallow. But one does well to first try to ingest or create a kind of framework for those rudiments. It's okay to swallow a bit of framework; try it you may like it. I once thought of it as a set of hooks that I could hang stuff on and not let it just fall out of my mind. It an organizing feature early on. I could hang similar stuff on the same hook or on near hooks. They were there for me to use, check out, and from time to time to say something like, "Ah, I see!  

                Sometimes just one interesting fact or piece of information may be held as a kind of magnet for related information until some organization emerges. That organization can be the beginning of one of a student's frameworks. That framework as a student owns it, ought to be kept flexible. A student may come  to love a "framework" that has proven useful in her life only to find she has to let go of it and to replace it with one more realistic. Learning can be difficult and relearning no easier. 

                As life goes on, a learner may find that he has made useful places to hang, some say attach, new information and new understandings of a similar or corresponding nature. He may find hat he has created a place to do analysis.

                As one observes one's learning one may see something like the above happening much on its own. Co-operating with that happening can often be a productive practice.

                The good teacher may offer a ready-made framework as part of a lesson on, say, analysis. The good student is grateful.

                Thank you for reading.

                                                                        rcs

        

 

How to search This Blog Site

 

RCS Posts: Hints for searching this blog and  giving yourself a chance of finding what you are looking for, or, at least  some interesting stuff.

             Using "Labels" in the right hand column or the search function at the top left side of the page are to good ways to find what you are looking for.

            

            Find interesting topics by a search of "Labels" in the right hand column of this blog. Read and scroll down. When you find your topic click on it an seen what comes up.

             Or, Look at the upper left-hand corner of the blog and see the space to print your one or two word search for your topic of interest, click on the magnifying glass and see what appears on your page.

            When you type a word into that white blank in the upper left-hand corner of this blog and then click on the magnifying glass you may instructively surprised.


            Searches can be fun and finding what you want is satisfying.

 

            Tell me if you want more search info.



                                                                    by Richard

Read These Posts in a Language of Your Choice

RCS Posts: You can read these posts in your own language with just a click.

                If you are from Sri Lanka, Brazil, Singapore, Pakistan, Peru, Estonia, Russia, Slovenia, Argentina, Switzerland, Belgium, Malaysia, Portugal, Cyprus, Austria, Mexico, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, Netherlands, Malta, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, or  Uruguay, Chile, South Africa, Afghanistan, our translation function is pretty sure to have a language with which you are comfortable 
  
            Check the top left hand column of this blog and see the translation app. Click on the language you are comfortable with. The translations are not always perfect, but many of our posts translate well.

                                                            RCS

  

Colombian Natural Regions

RCS Posts: A Great Variety of Regions in Colombia!

                                                  

 

 

     It's alive. It's a great biosphere of variety and activity. There is desert, rivers, a great variety of altitudes an climates. There are two oceans and the Amazon, There are people, coffee, and a lot of flowers. People of many nations say that parts of the country side reminds them of their own country.

 

                                                                            rcs

 

Using Herbs and Spices

 RCS Posts: Enhance flavors for better eating

                We can benefit by using herbs to enhance the flavor of fruits, cheeses, and meats. Use herbs to provide new, interesting, and delicious flavors to your food. Herbs add rare and valuable nutrients to your dining. The savor they add can amaze. Below are ways specific herbs have been successfully  matched  with a given food.

Experiment with the following combinations:

Beef: bay chives, cloves, cumin, red pepper, marjoram, savory bay leaves, mustard, black pepper, red chilies, red pepper, horseradish with fatty roasts .....

Lamb: garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary........

Pork: Coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, savory, thyme.....

Cheese: basil, chervil, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, marjoram, parsley....

Fruit: aníse, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, lemon, verbena, mint, rose geranium, sweet cicely....

Suggestions:

~ It is often good to begin with a recipe.
~ Herbs are often potent, they can be costly, Use them sparingly(at first),
~ Experiment with herbs one at a time on yourself before offering your creation to a friend.
~ Make little(or big) slits in roasts and put select herbs in those slits.
~ Buy herbs one at a time and at first try them one at a time. 
~ Start with herbs mentioned most often here or elsewhere.

                Eating joy and health.


                                                                                    RCS

Green Colombia

Green Colombia: hydro-electric power and clean water

     

Colombians are supporting practical plans to:

~ restore the native riparian vegetation along streams. They want cleaner water in the quebradas cleaner water for the veredas.

~ development of decentralize networks for supplying many megawatts of renewable energy with the many small efficient generators now available.

~ improve shipping strategies so many more are delivered using less packaging and fuel.

~ establish reliable methods of measuring progress in emissions reduction.

~ increases local food production in urban greenbelts and elsewhere.

~ encourage foot, bicycle, and transit use with practical design and inventiveness.

~ devote more(60%)of new city development to green space. 

Others elsewhere can and are supporting similar practical plans.

                                                                                        by Richard

 

Free, Democratic, Inclusive

  History With RCS: Cossack, Ukrainian, and Free

 

                Cossacks have been free men and democratic. They have only been known to history since about 650 AD. They have been active in self-governing communities for well over a thousand years. They have been open, inclusive, with a Slavic bent. They knew a world from Siberia to Lithuania and up and down for many years, but were drawn to a certain land.

                The Ukrainian Cossack State was formed in about 1650 in what is now central Ukraine. Their leaders were elected.

                Through the years they have been few. Democracy is not easy. They experienced much, and stayed free among strong neighbors such as Poland, Russia, and Lithuania. Among such neighbors they continued to show a strong will for self-governance.

                They formed the Ukrainian Peoples Republic in 1917 to 1921, the western Ukrainian Peoples Republic 1918 to 1919, and the Ukrainian Peoples Republic in exile  from 1920 to 1992.

                They were among the very first members of the Soviet Union with its promise of self-governing citizens. They may have been the first to leave that Union when it showed little will to self-governing citizenship.

                They were among the charter members of the United Nations with its promise of a chance for peace and freedom. They have not given up on their fellow members yet. 

                Ah, yes, I believe that at the breakup of the Soviet Union the were left with one of the greatest stock of atomic weapons on Earth and gave up that stock to the U.N.

                They have been few and still are. They are still a mixture of races, nationalities, and religions. They are a free democratic people self selected from that mixture.

                We might mention that while all this was going on they, with the help of a few viking Norsemen, created Russia. Oh, and they had a modern republic type written constitution in 1710.

                I believe that a history of the cultures most effecting these people could be traced back another 4,000 years. However, before about 650 AD they were little recognized in history as a discrete people. Throughout perhaps a thousand years of their history they stayed freer, more democratic, and inclusive than most. They have had to defend themselves and they have. They have also kept the hope and faith that they could live a free people among free people. They have  seen inclusiveness, freedom, and democracy disappear like smoke again and again. Still they hold a vision of that freedom and self governance closer and dearer than do most.

               Please feel free to correct this work or add to it in the "comments" section below or just to click on a social media button just below.

                Ukraine. Ukraine. Ukraine.

                Thank you for reading.

 

                                                                        rcs

                                                                     

Green Chemistry Initiative

RCS Posts: Awareness is raising in chemistry 

Chemistry? Yes, chemistry.

The following web sites have much to say about green chemistry.  


 communities.acs.org

 greenchemuoft.ca



Green is good.


                                                                                                by Richard Sheehan
                                                                                                for you

Science: Early Notes

 RCS Posts: Introducing science. The practice of science is a way to understanding.

 

            Science is the practice of a method of understanding and of communicating that understanding. Some say that science may be defined by the scientific method. This method can be a good aid to  self development and too becoming a more successful human being.

 

            By becoming better acquainted with this method one becomes a more knowing individual. One gains a better understanding of all the sciences. One may even discover a useful scientific attitude toward one's world. 

 

            The scientific method generally includes the following doings: observation, identification, recognition, discovery, experimentation, and the theoretical explanation of natural phenomena. So, a scientist observes a doing or happening, tests it, and begins to explain it. The method is how he does this. How one does it may be more important than what one does. 

 

            If you feel yourself getting interested in science you can benefit much by gaining a more fulsome understanding of the vocabulary of the paragraph above including: phenomena, identification, theoretical, recognition, and discovery. You may benefit more by asking for the scientific meaning of each. Two places you can do that are by checking online and by asking me to elaborate.

 

            "Science" is, at heart, knowledge. It has come to name a special way of gaining that knowledge. That special way has come to be called the "scientific method." The method is not complicated. However, skill in its use needs to be developed. Science is a way of coming to know; a powerful way. It is also an effective way of communicating that knowledge.

 

            The scientific method is the main way science is done. 

 

            Now that you are likely to be realizing that the scientific method is a practical and productive way of gaining knowledge, let me assure you that is also for gaining a useful understanding of each of the many individual sciences.

            The process of science and the gaining of all knowledge is often best begun with observation. You can check out some of the ways of observation online. Also let me know what you want to know more of. I will be please to share whatever I know.

 

I            I suppose that you now get that I believe that observation is important to the doing of science and, indeed, to most knowledge getting. What one does is observe. That is done by using one's senses and is best done by searching carefully. How you do it may include the use of instrumentation. It is done attentively, noting, and recording. Observation can lead to developing to a judgement or inference. Where might it all lead!

            Identification is the next step in the method. There are ways of conducting the process of identification. Those ways may differ from science to science. However, the way of identification can inclued the finding of: the origin of a phenomenon, its nature, and its definitive elements. For certain sciences it might be to detrmaine its taxonomic classification.

            Just below the end of this post there is a window in which you may make corrections and additions to this content, and also to ask questions and make comments. You may begin that procecess or to explore it click on "comments" there. Should you encounter "no coments" clock anyway.

            As you continue to learn more about science you will come to understand more including public health issuse and scientific reporting. You may find yourself being attracted to a specific  science. Every on can have a favorite science. Or, you may finding yourself asking for the details of the effectivness of a new drug, or for a better exposition of the evidence, and stuff like that. 

            You could find yourself reminding a friend that the correlation between two variables does nor mean that one one causes the other, and maybe even giving a clear explanation of why that is a fact.

             Your interest may lead you to an interest in the politics of research and health policy decisions or that of access science.

 

            You may find another science related posts on this blog.

 

            Thank you for reading.

 

 

             

            

 

Trauma

RCS Posts: Who among us has not suffered trauma, physical, mental, emotional trauma                 

 

             Trauma, especially long lasting trauma, has mostly negative effects on us. It often wounds us, scars us, and trains us. Yes, trains us; teaches responses and habits and points of view. The training often results in learning that is counter productive in many life situations. 

 

            A prison term is often powerfully traumatizing. Prison wounds and trains. It leaves scars and engraves memories. And, of course, it changes the course of a life, for life. Its a sort of life sentence. 

            Months in certain military situations changes one similarly. There are reasons that we say war is hell.

            In one's lifetime there might occur a variety of trauma. A crippling accident and the death of one's child are dramatic and serious examples. However, few traumatizing situations are institutionalized and as socially sanctioned as are war and prison.

            We now have more of our fellows in prison for less reason then ever; more than any other nation or country. We pay a lot to traumatize others. Such payments may in time be traumatizing in themselves. We need to become aware that liberated prisoners are in need of help. Sometimes part of the help he needs may be called spiritual. He(or she) may need retraining in their craft or profession. She may benefit greatly from support to attend weekly meetings with recovering persons with similar trauma.

            A prisoner or a kidnapped person has probably too long suffered traumatizing mental pressure and is in need of care and a reintroduction to society. A man we have trained to kill for us and has killed for us needs similar reintroduction and care.

            A prisoner has, from his very release, suffered a moral deformity. How much deformation may he have suffered during his term as a prisoner? Still his sudden freedom is another trauma. 

            Saying, and knowing, that we too have suffered trauma does little to change the reality of another who has so suffered. Telling him (and her) of what you have suffered and listening to him tell what he has suffered may do a bit to heal that suffering. Perhaps even you and others could benefit from a kind of debriefing. Sharing a hurtful, angering, desocializing, embittering, experience with another who has so suffered has proved healing for many. Such interchange often seems to ease the heart and also to more usefully arrange the memories.

            However, we need to keep in mind a kidnap victim, a prisoner, a warrior  Has other needs: food, housing, clothing, health care, education, and more. Perhaps more than anything a good income well earned.

            After the shock of release from what has often been a painful demeaning situation,has settled, bitterness often comes. Release is a relief but, one has been hurt and hurt often turns to anger. With the passage of time and, hopefully, some help that anger may turn to a kind of bitterness. The bitterness is not unnatural but, it does not make for a happy camper.  One may go on to suffer a long term of an unpleasant disillusionment and bitterness for  damn good reasons 

 There there may be more to come.

                                                                            by Richard

 

 

Dumbded Down

 RCS Posts: Education: You may be helpless, we are not.          

     

            My old aunt spoke to me long ago of "the numbing of America" and now I have struggle against it a bit. We each are responsible our teaching our children as best we can. We can do better.We do not have to believe all we hear. These topics ought to be of some importance and use to us.

 

            The US is not the only place dumbing has been practiced. We need not be helpless. Let's educate ourselves and our children much, much better.

 

            Our duming may not be completely our own fault. There is some evidence of coordinated effort to dumb us. We need not worry much about that we are capable of educating ourselves. We are many and there is help available. Self education and self governance takes co-operation. Organization is only a step above co-operation.

            Together we can become less vulnerable to fear and hysteria. neither of these help our  organization, co-operation, education, responsibilities, rights, or freedom.

                                                                rcs

 

Aortic Valve Stenosis

 R C S  Posts, health: Its about the heart and circulation

                "Aortic Valve Stenosis," at first look seems to be no diagnosis at all. However, when compared to a great many other diagnoses, an aortic valve stenosis seems more precise and useful than do many. It is an unhealthy narrowing of that valve opening. It says nothing about preventing it, curing it, or living with it. It does point out an unhealthy state.

                Aortic, refers to the aorta. The aorta is an artery. A artery is a blood vessel which carries blood away from the heart an so carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues of one's body. It is considered to be the main artery of the human body. It may be said to originate in the left ventricle of one's heart. A ventricle of the heart is one of the two large chambers toward the bottom of the heart.  The ventricles collect and expel blood received from an atrium.Their are two atria in the human heart. The left atrium receives blood from the lungs.That blood has been oxygenated in the lungs.

                The two atria are the smaller, upper, thin-walled chambers through which blood enters the ventricles.

                There is a lot of somewhat unusual vocabulary used when the human circulatory system is spoken of. Pictures help. I need help doing pictures. There are lots of useful visual aids available online. Its mostly free. If you find something particularly good, please tells us about it in the "comments" widow below this post.

                It looks to me like freshly oxygenated blood from the lungs arrives at the left atrium from largish vessels, one from each lung. From the left atrium, the blood passes through the mitral valve to the left ventricle. Blood from that left ventricle is moved though the aortic valve to the entire body, toes and brain.      

                The mitral valve is opened and closed through two flaps. It lies between the left atrium and left ventricle. As do all heart valves, it allows blood to flow in one direction only. A poorly functioning mitral valve can often lead to heart damage and death.

                Back to stenosis of the aortic valve. An aortic valve which fails to fully close or open fully or not at all cause problems. If not at all the problem is short due to  prompt death. For me the problem seems to be lack of oxygen reaching cells and then of nutrients not arriving too. Right now it feels as though even my heart is feeling that lack a lot. The more blockage the less life until no life at all.

                So, the aortic valve controls the blood flow between the left ventricle and the aorta. Remember that the aorta is the large important artery through which blood with its oxygen an nutrients are delivered to the entire body from toes of feet to brain complete. The aortic valve controls this delivery and prevents back flow. If the valve stays closed one dies, brain, body, and all. If it stays open the heart heart fails and one dies, body, brain, and. When it stays partly open or closed one partly dies.

                I have this in mind because I have recently been assured that aortic valve stenosis has been add to my spinal cord stenosis. It now seems my aortic stenosis is likely to kill me long before my spinal cord stenosis can do enough damage to kill me.

                 The following continues to be a bit about me. I am told that this process of narrowing of is common and probably not the first in me. I knew that because I have been diagnosed with what has been called a progressive spinal stenosis. And I have also been told that I have a sort of general atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis and that is a sort of narrowing. And then I have been told that I have collapsed moribund capillaries in the brain and that is sort of extreme narrowing. And now I am reminded of being called narrow minded.

                I am pretty sure that my aortic valve can realistically be called A key valve in my circulatory system. I have been privileged to see my valve failing to open and close fully in full motion black and white. And at the same time have seen the acumulations of calcium there that I have been told were showing up on my x-rays.

                I have been experiencing lacks of energy these days with less recuperation. I am told that it is probably do to my diminished blood flow. That sounds reasonable. I now have to rest during showering and must take breaks during dressing. I awaken exhausted. I find more energy at times nearly every day. I can eat at the dinning room table, watch TV, and do this, but not all at the same time. 

                I had feelings and episodes that now suggest blood circulation problems. My more recent experience of fatigue, exhaustion, and lack of energy came on suddenly just before the pandemic. That appears to be belated to obstruction of flow at the valve. Awakening exhausted must be related to something.

                So far I have been unable to consult a cardiologist, but believe I have and appointment for this month of January of 2022! 

                I continue to adjust my exercise program to my actual abilities.

               Thanks for reading.

               As always comments about content are appreciated.     

 

                                                            RCS        

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

A Book: Writing Without Teachers, an Elbow Work

  Peter Elbow, on editing, assertions, inspiration, and a way to better writing.             

                 Some notes of mine from a book by Peter Elbow about learning to write without teachers I am rediscovering that he seems to be a very good teacher and writer. I am learning from these old notes. Maybe you can learn from them too. I intend to publish some posts dealing with them. This particular post is about editing one's writing.

                Mr. Elbow's book was published by Oxford University Press in the early 1970s. It is entitled: Writing Without Teachers. You may want to find a copy for yourself.

                From my earlier reading and from my present notes I have come so familiar with Peter Elbow I feel I can call him Peter.

                    According to Peter, you may come to a point when you say, "I see what I have been driving at; I see what I have been stumbling around trying to say."

                When you agree with Elbow, ah, Peter, that editing means figuring out what you really want to say, getting it clear in your head, getting it unified into an organized structure, and then getting it into your best words, and throwing away the rest; at that point you are ready for some editing That seems a bit much and not completely clear. Maybe you ought to read Peter's book.

                Time to struggle for the exact phrase, cut out he dead wood. If you find yourself in trouble, it may finally be time to write out an outline.

                A useful outline is a list of full assertions - one for each paragraph. Assertions are complete sentences pointing to a real configuration. The list of assertions logically progress to a single assertion. Having done this you have worked your way up to a point at which you can work down through your editing.

                When you are interested in improving your writing or just a little inspiration for your writing go to Write With RCS at URL address: https://wwrcs.blogspot.com

               



                                                                                                                by Richard Sheehan

Got to Thinking About Chemistry

RCS Posts "science:" Chemicals have effects on us: good, bad, and all in between, depending upon our knowledge and our actions.

 

                 I know that for many chemistry is not the greatest topic and on top of that all my memories are not great. However we do know that there is a lot of chemistry in our lives and we are usually aware that their effects on us are bad and good and, a lot in between. 

                As I thought of chemistry I remembered how I had mixed "Ingredients" in lots of little bottles I had collected when not much more than a toddler. 

                 Next I thought about my '"experiments" with alcohol when I was about eight. 

                After that I remembered a rather nice chemistry set my parents got for me when I as about eleven.  My younger brothers got deeply into it before I had explored it much. My little brothers ate much of their "experiments." At the time I might have had some hope that those experiments of their might lead to really terrible stomachaches. 

                Then came to mind a time that I was looking for a classroom in a high-school new to me. In the course of this process I walked into a classroom and saw on the wall a abundantly daunting chart. Next I saw a teacher sitting at a desk and asked him about the chart. He told me it was the periodic tables. I asked, "Of what?"  He said "Chemical elements.  I thanked him and as I walked out I thought, "No chemistry for me." I had forgotten to ask about my class.

                But...chemistry effects all of us and we do have some responsibility for our own well-being. 

                As I glanced through an article on, I guess, the ecology of chemistry, I began to think "toxic," "toxic chemicals." Sorry.

Then the questions began to come:

~ How can I find out about the toxicity of the chemicals in my life? Our lives?

~ Who can help us get the fact straight?

~ What are the chemicals in my life?

~ Who will help us to find out how toxic a given chemical is?

~ Who wants to confuse us about the facts? 

~ What do we want? need? expect? deserve?

~ What symptoms are there? Would on need an antidote?

~ How can we get what we want?

~ How can we find out how a chemical concoction is best used? Is there an effective and less toxic substitute.

~ Is there a chemical which is never toxic?

~ How are we as a people determining sound environmental practices?

                Sometimes when the questions start they just just keep coming.

                I believe that some of the answers are likely to be very important to us. Very important to the US.

                It is OK to reread the questions above.

                My ignorance of chemicals, chemistry, and governance effects chemicals not at all. It does effect me and may effect you. I am willing to be willing to learn and to co-operate.

                                                           by Richard Sheehan

                 All of your  comments are important to me. Constructive ones are supper important.Any comment is great. Comments please. Even comments about my spelling are wonderful.A comment about content is very, very good. If they are negative they are great. I am not a fast learner, but even a negative comment can be a great learning aid. 

                                                                RCS

 

A Method of Undstanding and Way to Knowledge

RCS Posts Science including: phenomena, inference, observation, and method

 

                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.

                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, lets 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.

                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

Health: Tao Internal Execise

RCS Posts, health: An introduction to Taoist internal exercises. Chinese practices from 4,500 BC to today.          

 

            Certain Taoists have long practiced health and energy related activities which they have called "internal exercises." I have not become a practicant of of the exercises. However, my aunt Virginia introduced me to them long ago an they still interest me. I am now developing an exercise program more suitable to my present age. Although I know that I sometimes tend to to overdevelop a program or practice, I have thought to include some of these ancient Chinese practices in my exercise program.

        There are many kinds of Taoists, some of them laughable. Still many of their practices are built around a very strong core. When something worked, they used it. When it did not, it was discarded.
        Many of the suggestions I may include in future writings have their origins in that which were known by Taoists in about 4500 BC and certainly have roots which are much older. 

        I am willing to try that which has worked well for others to see if it works for me. The notes I am working from right now I jotted down while reading a work by a Chinese doctor by the name of S. T. Chang who worked in the time of the controversial Chinese Empress Chi Shee. 

        In this work I will probably attend much to exercises called Deer, Crane, and Turtle. Developers and practitioners of these believe that there is an inherent and natural process in which  man is important and that a man who follows the rules of earth is more likely to do well than one who does not.

        I plan to write more on this topic. If the topic seems one that may be useful to you you might check out Taoism and the Tao online as you wait for this, sometimes turtle-like write to write more.


by Richard Sheehan