Tampilkan postingan dengan label science. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label science. Tampilkan semua postingan

Kamis, 15 Desember 2011

The Revelation of the Pyramids.

What do the pyramids in Egypt, Easter Island, Machu Picho and countless other sacred sites around the globe all have in common? More than you might expect. Watch the following video clips to learn the mysteries:













Rabu, 19 Oktober 2011

The Magic of Quantum Levitation.


Green Man
: As an aspiring wizard, I find science, such as the kind seen in the video below, to be stunning magic. The scientist is truly a magician. I need a quantum levitation set-up like this so that I can float around the grove and through town. However, if I levitated around town, they just might try and lock me up; there are still a lot of people who are intimidated and frightened of magic and science. Sad, but true.

~The Green Man has Spoken~

Minggu, 17 Oktober 2010

Cannabis Rx: Cutting Through the Misinformation by Dr. Andrew Weil.

Dr. Andrew Weil is a famous, well-respected physician who is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integral medicine. He is best known for establishing and popularizing "integrated medicine." It is a style of treating ailments and diseases through both conventional medicines and practices along with natural treatments that ancient civilizations have successfully used for millennia. China has been so successful at using natural supplements that their formulas are increasingly being adapted to western medical treatments. Herbs like cannabis (marijuana) don't survive for thousands of years as medicines without there being something to it:
If an American doctor of the late 19th century stepped into a time warp and emerged in 2010, he would be shocked by the multitude of pharmaceuticals that today's physicians use. But as he pondered this array (and wondered, as I do, whether most are really necessary), he would soon notice an equally surprising omission, and exclaim, "Where's my Cannabis indica?" In his day, labor pains, asthma, nervous disorders and even colicky babies were treated with a fluid extract of Cannabis indica, also known as "Indian hemp." (Cannabis is generally seen as having three species -- sativa, indica and ruderalis -- but crossbreeding is common, especially between sativa and indica.) At least 100 scientific papers published in the 19th century backed up such uses.
Green Man: They knew then what we're finally remembering now about marijuana; it's somewhat of a miracle drug that helps with everything from: Chronic pain, to appetite loss from cancer and HIV/AIDS, to glaucoma and menstrual cramps. It is also being used to treat depression for those with mental health struggles. I have a form of bipolar and I have prevented several emergency suicidal depression crises by administering a little cannabis into my system. It brings me up out of that dangerous place quicker than any other prescription drug I've been given--and I've taken them all. Plus, the effect from marijuana lasts even after it has worn off. Nothing works like marijuana to treat emergency depression and with little to no side effects compared to the drugs my psychiatrist gives me. So, how is it that I can use marijuana for medical reasons and I don't have to worry about over-dosing but the pills that society deems "safe" and "legal" could kill me instantly if taken in the wrong dose? But what else is cannabis good for when it comes to medicine?:

Meanwhile, as a medical doctor and botanist, my aim has always been to filter out the cultural noise surrounding the genus Cannabis and see it dispassionately: as a plant with bioactivity in human beings that may have therapeutic value. From this perspective, what can it offer us? As it turns out, a great deal. Research into possible medical uses of Cannabis is enjoying a renaissance. In recent years, studies have shown potential for treating nausea, vomiting, premenstrual syndrome, insomnia, migraines, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, alcohol abuse, collagen-induced arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, bipolar disorder, depression, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, sickle-cell disease, sleep apnea, Alzheimer's disease and anorexia nervosa.

But perhaps most exciting, cannabinoids (chemical constituents of Cannabis, the best known being tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) may have a primary role in cancer treatment and prevention. A number of studies have shown that these compounds can inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animal models. In part, this is achieved by inhibiting angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels that tumors need in order to grow. What's more, cannabinoids seem to kill tumor cells without affecting surrounding normal cells. If these findings hold true as research progresses, cannabinoids would demonstrate a huge advantage over conventional chemotherapy agents, which too often destroy normal cells as well as cancer cells.

As long ago as 1975, researchers reported that cannabinoids inhibited the growth of a certain type of lung cancer cell in test tubes and in mice. Since then, laboratory studies have shown that cannabinoids have effects against tumor cells from glioblastoma (a deadly type of brain cancer) as well as those from thyroid cancer¸ leukemia/lymphoma, and skin, uterus, breast, stomach, colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

Green Man: The bottom line is that the war on marijuana has been costing us billions of dollars for decades upon decades with nothing to show for it except an increasing number of people who are tolerant of the drug. That's because people know the truth--that marijuana is at the very least no worse than alcohol but it is increasingly seen as being less of a problem to society than alcohol. It doesn't make you aggressive like alcohol. Also, unlike alcohol, it isn't physiologically addictive. So, the word got out that the government wasn't just embellishing the dangers of marijuana but outright lying and pushing blatantly false propaganda about it. Not many in the know have trusted what they have said about pot every since. The cynical side of me says that the authorities maintain the status quo on marijuana's legality because it keeps the DEA, local police and politicians with a job.

Well, the people have had it with the violence that prohibition of marijuana has brought to our southern border region with Mexico; and we're tired of hemorrhaging money to fight a weed during a time of economic crisis when every last dollar counts. We shouldn't be wasting money on a substance that is nearly as tolerated at all levels of social strata as alcohol was during prohibition. During that time even the president of the United States was drinking illegal booze!! Along with politicians up and down the line. The prohibition of marijuana has taken the same predictable and wasteful course as the prohibition of alcohol in the 20s and 30s. It has only increased its popularity, increased the crime associated with it's illegal status and a rise in violence between drug traffickers. Regardless of your morals it just doesn't make sense to keep fighting this losing war on a drug that is no worse than alcohol and with health benefits that bring real comfort and relief to many people suffering from ailments and diseases. The time is now.

~The Green Man has Spoken~

Kamis, 19 Agustus 2010

Burn Charcoal to Help Reverse Climate Change?

Burning something organic is usually seen to be dirty--not, porn "dirty" but pollution dirty. However, science is finding that a form of charcoal might actually help reduce greenhouse gases:
As much as 12 percent of the world's human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be sustainably offset by producing biochar, a charcoal-like substance made from plants and other organic materials. That's more than what could be offset if the same plants and materials were burned to generate energy, concludes a study published August 10 in the journal Nature Communications. "Biochar offers one of the few ways we can create power while decreasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. And it improves food production in the world's poorest regions by increasing soil fertility. It's an amazing tool."

Biochar is made by decomposing biomass like plants, wood and other organic materials at high temperature in a process called slow pyrolysis. Normally, biomass breaks down and releases its carbon into the atmosphere within a decade or two. But biochar is more stable and can hold onto its carbon for hundreds or even thousands of years, keeping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide out of the air longer. Other biochar benefits include: improving soils by increasing their ability to retain water and nutrients; decreasing nitrous oxide and methane emissions from the soil into which it is tilled; and, during the slow pyrolysis process, producing some bio-based gas and oil that can offset emissions from fossil fuels.
Green man: It's going to take a patchwork of ideas and revolutionary science to tackle the vast scale of the problem. There is no "magic elixir" to change this trend and threat to not just our environment but our very lives. It's simply a reality that not every place gets enough sun for solar energy, not enough wind for wind energy and hydrogen is still expensive and volatile. Another idea that I like is using algae to power our cars. The problem isn't the ability to solve this problem but rather the lack of political willpower to see the dire need for these technologies. No where is this more evident than in the United States where a large chunk of the problem stems from with emissions. We Americans unfortunately know a lot about war and coming up with a multi-tiered plan is essential and something of a strong suit for us. We need to convince other Americans that this climate issue is a major national security issue--it's a war and thus demands an immediate and diverse battle plan. And it needs to be set into motion, frankly, immediately.

The irony of using biochar is that the environmental benefits of it have long been known to ancient man but modern man's arrogance took over and the assumption was that nearly everything the ancients knew was to no longer beneficial. "Amazonian Indians mixed a combination of charcoal and organic matter into the soil to improve soil fertility, a fact that got the scientists interested in studying biochar's modern potential." The renaissance brought about many wonderful benefits to civilization; not the least of which being science itself!! The very science that is now rediscovering the benefits of charcoal. Rediscoveries like this always make me sober in one respect because of all the genocide modern man is committing by cutting down the rain forests. How many cures for various cancers could be destroyed? Or cures for HIV/AIDS?

~The Green Man has Spoken~

Jumat, 12 Februari 2010

How Can You Deny the Weather and Its Scientific Properties?

It's scary how many people deny and outright HATE science!! I'm thinking most recently of the many climate change deniers. It's like shaking your fist and denying the sun!! Especially when they benefit in SO many ways from science. The really frustrating part is that some (if not many) of the benefits they experience from scientific research they probably aren't even aware of. Ignorance is a weapon of mass destruction. They love our modern medicine but when science shows that our use of fossil fuels is eroding our very thin but critical for life ozone layer, that's going too far? And I always say to them, "Isn't it better to be safe than sorry? What's the worst that happens? We free ourselves from foreign oil with green energy and in so doing create an industry that re-energizes our economy??? Sounds likes a win-win scenario to me!!

And I would venture to say that a sizable portion of the climate change deniers are conservative Christians who believe there is a man in the sky who talks to them. But climate change is where they draw the line? Seriously? Something that has been scientifically proven by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is more illogical to you than the man in the sky theory??? The IPCC is a WORLD scientific body sponsored by the United Nations to study climate change. This aren't just "liberal" scientists from America but from across the globe, o.k.? Most industrialized countries (and others) see the IPCC as authoritative.

You'd think that the American, conservative, Christian tendency of worshiping giant families would be enough to trigger them to action for the sake of their grandchildren. I guess they're willing to gamble their lives too. Family values my ass. Whatever happened to conservatives who believed in protecting nature like Teddy Roosevelt? You know, conserving our natural museums and churches? Would your belch black smoke into your sacred church or temple? Of course not, so don't belch pollution into nature's sacred temple loft, which is our atmosphere.

So either the entire world, whole nations and all its scientists are together in on some uber-conspiracy of epic proportions, (which would arguably be the biggest conspiracy of all time) or the science is right and your an asshole moron. I'm betting on the latter. Thanks climate change deniers for doing the global, climate equivalent of pissing in the public pool.

Kamis, 11 Februari 2010

Global Warming, Climate Change and The 2010 East Coast Snow Storm.

Some of the "geniuses" on the right are saying that the two day storm on the east coast this week proves that global warming isn't real. Just because the east coast gets hit with a 100 year storm doesn't mean that the rest of the time there isn't global warming. The exception of a huge snow storm doesn't disprove the over-all trend or rule. Mild temperatures in the winter mean more evaporation and thus more water in the air. So when it does snow they are monster storms. Global warming LEADS to climate change but they are not necessarily the same thing. Steven Colbert and Bill Nye, "the Science Guy" go after this latest right-wing example of sticking their heads in the sand when it comes to science:
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
We're Off to See the Blizzard
www.colbertnation.com
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And now for a more intellectual explain from Rachel Maddow and Bill Nye, "The Science Guy.":

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