Abrupt Climate Changes

This article was about the opposite situation of the current problem of global warming. The possible relevance is that it shows that the current assumption that climate changes are gradual is wrong. For all we know, we could be on the verge of a tipping point already.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152137.htm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 4, 2008) — Researchers in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States have shown, for the first time, that an extremely fast climate change occurred in Western Europe. This took place long before human-made changes in the atmosphere, and is causatively associated with a sudden change in the wind systems.
...
The proof of an extreme cooling within a short number of years 12,700 years ago was attained in sediments of the volcanic lake Meerfelder Maar in the Eifel region of Germany. The seasonally layered deposits allow to precisely determine the rate of climate change. With a novel combination of microscopic research studies and modern geochemical scanner procedures, the scientists were able to successfully reconstruct the climatic conditions even for individual seasons. In particular, the changes in the wind force and direction during the winter half-year caused the climate to topple over into a completely different mode within one year after a short instable phase of a few decades.

Don't kill the whales

Don't Kill the Whales
copyright Patricia M. Shannon 1989

Don't kill the whales, let them roam free
deep in their home in the sea.
We have no right to destroy a whole race,
what we've done to the earth is a bloody disgrace.
Open your eyes before it's too late,
what we do to the world will be our own fate.
Don't kill the whales, let them roam free
deep in their home in the sea.

Don't clearcut the woods, let them grow tall,
a home for creatures great and small.
A place for the birds, the frogs, and the bears,
where the fox and the bobcat make their lairs.
Creator of soil and cleanser of air,
if the woods were all gone, our souls would be bare.
Don't clear the woods, let them grow tall,
for the bears cannot live in a shopping mall!

Conserve energy, recycle that can,
the earth needs the help of each woman and man.
Don't drive the car when you can take the bus,
for pollution hurts everyone of us.
Don't let the earth become barren sands,
the fate of the earth is in our hands.
Conserve energy, recycle that can,
the earth needs the help of each woman and man.

Hey Fever! The Surprise Benefit Of Allergies

There have already been indications that people with strong allergic responses might be more resistant to parasites, and that the paucity of parasites in modern life causes an increase in allergies. This is because the part of the immune system that would otherwise be occupied fighting parasites doesn't have enough real threats to keep it occupied, and so "fights" normally harmless allergens.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133643.htm

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2008) — Long-suffering victims of allergies such as asthma and hay fever might enjoy a surprise benefit, according to research led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

In a paper presented at an international symposium in Sydney, the researchers show that people with one of these atopic diseases are up to 25 percent less likely to get the most common type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL).
...

The more atopic diseases the individual has, the less likely they are to succumb to NHL. If an individual has three of these conditions, they are 40 percent less likely to get NHL.

Having had asthma and hay fever for a long time, also appears to be of greater benefit.

The result is significant given that the incidence of NHL in developed countries has escalated dramatically in the past 50 years. It is three times more prevalent now than it was in 1950, making it the sixth most common cause of cancer death in Australia, yet the cause of most cases remains unknown.

"This was a surprise result," said the lead author, Dr Claire Vajdic. "The only known strong risk factors for NHL are immune deficiency and certain infections. This occurs in people with uncontrolled HIV infection, and those who have had a solid organ transplant.

"So we thought other forms of immune dysregulation such as atopic diseases – including hayfever, asthma and food allergies – might relate to the development of lymphoma. It was therefore intuitive to think that these conditions would increase the risk, but in fact, they do the reverse," she said.

The research found that risk was reduced in B-cell NHL only. This is the most common type of NHL.

"While the relevant biological mechanisms are not yet known, the pooled data indicate that chronic and multiple atopic conditions impart the greatest reduction in risk," said Dr Vajdic. "Investigation of the genetic and environmental factors underlying atopy and the apparent inverse effect of atopy on NHL risk will inform our understanding of the complex biological pathways that may be involved."

What is "success"?

From an interview in the March 2007 issue of Discover Magazine, of Jane Goodall.

Q. If chimps are so much like us, why are they endangered while humans dominate the globe?

A. (Jane Goodall) Well, in some ways we're not successful at all. We're destroying our home. That's not a bit successful. Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulation, never destroying the forest. I would say they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.

listen to new song

You can hear "Waffle House Blues" at

www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

Patients Unaware Of Link Between Smoking And Bladder Cancer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708101120.htm


ScienceDaily (July 8, 2008)
Even though cigarette smoking accounts for up to half of all bladder cancer cases, few people are aware of the connection -- including more than three-quarters of patients who have bladder cancer, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
...
Montie notes that in the first four years after a smoker quits, the risk of developing bladder cancer decreases by 40 percent.
...
cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year. Bladder cancer is one of the most costly cancers to treat, so the burden of the disease affects not only patients and their families but also the nation's health care financing system.

Will Our Future Brains Be Smaller?

Who knows. We might continue to advance technologically, and end up with automated vehicles. On the other hand, civilization might collapse, and we might need those quick reflexes more than ever.
I would guess that animals that frequently cross streets are evolving in some way to deal with danger from that.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708200639.htm

ScienceDaily (July 8, 2008)
The speed at which we react to threatening situations can have life or death implications. In the more primitive past, it could have meant escaping a wild animal; today it might mean swerving to avoid a head-on car crash.
...
The results of their modelling showed that when the threat level is high, such as the risk of being attacked by a dangerous animal, it is very useful to have the fast-acting, if inaccurate, system. But when dealing with situations which don't occur very often, or complex scenarios with many conflicting cues such as social situations, the cortical system is of more use than the sub-cortical system.

Trimmer commented: "As life became more complex, the benefit of gathering information before making a decision put an evolutionary pressure on the early brain. This may have led to the rapid development of the cortex in mammals. So if humans continue to live in a world of dangers such as wild animals or fast-moving cars, there will still be an evolutionary benefit to maintaining the sub-cortical system, and it is unlikely to atrophy in future humans."

Silver Lining

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_he_me/auto_deaths_gas_prices;_ylt=AoDHL2qq4bLESTGdqiZ0pvms0NUE

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - High gas prices could turn out to be a lifesaver for some drivers. The authors of a new study say gas prices are causing driving declines that could result in a third fewer auto deaths annually, with the most dramatic drop likely to be among teen drivers.

Professors Michael Morrisey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and David Grabowski of Harvard Medical School said they found that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices there was a 2.3 percent decline in auto deaths. For drivers ages 15 to 17, the decline was 6 percent, and for ages 18 to 21, it was 3.2 percent.

new song available

You can buy a download of "Waffle House Blues" at
www.myspace.com/spiritualbest.com
or
www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

new song to be available

I got my song "Waffle House Blues" recorded recently by a professional.
It is in the process of being uploaded to myspace.
Keep an eye on

www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs
www.myspace.com/wafflehouseblues

Happy Independence Day

Pseudo-Patriots

Pseudo-Patriots
copyright Patricia M. Shannon 1996

They say that they are patriots because they love to wave the flag,
but they throw their trash along the road, and pour used oil down the drain.
They say that they are patriots because the pledge they love to say,
but they never bother to turn out the lights when they go home for the day.

How can we be patriots and not do all we can
to protect the earth upon which all our lives depend?
How can we be patriots and not help our fellow men?
What else is a country, but its people and its land?

They say that they are patriots because, they will always choose
to vote to build more prisons, while cutting funding for our schools.
They say that they are patriots, Star Spangled Banner they do sing,
but to their big gas-guzzlers they selfishly do cling.

How can we be patriots and not do all we can
to prevent the earth from turning into barren sands?
How can we be patriots and not lend a helping hand?
What else is a country, but its people and its land?

They say that they are patriots, because it fills them with such glee
to send our young folks overseas to be killed by enemies.
They say that they are patriots, but they would never think
to tutor some poor kids to help them stay out of the clink.

A country's not a piece of cloth, or words we say by rote;
a country's not a song we sing before we watch a sport.
And love's not just a feeling, it's something that we do,
every day, in every way, in everything we choose.

saved

Saved!
copyright 1992 Patricia M. Shannon

I have an acquaintance named Sue
who believes all religions are true
because she can't tell
which will send her to hell
if she doesn't sit in its pew!

type of religion affects health of community

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703145157.htm

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2008)
Blanchard found that people live longer in areas with a large number of Catholic and Mainline Protestant churches. He offers two key reasons for these findings.

"First, these types of churches have what's known as a 'worldly perspective.' Instead of solely focusing on the afterlife, they place a significant emphasis on the current needs of their communities," he said. These religions commonly organize outreach efforts for the needy and homeless, invest in the health infrastructures of their town and participate in other forms of public charity.

"Secondly, these congregations tend to create bridging ties in communities that lead to greater social cohesion among citizens," said Blanchard. This enhanced sense of connection between people provides collective encouragement for healthy behavior.

In contrast to Catholics and Mainline Protestant congregations, Conservative Protestant churches have a mixed effect on community health. The "otherworldly" character of Conservative Protestantism leads congregations in this tradition to focus on the afterlife. Conservative Protestantism is also a more individualistic faith, one in which the believer's personal relationship with God is paramount. These types of churches are thought to downplay the importance of using collective action, including human institutions, to improve the world. Communities dominated by Conservative Protestant churches tend to have higher mortality rates.

However, this finding has an important caveat, because there are different types of Conservative Protestant churches, namely, Fundamentalist, Pentecostal and Evangelical.

"We find that a greater presence of Fundamentalist and Pentecostal congregations is associated with higher rates of mortality, but communities with a large number of Evangelical congregations have better health outcomes," said Blanchard. "Evangelical congregations do a better job of engaging the broader community and promoting social connectedness that is so essential for longer life expectancies. Fundamentalist congregations tend to be more reclusive, and this insularity is linked with higher mortality rates."

What happened to the end of science?

Just a few years ago, some physicists were talking about the end of science, that humans had supposedly learned everything about science. Of course, anybody interested in biology knew that was sill. And they keep learning new things about physics.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702141421.htm

ScienceDaily (July 4, 2008)
Some Fundamental Interactions Of Matter Found To Be Fundamentally Different Than Thought

When an atom collides with a molecule, traditional wisdom said the atom had to strike one end of the molecule hard to deliver energy to it. People thought a glancing blow from an atom would be useless in terms of energy transfer, but that turns out not to be the case, according to the researchers.

Species Extinction Threat Underestimated Due To Math Glitch

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702132238.htm

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2008) — Extinction risks for natural populations of endangered species are likely being underestimated by as much as 100-fold because of a mathematical "misdiagnosis," according to a new study led by a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher.

Efficient lighting

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163215.htm

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for solid-state lighting in the United States. This new generation lighting technology uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of incandescent filaments or fluorescent tubes to produce illumination that cuts energy consumption significantly.
...

Solid-state lighting is expected to significantly reduce the amount of energy needed for general lighting, including residential, commercial and street lighting. "Lighting," explains NIST scientist Yoshi Ohno, "uses 22 percent of the electricity and 8 percent of the total energy spent in the country, so the energy savings in lighting will have a huge impact."

Solid-state lighting is expected to be twice as energy efficient as fluorescent lamps and 10 times more efficient than incandescent lamps, although the current products are still at their early stages. Ohno chaired the task groups that developed these new standards.

Fisheries, Not Whales, To Blame For Shortage Of Fish

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629144231.htm

ScienceDaily (June 30, 2008) — The argument that increasing whale populations are behind declining fish stocks is completely without scientific foundation, leading researchers and conservation organizations said today as the International Whaling Commission opened its 60th meeting in Santiago, Chile.

The Humane Society International, WWF and the Lenfest Ocean Program today presented three new reports debunking the science behind the ‘whales-eat-fish’ claims emanating from whaling nations Japan, Norway and Iceland. The argument has been used to bolster support for whaling, particularly from developing nations.

The idea that whales are to blame for declining fish stocks was ridiculous to start off with. When there were a lot more whales, there were plenty of fish, until humans starting killing off both.

Natural Carbon Sequestration

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163041.htm

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2008) — The battle to reduce carbon emissions is at the heart of many eco-friendly efforts, and researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that nature has been lending a hand. Researchers at the Missouri Tree Ring Laboratory in the Department of Forestry discovered that trees submerged in freshwater aquatic systems store carbon for thousands of years, a significantly longer period of time than trees that fall in a forest, thus keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.

“If a tree is submerged in water, its carbon will be stored for an average of 2,000 years,” said Richard Guyette, director of the MU Tree Ring Lab and research associate professor of forestry in the School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “If a tree falls in a forest, that number is reduced to an average of 20 years, and in firewood, the carbon is only stored for one year.”

The team studied trees in northern Missouri, a geographically unique area with a high level of riparian forests (forests that have natural water flowing through them). They discovered submerged oak trees that were as old as 14,000 years, potentially some of the oldest discovered in the world. This carbon storage process is not just ancient; it continues even today as additional trees become submerged, according to Guyette.

While a tree is alive, it has a high ability to store carbon, thus keeping it out of the atmosphere. However, as it begins to decay, a tree’s carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Discovering that certain conditions slow this process reveals the importance of proper tree disposal as well as the benefits of riparian forests.

“Carbon plays a huge role in climate change and information about where it goes will be very important someday soon,” said Michael C. Stambaugh, research associate in the MU Department of Forestry. “The goal is to increase our knowledge of the carbon cycle, particularly its exchange between the biosphere (plants) and atmosphere. We need to know where it goes and for how long in order to know how to offset its effects.”

Business as usual at Bush administration

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/24cnd-justice.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1214506990-x1+ChiH8iLNgwrDlb36sQA

Report Sees Illegal Hiring Practices at Justice Dept.
By ERIC LICHTBLAU

WASHINGTON -- Justice Department officials over the last six years illegally used “political or ideological” factors to hire new lawyers into an elite recruitment program, tapping law school graduates with conservative credentials over those with liberal-sounding resumes, a new report found Tuesday.

The blistering report, prepared by the Justice Department’s inspector general, is the first in what will be a series of investigations growing out of last year’s scandal over the firings of nine United States attorneys. It appeared to confirm for the first time in an official examination many of the allegations from critics who charged that the Justice Department had become overly politicized during the Bush administration.

“Many qualified candidates” were rejected for the department’s honors program because of what was perceived as a liberal bias, the report found. Those practices, the report concluded, “constituted misconduct and also violated the department’s policies and civil service law that prohibit discrimination in hiring based on political or ideological affiliations.”

But are they cat-proof?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617114723.htm

Getting Wrapped Up In Solar Textiles
ScienceDaily (June 21, 2008)

Sheila Kennedy, an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture who is now at MIT, creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings receive and distribute energy.

These new materials, known as solar textiles, work like the now-familiar photovoltaic cells in solar panels. Made of semiconductor materials, they absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.

Kennedy uses 3-D modeling software to design with solar textiles, generating membrane-like surfaces that can become energy-efficient cladding for roofs or walls. Solar textiles may also be draped like curtains.

What kind of values?

People blow my mind. When part of our country has been having horrible flooding of a magnitude that will be more common with global warming, we have people pressing to drill for as much oil as we can find, so that we won't have to face any inconvenience, like giving up SUV's for more fuel-efficent cars.

Sleepy-Time Blues

Sleepy-Time Blues
copyright 2000 Patricia M. Shannon

I know my child has the sleepy-time blues
by her droopy eyes and her fretful cry;
she says she doesn't want to go to sleep,
so I hold her in my lap and sing a lullaby.

(Refrain)
Oh, those sleepy time blues,
yeah, yeah, yeah, those sleepy time blues.

There's so many things she wants to see,
so many things she wants to do,
she doesn't want to go to sleep,
might miss out on something new.

(refrain)

I wonder if she might be scared,
to be lying helpless there;
does she think someone might come along
and do her harm while she's unaware?

(refrain)

Now that she's grown and has a child,
she wishes she could take a nap,
she gets so sleepy after lunch,
but duty calls, and that is that.

(refrain)

Man-made water

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619135123.htm

“We studied the chemistry of water produced in several of the largest desalination plants on earth and found that that composition of the desalted water is totally different from those of natural waters,” he explains. “As this water leaks into the environment through poor infrastructure or enters it directly through irrigation, it will be possible to use our new tracers to track the water back to its origin.

Disturbing but typical. The difference between natural and artifically desalinated water is seen by the scientists as a handy way to trace the origins of water. What about possible effects on living beings, including humans? There is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. Perhaps it is an example of a difference in how men and women tend to think, with men narrowly focused on specific short-term goals, while women look at a broader scenario. Using the strengths of both kinds of thinking would benefit us more than just using one kind. Which I expect is why the Apaches had to get a proposal to go to war approved by the women of the tribe.

Restore Yourself

Restore Yourself
copyright 1995 Patricia M. Shannon
can be sung to tune of "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel"

Come walk among the trees awhile with me,
and listen to the birds which sing so sweet.
They do not spend their time in mowing lawns,
an action to which most of us are pawns.

(refrain)
Restore yourself by contact with the earth,
from whence we came and where we shall return.

The birds and beasts which live among the trees,
and meadows swaying lovely in the breeze,
they do not think the grass an enemy,
polluting air and ear with foul machine.
(refrain)

We were not made to sit all day on chairs,
in buildings made of cold concrete and steel,
and stare at writings on a monitor,
and talk with fingers to electron gods.
(refrain)

Come smell the earthy fragrance of the woods,
with sweet perfume of mint and wild rose;
cleanse your nostrils of the stink of Lysol spray,
which only brain-washed patsys can endure, much less enjoy.
(refrain)

When The Powerless Rise Up

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616124931.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 16, 2008) — In an effort to reconcile the science stating that power leads to action and lack of power leads to inhibition -- despite constant historical reminders of the powerless rising up and taking action -- new research in the June issue of Psychological Science, suggests that the legitimacy of the power relationship is an important determinant of whether power leads to action.
...
According to the researchers, when power is acquired or wielded legitimately (e.g., following a fair election or when actions are within authority), the likelihood for a successful cooperative environment is high, with the powerful leading and the powerless following. However, if power is borne of illegitimate means (in fixed elections or self-interested actions that exceed authority) this can motivate force and resistance from the powerless.

Complex Changes In The Brain's Vascular System Occur After Menopause

Remember, the jury is still out on this.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616153622.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 16, 2008) — Many women experience menopausal changes in their body including hot flashes, moodiness and fatigue, but the changes they don’t notice can be more dangerous. In a new study, researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered significant changes in the brain’s vascular system when the ovaries stop producing estrogen. MU scientists predict that currently used estrogen-based hormone therapies may complicate this process and may do more harm than good in postmenopausal women.

"Before menopause, women are much more protected from certain conditions such as heart disease and stroke, but these vascular changes might explain why women lose this protection after menopause," said Olga Glinskii, research assistant professor of medical pharmacology and physiology in MU’s School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “Because the body eventually will naturally adapt to the loss of estrogen, we advise extreme caution when using estrogen-based therapy in postmenopausal women.”
...
Before menopause, the vascular system depends on estrogen for maintenance. When the body decreases its estrogen production, the body is unable to regulate blood vessels like it did before. After a period of deterioration, the body learns to adapt to the estrogen loss and eventually maintains the system in a different way.

We are what we eat

I have seen children come into a restaurant really fussing and crying, and after eating, they were cheerful and laughing.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605150908.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 11, 2008) — New research by scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests that the neurotransmitter serotonin, which acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells, plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making.
...
Their findings highlight why some of us may become combative or aggressive when we haven't eaten. The essential amino acid necessary for the body to create serotonin can only be obtained through diet. Therefore, our serotonin levels naturally decline when we don't eat, an effect the researchers took advantage of in their experimental technique.
...
The only way to get the raw material for serotonin (tryptophan) is through the diet. Therefore, serotonin levels are lower when you haven't eaten, an effect that the researchers take advantage of in their experimental technique. Eating tryptophan rich foods like poultry (chicken soup) and chocolate can boost serotonin levels - some have speculated that this is why these are "feel good" foods.

Pigeons Show Superior Self-recognition Abilities To Three Year Old Humans

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613145535.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 13, 2008) — Keio University scientists have shown that pigeons are able to discriminate video images of themselves even with a 5-7 second delay, thus having self-cognitive abilities higher than 3-year-old children who have difficulty recognizing their self-image with only a 2 second delay.

Delaying School Start Time By One Hour Positively Affects Adolescents' Cognitive Performance

I believe that. Sleeping an hour later certainly improves my cognitive performance. and I'm no teenager.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612070445.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 13, 2008) — Delaying an adolescent's school start time by one hour has a positive effect on his or her cognitive performance, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 12 at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

Life's Raw Materials May Have Come From The Stars

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613092514.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 13, 2008) — Scientists have confirmed for the first time that an important component of early genetic material which has been found in meteorite fragments is extraterrestrial in origin, in a paper published on 15 June 2008.

ADHD an advantage for nomadic tribesmen?

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/bc-aaa060608.php

A propensity for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be beneficial to a group of Kenyan nomads, according to new research published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. Scientists have shown that an ADHD-associated version of the gene DRD4 is associated with better health in nomadic tribesmen, and yet may cause malnourishment in their settled cousins.

Paradise Regained

A Piece of Paradise
copyright 2001 Patricia M. Shannon

Walking my dog in the evening,
I hear the crickets call.
How peaceful is the quiet
after the sun falls.

(chorus)
I feel I've found a piece of paradise
to spend delightful days,
listening to the sounds of nature
and watching the squirrels play.

After spending too much time
cooped up in a cube,
I feel full of freedom
when I come out to the woods.

Breathing in the clear, clean air,
I feel so energized;
I need the comfort of the woods
more than I realize.

And
(chorus)

Stopping by a waterfall,
much to my delight,
I see a mini-rainbow
shining in the bright moonlight.

A hooty owl says "Who are you?"
A loon sings a jazz song.
The stars put on a light show.
while some bull frogs thrum along.

Yes
(chorus)

progress or regress?

Looks like ancient Roman laborers were more civilized than some people today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080610/ap_on_re_eu/italy_ancient_laborers;_ylt=ArRj6w2tu6iHndAp9lFfpNVvieAA

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer Mon Jun 9, 8:41 PM ET
ROME - First-century burial grounds near Rome's main airport are yielding a rare look into how ancient longshoremen and other manual workers did backbreaking jobs, archaeologists said Monday.
...

Also excavated was a skeleton of a man whose lower jaw was fused to his upper jaw.

Study indicated "how for all of his life this individual was fed, likely through the care of his family" with liquids or semisolids "introduced through a hole made through his teeth," the archaeology statement said.

The man lived into his 30s, a decent age at the time. Experts took that as evidence that the lower classes cared for the disabled.

Caribbean monk seal becomes extinct

I remember some years ago, when I expressed concern to someone about humans damaging the ocean, they were confident that the ocean was too big for humans to affect. Microbes are so tiny we can't see them with the naked eye, but they can kill us. And they don't use technology. To say that humans can't affect the world shows a lack of knowledge.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080607/ap_on_sc/monk_seal_extinction;_ylt=AufJa0ljKZbA5pv4nxIou9JvieAA

By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer Sat Jun 7, 7:13 AM ET
...
The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952 between Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service confirmed Friday that the species is extinct.
...
The federal agency says there are fewer than 1,200 Hawaiian and 500 Mediterranean monk seals remaining, and their populations are declining.
...
The Hawaiian monk seal population, protected by NOAA, is declining at a rate of about 4 percent annually, according to NOAA. The agency predicts the population could fall below 1,000 in the next three to four years, placing the mammal among the world's most endangered marine species.

"When populations get very small, they become very unstable," Baker said. "They become more vulnerable to threats like disease and predation by sharks."
...
Monk seals are particularly sensitive to human disturbance. And the sea creatures have been losing their food supply and beaches, officials say.

"Once Hawaii, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean were teeming with fish, but these are areas under severe fishing pressure," Cornish said. "They'll eat almost anything — shellfish or finned fish — but their food supply is waning and they're in competition with man."

The Caribbean monk seal, first discovered during Christopher Columbus' second voyage in 1494, once had a population of more than 250,000. But they became easy game for hunters because they often rested, gave birth or nursed their pups on beaches.

Long-term Pesticide Exposure May Increase Risk Of Diabetes

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604113322.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 4, 2008) — Licensed pesticide applicators who used chlorinated pesticides on more than 100 days in their lifetime were at greater risk of diabetes, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The associations between specific pesticides and incident diabetes ranged from a 20 percent to a 200 percent increase in risk, said the scientists with the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Humans Have Ten Times More Bacteria Than Human Cells

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603085914.htm

ScienceDaily (Jun. 5, 2008) — The number of bacteria living within the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells 10 to 1.

So are we humans with bacteria added, or bacteria with human cells added :)

good music

Check out

www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

www.myspace.com/spiritualbest

You can download Hunger Walk for free.
You can buy downloads of several other songs beautifully sung and produced by Chip Martin.
www.chipsongs.com

Sun screen lotion threatens coral

How ironic. Some of the sunscreen damaging the coral must be coming from divers who love to visit coral reefs. This study makes me happy I have been protecting myself from the sun with a hat and gloves. Anything we buy causes some kind of pollution. At the least, because of transportation. And with sunscreen, there's the plastic bottle, and the manufacturing of the sunscreen itself. Hat and gloves last a long time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080523/ts_afp/environmentpollutionspeciescoral;_ylt=AvYfndBhhfG1JTeFjdogkKas0NUE

PARIS (AFP) - Sun screen lotions used by beach-going tourists worldwide are a major cause of coral bleaching, according to a new study commissioned by the European Commission.

In experiments, the cream-based ultra-violet (UV) filters -- used to protect skin from the harmful effects of sun exposure -- caused bleaching of coral reefs even in small quantities, the study found.

Coral reefs are among the most biologically productive and diverse of ecosystems, and directly sustain half a billion people. But some 60 percent of these reef systems are threatened by a deadly combination of climate change, industrial pollution and excess UV radiation.

The new study, published in US journal Environmental Health Perspectives, has now added sun screens to the list of damaging agents, and estimates that up to 10 per cent of the world's reefs are at risk of sunscreen-induced coral bleaching.

Chemical compounds in sunscreen and other personal skin care products have been detected near both sea and freshwater tourist areas. Previous research has shown that these chemicals can accumulate in aquatic animals, and biodegrade into toxic by-products.

Researchers led by Roberto Danovaro at the University of Pisa in Italy added controlled amounts of three brands of sunscreen to seawater surrounding coral reefs in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt.

Even small doses provoked large discharges of coral mucous -- a clear sign of environmental stress -- within 18 to 48 hours. Within 96 hours complete bleaching of corals had occurred.

Virus levels in seawater surrounding coral branches increased to 15 times the level found in control samples, suggesting that sunscreens might stimulate latent viral infections, the study found.

Pesticides, hydrocarbons and other contaminants have also been found to induce algae or coral to release viruses, hastening the bleaching process.

According to the World Trade Organisation, around 10 per cent of tourism takes place in tropical areas, with 78 million tourists visiting coral reefs each year.

An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes of sunscreen are released annually in reef areas, with 25 per cent of the sunscreen ingredients on skin released into water over the course of a 20 minute submersion.

Sunscreens are made of around 20 compounds acting as UV filters and preservatives. Seven were tested for the study, including parabens, cinnamates, benzophenones and camphor derivatives.

Program to add healthy foods for women, kids

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/416017.html

BY JOE STUMPE The Wichita Eagle

For decades, the federal government has said one thing and done another when it comes to the diets of the youngest at-risk children.

The government's familiar food pyramid touts the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

But food checks distributed as part of the federal Women, Infants and Children program can't be used to buy those foods.

That is expected to change in 19 months, when details of proposed WIC adjustments have been worked out at the state level, where the program is administered.

The proposed changes include women and children getting money to buy fruits and vegetables -- about $8 to $10 a month for women and $6 a month for children.

"This is the biggest change that has happened to the WIC program in decades," said David Thomason, a state health department employee and director of Kansas' WIC program. "This is a major, major change."

And it's not the only one. Other changes on tap in the WIC program include:

• Baby foods and more whole-grain products such as bread and tortillas will be eligible for purchase with WIC vouchers for the first time.

• WIC participants will get less milk, cheese, eggs and juice.

• The program will increase its emphasis on breast-feeding by offering more incentives for breast-feeding mothers.

good news for licorice lovers

Since I love licorice, I think this is great. A warning : eating a lot of licorice can raise your blood pressure.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522154850.htm

ScienceDaily (May 24, 2008) — What common oral condition appears as shallow ulcers of different sizes, affects one in five Americans, can be caused by food allergies and hormonal changes, and also can cause severe mouth pain? Commonly referred to as "canker sores," recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) now can be treated by an extract in licorice root herbal extract, according to a study published in the March/April 2008 issue of General Dentistry.

more food for thought

In regards to the relative prices of restaurant food and locally sourced foodstuffs noted a couple of days ago, an important fact which I didn't notice being addressed is how much locally sourced foodstuffs are consumed at home. Much of the food we buy at the grocery store is not locally sourced, anyway. If we buy food from the grocery store that comes from the same place as food we eat at a restaurant, there is no difference in environmental effects in that respect. So eating at home might not be such a good way to be a good citizen as the article suggests.

songs available

See also www.myspace.com/spiritualbest
and www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

updated songs

www.myspace.com/patriciashannon.songs

I updated the two versions of "A Good Dream" on myspace.
The third verse is changed, less likely to offend some people.
I will be adding lyrics and download capabilities in the near future.

Food For Thought

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519122526.htm

Environmental Cost Of Getting Food To Restaurants Far Higher, UK Study Finds

ScienceDaily (May 22, 2008) — Pioneering research from The University of Nottingham recommends a full government environmental audit of British restaurants.

The report — 'The Environmental Sustainability of the British Restaurant Industry: A London Case Study' — has revealed that the environmental cost of getting food to the restaurant plate is far higher than previously thought.

BSc student Will Brookes studied 40 restaurants in London, and carried out an extensive public survey, to test knowledge of local produce and the cost to the environment of importing food ingredients.

“Everyone knows that importing food inevitably creates more CO₂­ than locally sourced foodstuffs,” he says. “But we were stunned to discover that the CO₂ produced by meals based on imported ingredients from non-European countries, is on average more than a hundred times higher than that of ingredients produced in Britain.”

The study found that an average dish, using ingredients from non-European countries, produces more than five kilograms of CO₂ in transport. In comparison, food which is locally sourced by environmentally aware or 'green' restaurants produces just 51 grams.

It is believed that food transport alone accounts for 35 per cent of the UK's total emissions, and the food industry is the third largest contributor with industrial use.

another song

I added a secular version of "A Good Dream" to
www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

I also added lyrics to "Spiritual Best"

"Spiritual Best" and both versions of "A Good Dream" were produced by Chip Martin.
see chipsongs.com

The last verse of both the religious and secular versions of "A Good Dream" are in the process of being changed to be less offensive to some people. I didn't notice that I had the original version. I have written poems/song that are offensive to some by their nature, but these songs I have posted are meant to be uplifting. I have the CD with the religious version of "A Good Dream" that I will be posting, but felt that having Chip create the mp3s from his files would result in a higher quality product than to copy the CD to mp3s.

Having Less Power Impairs The Mind And Ability To Get Ahead, Study Shows

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515113259.htm

ScienceDaily (May 16, 2008) — New research appearing in the May issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that being put in a low-power role may impair a person’s basic cognitive functioning and thus, their ability to get ahead.

Maternal Exposure To Persistent Organic Pollutants Linked To Urologic Conditions In Boys

Note: this class of chemicals includes DDT, which some people defend as not very dangerous, and want brought back into use.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515072828.htm

ScienceDaily (May 17, 2008) — Higher incidences of congenital anomalies, including cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and hypospadias, were found in boys whose mothers had higher serum levels of certain organochlorine compounds, researchers say.
...
About Organochlorine Compounds: Initially lauded for their chemical stability, PCBs (such as Araclor and its congeners) and organochlorinated pesticides such as DDT are lipid-soluble compounds actively produced around the world in the first half of the 20th century. After widespread use in agricultural and manufacturing applications (as plastizers, heat-stabilizing additives for PVC electric insulation, adhesives and paints), they were discontinued in both open and closed uses in the 1970s when health risks became apparent. Lipid soluble, the compounds are absorbed and dispersed to living tissue and, as a result, can have a cumulative effect and cause toxin damage across generations. The United States banned their domestic production in 1977.

Ice Cores Reveal Fluctuations In Earth's Greenhouse Gases

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514131131.htm

ScienceDaily (May 17, 2008) — The newest analysis of trace gases trapped in Antarctic ice cores now provide a reasonable view of greenhouse gas concentrations as much as 800,000 years into the past, and are further confirming the link between greenhouse gas levels and global warming, scientists reported May 14 in the journal Nature.

They also show that during that entire period of time, there have never been concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane as high as the current levels, said Edward Brook, an associate professor of geosciences at Oregon State University, and author of a Nature commentary on the new studies.
...

According to the data, the current levels of primary greenhouse gases -- those that are expected to cause global warming - are off the charts.

The concentration of carbon dioxide is now a bit more than 380 parts per million, compared to a range of about 200-300 parts per million during the past 800,000 years. The current concentration of methane is 1,800 parts per billion, compared to a range of about 400-700 parts per billion during that time.

listen to my music

I have posted a couple of songs I co-wrote with Gaillyn Hope at
www.myspace.com/patriciashannon.songs

I will be adding lyrics and ability to buy a download as soon as I can.

They were performed/recorded by professional musician Chip Martin
http://chipsongs.com/

In the late 70's, Chip turned his talents toward songwriting, and to date has over 200 songs in his catalog. He has an RIAA certified gold record for his song "Forget About Love" recorded by country star Mark Wills, has a song that is the title track ("Love Me or Leave Me Alone") on Randy Meisner's (formerly of The Eagles) latest CD, a tune placed on Billy Paul's record "Wide Open" (of "Me and Mrs. Jones" fame), and a cut by Grand Ole Opry star Billy Dean. The song that Billy Dean recorded was used on the popular Turner Broadcasting TV Show "Live at the Bluebird Cafe" shot here in Nashville at the famous songwriter venue.

Our Great Economic U-Turn

Note: The median salary is the point where half of the people make less, half the people make more.
A surprise is that this is in the Wall Street Journal, which was slanted toward the plutocracy, even before being bought by Murdoch.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121072656227790335.html?mod=todays_columnists

By THOMAS FRANK
May 14, 2008; Page A19
Median "nonelderly" household income, we find, fell consistently through the first half of this decade, despite the solid economic growth enjoyed by the country as a whole.

Some nonmedian folks did just fine, of course: The top 20% of households earned more, after taxes, than the rest of the country combined in 2005, while the topmost 1% of the population took home more than the bottom 40%. The top-earning hedge fund manager of 2007, in fact, made about as much last year in nominal dollars ($3.7 billion) as J. Paul Getty, one of the richest men in the world, was worth in the mid-1970s.

Real hourly wages for most workers, on the other hand, have risen only 1% since 1979, even as those workers' productivity has increased by 60%. What's more, American workers now clock more hours per year than their counterparts in virtually every other advanced economy, even Japan. And unless you haven't read a newspaper for 15 years, you already know what's happened to workers' health insurance and pension plans.

music

I expect to post some good stuff on myspace very soon.
So far all I have is my "Hunger Walk" song, sung well enough for people who want to sing it in support of hunger walks, to hear how the lyrics go with the melody, but not something people will listen to otherwise, except maybe I could be another William Hung!

its at www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

When the good stuff is there, I'll put a note in this blog.

Next week

I was too busy this week to post anything, but I'll post some more of poems/lyrics next week.

If you live in the Atlanta area, try 1690 am radio
Unfortunately, I can only get it during the day, in my car, but that's better than nothing!

Half of Americans struggle to stay happy

What a wonderful testimony to government by conservatives (sarcasm alert)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24376037/

updated 1 hour, 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Staying healthy and happy is a struggle for about half of Americans, according to a massive survey that attempts to measure the nation’s general welfare, much like the Dow Jones Industrial Average portrays the health of the stock market.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews of more than 100,000 people so far, shows that 47 percent of Americans are struggling and 4 percent are suffering. Forty-nine percent of respondents are reported to be thriving based on a personal assessment of how they feel about their lives at the time of the survey, and where they think they’ll be in five years.
...
Those who are thriving tend to have higher incomes, more education and less illness. Those who are suffering have trouble meeting their basic needs, including food, shelter and medical care, said James Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and well-being.

Just as the U.S is not No. 1 when it comes to health measures, it also is not No. 1 in well-being, he said. For example, 83 percent of the residents of Denmark are classified as thriving versus 1 percent who are suffering.
...
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that the United States invests more on health care than any country, but that its health care system ranks 37th.

DNA results free man after 27 years in prison

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24371021/

James Woodard is the 18th person in Dallas to have conviction vacated
updated 2:40 p.m. ET, Tues., April. 29, 2008

DALLAS - A man who spent more than 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit was freed Tuesday, after being incarcerated longer than any other wrongfully convicted U.S. inmate cleared by DNA testing.
...
Overall, 31 people have been formally exonerated through DNA testing in Texas, also a national high. That does not include Woodard and at least three others whose exonerations will not become official until Gov. Rick Perry grants pardons or the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals formally accepts the ruling of lower courts that have already recommended exoneration.

serendipity

Wow, what timing. I found this shortly after posting my poem/song "The Stranger in the Mirror".
Of course, my poem is not about this delusion, but what a coincidence.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428160113.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2008) — Researchers at Macquarie University have developed an original new approach to the study of delusions, using hypnosis to temporarily create typical delusional beliefs in otherwise non-delusional people.
...
People suffering from mirrored-self misidentification believe that the person they see when they look in the mirror is not them, but some stranger who looks similar to them.

Friendly Germs

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428084232.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2008) — Children who attend day care or play groups have about a 30% lower risk of developing the most common type of childhood leukaemia than those who do not, according to a new analysis of studies investigating the link.

Friendly Germs

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428084232.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2008) — Children who attend day care or play groups have about a 30% lower risk of developing the most common type of childhood leukaemia than those who do not, according to a new analysis of studies investigating the link.

Our Big Feet

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428120658.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2008) — An MIT class has estimated the carbon emissions of Americans in a wide variety of lifestyles -- from the homeless to multimillionaires, from Buddhist monks to soccer moms -- and compared them to those of other nations. The somewhat disquieting bottom line is that in the United States, even the people with the lowest usage of energy are still producing, on average, more than double the global per-capita average. Whether you live in a cardboard box or a luxurious mansion, whether you subsist on homegrown vegetables or wolf down imported steaks, whether you're a jet-setter or a sedentary retiree, anyone who lives in the U.S. contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere as the global average, an MIT class has estimated.
...
While it may seem surprising that even people whose lifestyles don't appear extravagant--the homeless, monks, children--are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, one major factor is the array of government services that are available to everyone in the United States. These basic services--including police, roads, libraries, the court system and the military--were allocated equally to everyone in the country in this study. Other services that are more specific, such as education or Medicare, were allocated only to those who actually make use of them.

Team Spirit

There's hope for the world if we can learn to enlarge our definition of "our team" .

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428094212.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2008)
People act in their own best interests, according to traditional views of how and why we make the decisions that we do. However, psychologists at the Universities of Leicester and Exeter have recently found evidence that this assumption is not necessarily true. In fact the research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, shows that most of us will act in the best interest of our team -- often at our own expense.

The Stranger in the Mirror

The Stranger in the Mirror
copyright 2001 Patricia M. Shannon

Who is that stranger I see in the mirror?
I wonder who it can be.
That middle-aged person with gray-streaked hair,
looking out at me.

I don't have wrinkles and age spots I know,
so it is plain to see -
that person I see staring out of the mirror
simply can't be me.

I used to think life was so vast,
I could do all that I cared.
But now I find life is racing so fast,
I'm running in place, but getting nowhere.

While there's so many books I still want to read,
so many things to do,
so many places I haven't been,
so many things to learn about you.

So, who is that stranger I see in the mirror?
I wonder who it can be.
That middle-aged person with gray-streaked hair,
simply can't be me.

Injecting Sulfate Particles into Stratosphere Could Have Drastic Impact on Earth's Ozone Layer

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111467&org=NSF&from=news

April 24, 2008

A much-discussed idea to offset global warming by injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere would have a drastic impact on Earth's protective ozone layer, new research concludes.

The study, led by Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., warns that such an approach would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by decades and cause significant ozone loss over the Arctic.
...
The new study concluded that, over the next few decades, artificial injections of sulfates could destroy between one-fourth and three-fourths of the ozone layer above the Arctic. This could affect a large part of the Northern Hemisphere because of atmospheric circulation patterns.

The sulfates would also delay the expected recovery of the ozone hole over the Antarctic by about 30 to 70 years, or until at least the last decade of the twentieth century, the authors warn. The ozone layer is critical for life on Earth because it blocks dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

"This study highlights another connection between global warming and ozone depletion, which had been thought of as separate problems but are now increasingly recognized to be coupled in subtle, yet profoundly important, ways," says Science Express paper co-author Ross Salawitch of the University of Maryland.

common vitamin and other micronutrient supplements reduce risks of TB recurrence

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/idso-ssc042508.php

Contact: Steve Baragona
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America

New findings show a link between micronutrient supplementation and reduced risk of recurrence during tuberculosis chemotherapy, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
...
The study showed that micronutrient supplementation was associated with reduced rates of TB recurrence. In the study, both HIV-infected and uninfected patients with pulmonary TB who were receiving the supplements had a decreased risk of TB recurrence during the next few months after the TB culture had become negative: 45 percent overall and 63 percent in HIV-infected patients. Supplementation also reduced the incidence of peripheral neuropathy by 57 percent, irrespective of HIV status, and increased the levels of certain cells (CD3 and CD4) important in immune response in HIV-uninfected patients.

Passive Smoking Almost Doubles Risk Of Degenerative Eye Disease

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060102123337.htm

ScienceDaily (Jan. 3, 2006) — Passive smoking almost doubles the risk of the progressively degenerative eye disease, age related macular degeneration, shows research in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Breathing dirty air may lower kids' IQ

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23188393/

Heavy pollution tied to low memory and intellegence scores, study says
updated 6:04 p.m. ET Fri., Feb. 15, 2008
Kids who live in neighborhoods with heavy traffic pollution have lower IQs and score worse on other tests of intelligence and memory than children who breathe cleaner air, a new study shows.

The effect of pollution on intelligence was similar to that seen in children whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes a day while pregnant, or in kids who have been exposed to lead, said Dr. Shakira Franco Suglia of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the study's lead author.

My Most-Hated Stuff

My Most Hated Stuff
copyright Patricia M. Shannon 2000
(to the tune of "My Favorite Things"
from "The Sound of Music")

Atlanta drivers, those honking tail-gaters,
who never slow down, whatever the weather,
people who turn up the sound way too much,
this are just some of my most-hated stuff.

Hot southern summers with no air-conditioning,
cold winter days without enough heating,
paychecks that run out 'cause they're not enough,
this are just some of my most-hated stuff.

(chorus)
Life is so short, that it is tough,
not to feel sad.
But I remember my most-hated stuff
and then I don't feel so bad!

Swimsuits cut so high I don't dare to move,
painful deformed feet from pointy-toed shoes,
pantyhose that simply will not stay up,
this are just some of my most-hated stuff.

Changing the tires, adjusting the brakes,
comp-time I'm owed that they won't let me take,
jock itch that simply will never let up,
this are just some of my most-hated stuff!

(chorus)

song for Earth Day

Take Care of Our Planet
copyright 2001 Patricia M. Shannon

Walking in the early sunlight, with the calling birds,
I see the trees against the newborn sky;
listening to the breeze, I hear God's voice
saying "Take care of this planet, don't make it die!"
We must

(chorus)

take care of our planet,
it's the only home we have;
it will give us what we need,
if we treat it respectfully.

He did not make the earth to be just a toy,
or an enemy with which we are at war;
remember that we were just an afterthought,
stewards and not owners are what we are.

Now some say the end is coming,
so we'll need the earth no more;
He said no one will expect it,
might be 10,000 years to go.

(chorus)

He did not mean for us to be parasites,
always taking destruction to new heights,
killing off the species He so carefully planned,
in the interdependent web of life.

Don't depend on some angels,
or a space ship from on high
to save you from your own folly,
if you do, you're sure to die."
So

(chorus)

My feet were sore and my back was hurting one day, so as those musically inclined often do, I made up a little ditty on the spot, which turned out to be the first line of the song below. I wasn't planning on writing a whole song at that point, just playing around. Well, it started growing.

I did substitute teaching in several schools in poor neighborhoods in the early 1990's, and I told the students it was important for them to get an education.

One time at a middle school, I put some facts on the board about the average incomes of people who hadn't finished high school, those who had, and those who got a college degree.
They asked me why I was telling them that.
The boys didn't think they needed to study, because they were sure they were going to be rich, famous music or sports stars.
The girls were all sure they would get married to a man who supported them.
I asked them if they knew any women who had done that.
There was silence for several moments, then one of the girls finally said "my grandmother".

Being positive and optimistic is not enough, no matter how many people get rich by telling other people they can get rich by being positive and optimistic! The way to get rich is to write a book telling people that everybody can be rich and happy just by believing it.

The Aching Body and the Hungry Belly Blues

The Aching Body and the Hungry Belly Blu
copyright 2000 Patricia M. Shannon

Oh, my feet are aching and my back sure hurts,
I'm so tired of digging in this hard clay dirt.
My kids are hungry, and I've got no food,
and winter's coming. Well, I've got the blues.

(chorus)
The blues, I've got the blues;
the achin' body and the hungry belly blues

When I was a kid, I had such big plans,
when I was grown, I would be a rich man;
No need to study 'cause I knew that I'd be
the star quarterback on an NFL team.

When I was in high school, I was the big star,
I could outrun everybody by far;
but when I got to college, I found there to be
many more players much better than me.

I played football in college a couple of years,
but those remedial courses, they kept me tears.
When I goofed off in high school, I did not see
I could not live my life by what you see on TV.

(chorus)
The blues, that's why I've got the blues;
the achin' body and the hungry belly blues.

When I was a young man, I met the one
who will always be my rising sun;
when I asked her to be my wife, I said
"I will make you happy the rest of your life."

When we got married, we hadn't a clue
about being adults, or what we should do.
When we got married, we hadn't a plan,
and the children came quickly, all four of them.

I try to teach my children the way they should be
so they don't end up diggin' ditches like me;
I try to teach my children the way they should go
so they don't end up in a lifetime of woe.

(chorus)
The blues, they ain't going to have the blues,
the achin' body and the hungry belly blues.

Now, three of my kids, they're doing just great,
but my youngest child, he makes my heart break;
"No need to study,", said he to me,
'cause a platinum rock (or, rap) star was what he would be.

(chorus)
The blues, now he's got the blues,
the achin' body and the hungry belly blues.

high hopes

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2008/04/childlessness_a.html

89% of young high-achieving women believe they can get pregnant into their 40s. In reality, only 3-5% of women in their early 40s are able to have a live birth using in vitro fertilization.

Dust Mites Outlast Heroic Efforts To Help Asthma Patients

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415194426.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2008)
Asthma sufferers might as well stop wasting energy and money on labor-intensive or costly interventions to get rid of household dust, according to a new review of studies.

"We can conclude with confidence that there is no need to buy expensive vacuum cleaners or mattress covers or to use chemical methods against house dust mites, because these treatments do not work," said lead author Peter Gotzsche, M.D.
...
the 54-study review of 3,000 asthma patients finds that no chemical or physical intervention to reduce exposure to house dust mites is effective.

even little tiny fruit flies do it

(In case you didn't notice, the title I chose for this entry is a modification part of a famous song.)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415210626.htm

Fittest Males Don't Always Get The Girl

ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2008)
The fittest males don't always get the girl, USC biologists report. Study tackles a paradox in species from fruit flies to humans: If warriors win the spoils, why don't males evolve towards super-aggressiveness?

There is more to mating than beating up the competition, according to a new study. Female fruit flies sometimes choose males who win fights, sometimes choose males who do not fight, and sometimes choose males for no obvious reason, say biologists from the University of Southern California; Cal State University, Sacramento; and the University of California, Davis.

The findings help explain the large variation in aggressiveness in most species, including humans.
...
One reason for the variation, according to the study and to previous research on lizards by other groups, may be that no fighting strategy works all the time, just as in the game rock-scissors-paper.
...
"There's no single way to win a fight, or win mates," he added. "Females didn't necessarily prefer aggressive males -- some males mated less when they lost fights, but some males mated more if they didn't fight. Moreover, different females preferred different males."

"Unexpected interactions between individuals can define winners and losers (so-called 'chemistry')," Foley concluded. "In order to understand why flies, and humans, and other animals, are so genetically different from each other, we need to stop imagining there's a 'best' kind of strategy."

You Don't Have To Hate Other Groups To Love Your Own

This a great article. I suggest reading the whole thing.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070818180311.htm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 19, 2007) — Shiite vs. Sunni. Red state vs. Blue state. Immigrant vs. native.

While it may appear that conflict is an inevitable part of interaction between groups, research actually suggests that fighting, hating and contempt between groups is not a necessary part of human nature, according to an Ohio State University professor of psychology.
...
Brewer has spent much of her career studying “ingroups” – the groups we belong to – and their relations with “outgroups” – those groups to which others belong.
...
Brewer said recent evidence suggests that people's attachment to their ingroups has nothing to do with conflict – or indeed any other kind of relation – to other groups.

Instead, people join groups to find a place of trust and security.

“Simply put, we prefer people of our kind, people we know we can rely on. That doesn't mean you have to hate anyone else. But you will be more likely to trust people from your own group,” Brewer said.

In one recent study, for example, Brewer found that people tended to put more trust in total strangers when they learned this stranger attended the same university they did.

“All you need is to have that shared group identity,” she said.

Saved!

This was inspired by the idea that we should believe a particular religion, just in case it is true.

Saved!
copyright 1992 Patricia M. Shannon

I have an acquaintance named Sue
who believes all religions are true
because she can't tell
which will send her to hell
if she doesn't sit in its pew!

Hunger Walk song music

I finally got an mp3 of Hunger Walk song made, so people can hear how to sing it.
The lyrics were posted at fighthunger.org, and they had asked my to send an mp3, so people would know how to sing it.
Since fighthunger.org has been shut down and replaced by http://www.wfp.org/english/
which is the United Nations World Food Program, I opened a myspace page and put it there.

This recording is not something you would listen to for enjoyment, but it does let people know how to sing it. If I had been paying for it instead of using a coupon, I would have sung it in a lower key than is in the hymnbook. It still wouldn't have sounded like a professional singer, but it would have been better. Well, you get what you pay for, in general. Eventually I'll put some songs up that were recorded by professionals.

It is freely available for the support of programs to help the needy on a non-sectarian basis.
Ie., a religious group may use it, but the help must be given on a non-sectarian basis.
I hope it might be used by church choirs, groups performing at a hunger walk event, people performing at a concert or open mic, etc.

Go to
www.myspace.com/patriciashannonsongs

(and no, the lady at www.myspace.com/patriciashannon is not me.)

If you've seen the words posted here, you might notice that I made a slight change to make it more singable ("community food banks" --> "that our food banks")

Growing Up or Growing Down?

That "science" article about animals remembering things from the past "proving" they don't have a conception of the past motivates this post.

Growing Up or Growing Down?
copyright 1987 Patricia M. Shannon

Most people I know are like ants in a hill,
not thinking, just acting as part of the mass.
Like half-alive puppets they walk in a daze,
when they try to converse, they just talk in cliches.

They say they worship different gods,
sometimes none at all.
But their gods are all the same,
"everybody else" and monetary gain.

Mixed feelings I get when I play with a child,
so eager to learn and so ready to grow;
such sorrow I feel when I see how we crush children's spirits
in order to make them like us.

Dumb humans

The article "Are Animals Stuck in Time" shows the desperation many humans have to prove that we are different from other animals in a qualitative way, not just a quantitative way. He finds that animals can remember if they did something in the past, then he claims that his research supports his theory that animals are stuck in time!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403183024.htm

Animals Are 'Stuck In Time' With Little Idea Of Past Or Future, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2008)

William Roberts and his colleagues in Western’s Psychology Department found that rats are able to keep track of how much time has passed since they discovered a piece of cheese, be it a little or a lot, but they don’t actually form memories of when the discovery occurred. That is, the rats can’t place the memories in time.
...
“This research,” said Roberts, “supports the theory I introduced that animals are stuck in time, with no sense of time extending into the past or future.”

Low-carbon Living Takes Off In The US

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408102839.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 8, 2008) — Cohousing offers a low-carbon lifestyle, and developers are poised for a market that could soon burgeon in the US, according to a new study. Until now, cohousing has occupied a niche market in the US, but the paper by Dr Jo Williams at UCL (University College London) suggests the situation is changing. Cohousing not only helps to halve energy use, it offers health and social benefits for families and older people seeking secure and affordable homes.

Cohousing in the US typically comprises private living units (houses or flats) with shared spaces such as a gym, office space, workshops, laundry facilities and a cafe. Those living in cohousing consume nearly 60 per cent less energy in the home, and operate car-sharing and recycling schemes that greatly reduce the pollution from travel and landfill. Having facilities such as office space, workshops and gym within the community also reduces travel and associated emissions. Residents’ direct involvement in the management and maintenance of these communities has also led to the adoption of more energy-efficient systems and renewable sources of energy.

Safe 'Green' Decontamination Method Detoxifies Nerve Agents In Chemical Weapons And Pesticides

Looks like some good news on the environmental front.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132133.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 8, 2008) — Research by two Queen's University scientists has resulted in an exciting new method for rapidly and safely destroying toxic agents such as chemical weapons and pesticides.

Recently completed testing by an independent European defence corporation has shown the researchers’ method to be greater than 99 per cent effective when used on the deadly nerve agents Tabun, Soman and VX.

Prenatal Exposure To Drugs, Alcohol And Tobacco Affect The Brain Into Early Adolescence

Note this study does not mean that these drugs don't have an effect after adolescence. It's unlikely that they effects will suddenly stop at this point in time.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153034.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 8, 2008) — Although behavioral studies clearly indicate that exposure to drugs, alcohol and tobacco in utero is bad for a baby's developing brain, specific anatomic brain effects have been hard to tease out in humans. Often users don't limit themselves to one substance, and demographic factors like poverty can also influence brain development.

Now, a new study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, led by Children's Hospital Boston neurologist Michael Rivkin, MD, suggests that prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol, marijuana or tobacco (alone or in combination) may have effects on brain structure that persist into early adolescence. The findings, published in Pediatrics, are of public health significance, the researchers say, since it's estimated that more than 1 million babies born annually in the United States have been exposed to at least one of these agents in utero.

Researchers at Children's and Boston Medical Center employed volumetric MRI imaging to study the brain structure of 35 young adolescents prenatally exposed to cocaine, marijuana, alcohol or tobacco. The children, who averaged 12 years old at the time of imaging, were part of part of an historic cohort of children assembled by Deborah Frank, MD at Boston Medical Center and followed there since birth. Prenatal exposures were confirmed by a combination of maternal history, urine testing of the mother or urine or meconium (stool) testing of the infants at birth.

"We found that reductions in cortical gray matter and total brain volumes were associated with prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol or cigarettes," says Rivkin, who is first author on the study. "Importantly, although volume reductions were associated with each of these three prenatal exposures, they were not associated with any one of these substances alone after controlling for other exposures."

Notably, the effects were found to be additive--the more substances a child was exposed to in utero, the greater the reduction in brain volume.

Studies' message to women: Keep your cool

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/yu-smt040208.php

Public release date: 2-Apr-2008
Contact: Bill Hathaway
william.hathaway@yale.edu
Yale University

New Haven, Conn.-Whether you are running for president or looking for a clerical job, you cannot afford to get angry if you are a woman, Yale University psychologist Victoria Brescoll has found.

Brescoll and Eric Uhlmann at Northwestern University recently completed three separate studies to explore a phenomenon that may be all-too-familiar to women like New York Senator Hillary Clinton: People accept and even reward men who get angry but view women who lose their temper as less competent

The studies, published in the March issue of Psychological Science, provide women with recommendations for navigating emotional hazards of the workplace. Brescoll says it pays to stay emotionally neutral and, if you can't, at least explain what ticked you off in the first place.

Clinton's presidential campaign has put a spotlight on the question of whether anger hurts a female candidate. The answer, according to the studies, appears to be an unequivocal yes - unless the anger deals with treatment of a family member.

"An angry woman loses status, no matter what her position,'' said Brescoll, who worked in Clinton's office as a Congressional Fellow in 2004 while she was preparing her doctoral thesis on gender bias. She noticed over the years that women pay a clear price for showing anger and men don't.

In all studies, both men and women were shown videos of actors portraying men and women who were ostensibly applying for a job. The participants in the studies were then asked to rate applicants on how much responsibility they should be given, their perceived competence, whether they should be hired, and how much they should get paid.

Both men and women in the reached the same conclusions: Angry men deserved more status, a higher salary, and were expected to be better at the job than angry women.

When those actor/applicants expressed sadness, however, the bias was less evident, and women applicants were ranked equally to men in status and competence, but not in salary.

Brescoll and her colleague then compared angry job applicants to ones who did not display any emotion. And this time the researchers showed study participants videos of both men and women applying for lower-status jobs. The findings were duplicated: Angry men were valued more highly than angry women no matter what level position they were applying for. However, the disparities disappeared when men and women who were emotionally neutral were ranked.

A final study showed another way bias against female anger could be mitigated. When women actors explained why they were angry, observers tended to cut them more slack. However, Brescoll noted a final gender difference: Men could actually be hurt when they explained why they were angry - perhaps, says the Yale psychologist, because observers tend to see this as a sign of weakness.

nutrient reduces risk of breast cancer

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/epr-enf040208.php

Public release date: 3-Apr-2008
Contact: Edelman Public Relations
Edelman Public Relations

Essential nutrient found in eggs reduces risk of breast cancer by 24 percent

Park Ridge, Ill. (April 3, 2008) Choline, an essential nutrient found in foods such as eggs, is associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study supported by a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), to be published in The FASEB Journal’s print issue in June.(1) This study adds to the growing body of evidence that links egg consumption to a decreased risk of breast cancer.

In this new case-control study of more than 3,000 adult women, the risk of developing breast cancer was 24 percent lower among women with the highest intake of choline compared to women with the lowest intake. Women with the highest intake of choline consumed a daily average of 455 mg of choline or more, getting most of it from coffee, eggs and skim milk. Women with the lowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 milligrams or less.

“Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender,” says Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, who is an author of the study and a leading choline researcher. “Increasing evidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularly those of child-bearing age.”

Only ten percent of Americans currently meet the recommended intake for choline, identifying a need to increase choline intake across the population.(2) According to the Institute of Medicine, adequate choline intake is 550 milligrams per day for men and breastfeeding women, 425 milligrams per day for women, and 450 milligrams per day for pregnant women.(3) One egg contains 125.5 milligrams of choline, or roughly a quarter the recommended daily supply, making eggs an excellent source of this essential nutrient.(4) Choline is found exclusively in the egg’s yolk. Other top food sources of choline include liver, wheat germ and cauliflower.

More on Bats

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uom-olo040308.php

Public release date: 3-Apr-2008
Contact: Jim Erickson
University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---If you get a chance to sip some shade-grown Mexican organic coffee, please pause a moment to thank the bats that helped make it possible.

At Mexican organic coffee plantations, where pesticides are banned, bats and birds work night and day to control insect pests that might otherwise munch the crop.

Save the bats

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/stri-srs040308.php

Public release date: 3-Apr-2008
Contact: Beth King
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Smithsonian researchers show major role of bats in plant protectionResearchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute report that bats significantly reduce insect abundance and damage on plants. In a lowland tropical rainforest in Panama, bats can consume roughly twice as many plant-eating insects as do birds. This landmark study in the journal Science is the first to compare the ability of bats and birds to protect plants via insect predation in a natural forest ecosystem.A previous study by the authors suggested that bats were underestimated predators of plant eating insects, based on video recordings of feeding events. In the current study, Smithsonian short-term fellow Margareta Kalka, and co-authors Elisabeth Kalko, institute staff scientist and professor at the Institute of Experimental Ecology at the University of Ulm, and Smithsonian postdoctoral fellow Adam Smith, separated the insect-control effects of bats and birds by placing netting enclosures over five common tropical plant species only at night or only by day. Uncovered control plants accessed by both bats and birds lost merely 4.3 percent of their leaf area to insect herbivores. When only birds were excluded, plants lost 7.2 percent of their leaf area. When only bats were excluded, plants lost a striking 13.3 percent of their leaf area, demonstrating that in the tropical forest understory bats can be more effective pest control agents than birds.
...
It is clear from both studies that bats play an extremely important role in the food chain in the tropics and probably in temperate areas as well.

How much work does a husband create?

http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6452

Apr. 3, 2008
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Having a husband creates an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, according to a University of Michigan study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. families.

For men, the picture is very different: A wife saves men from about an hour of housework a week.
...
Certainly there are all kinds of individual differences here, but in general, this is what happens after marriage. And the situation gets worse for women when they have children."

Just a Dog

Just a Dog
copyright 1996 Patricia M. Shannon

She's just a dog, so some folks say,
but she's been a loyal friend to me;
so when she makes her final journey
I hope to keep her company.

She's by my feet, all thru the night,
where she keeps them comfy warm;
when anybody comes around,
she always gives a loud alarm!

She's not ashamed to let it show
how much she depends on me;
and that she's sad when I am gone,
co-dependent she'll gladly be!

She'll risk her life to keep me safe,
something no man I know could say;
when all my beaus have gone awy,
she has always faithful stayed.

She's just a dog, so some folks say,
but she's been a loyal friend to me;
so when she makes her final journey
I hope to keep her company.

The Light of Love

This could be about various kinds of love, including but not limited to romantic love,
so it can be considered a belated Valentine's Day poem/song.
I would say that this is how most of my dogs have felt about me!
============================================
The Light of Love
copyright 1991 Patricia M. Shannon

The glow of sunset paints the sky,
I wait for you to come to me,
and bring the sunrise to my life;
I'm filled with light when you're with me.

What a miracle is love;
how it transforms our very soul.
I felt that I had lived too long;
but now my love lights up the world.

Come and lie here in my arms,
and feel the healing glow of love;
feel the strength and peace that come
from communion with the ones we love.

A little anxiety pays sometimes

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/afps-ala040308.php

Public release date: 3-Apr-2008
Contact: Catherine West
Association for Psychological Science

Anxiety gets a lot of bad press. Dwelling on the negative can lead to chronic stress and anxiety disorders and phobias, but evolutionarily speaking, anxiety holds some functional value. In humans, learning to avoid harm is necessary not only for surviving in the face of basic threats (such as predators or rotten food), but also for avoiding more complex social or economic threats (such as enemies or questionable investments).

A team of psychologists at Stanford University have identified a region of the brain, the anterior insula, which plays a key role in predicting harm and also learning to avoid it. In a new study, Gregory Samanez-Larkin and colleagues scanned the brains of healthy adults while they anticipated losing money.

Adults with greater activation of their insula while anticipating a financial loss were better at learning to avoid financial losses in a separate game several months later. Conversely, participants with low levels of insula activation had a harder time learning to avoid losses and lost more money in the game as a result.

For these subjects, higher levels of insula activation helped them to learn to avoid losses months later. However, researchers have found that excessive insula activation might prove problematic. Previous research has shown that people who are chronically fearful and anxious have abnormal patterns of insula activation. So, while people with excessive insula activity are at risk for psychological disorders like anxiety and phobias, higher levels of insula activation in the normal range may allow people to avoid potentially harmful situations.

The findings, which appear in the April issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, point toward an optimal level of anxiety. While a healthy amount of anxiety grants some survival value, too much may lead to excessive worry and clinical conditions. This may help to explain why anxious traits persist in humanity's genetic endowment, even as environmental threats vary over the ages.

How to Make a Difference

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/less_is_more/Content?oid=437104

Through rebates and incentives designed to entice customers to use less energy, California utilities were able to stabilize energy demand while its population and economy grew by 79 percent.

"Energy-efficiency improvements remain the fastest, cheapest, cleanest energy resource," says Dr. Marilyn Brown of Georgia Tech. It's the low-hanging fruit in terms of what utilities, states and consumers can pluck to achieve conservation. Along with phasing out coal-fired power plants, it's one of the recommendations made by the EIP report's authors for what states can do to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

"Energy efficiency in buildings has got to be your top priority," says Dennis Creech, executive director of Southface. He says customers can build or invest in energy-efficient homes and cut their power bills by up to 40 percent. The improvements sometimes pay for themselves in savings in as little as two years.

One approach states can use is advocated by experts such as Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute: demand-side management, a fancy term that essentially means utilities, such as Georgia Power, offer customers a financial or tax incentive to reduce energy use. Consumers would pay less for energy, and energy providers would save money because the conservation would mean less need for new power plants.

"What we don't have is the public policy for energy efficiency or solar," Creech says. "A lot of states now are offering tax credits, and a lot of utilities are offering incentives for energy efficiency – significant incentives. If you look at New York and California, their energy use has stayed flat over the last 10-20 years. And why is that? It's because they've had significant investment in efficiency, primarily by the utilities industry."