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It would appear that more than BASF Chemical Company has an interest in plastic bags. According to the United Press International (January 9, 2008,) China will ban the use of plastic bags in stores effective June 1, 2008! Now this is eye-popping news coming from the world's most populated country:
"The State Council announced the ban on their Web site, citing the problem of litter and of the oil used to produce the bags. 'Our country consumes huge amounts of plastic bags every year. While providing convenience to consumers, they have also caused serious pollution, a waste of energy and resources, because of the excess use and inadequate recycling.' "
Chinese shoppers will return to cloth bags, most likely similar to the ones being sold in US stores now. It strikes me that it isn't like China to be the world leader on such a thorny issue,especially the year that they are hosting the Olympics. However, there are certain times when central communist rule has its advantages, and this may be one of them.Yale was publicly influenced (also known as shamed) into increasing the output from its endowment fund by a whopping 37%. With that money, it intends to increase financial aid, scientific research and other educational initiatives as well as increase enrollment from 5,300 to 6,000. On 12-16-07 this blog reported that Harvard had bitten the bullet and decided to expand its endowment output by increasing aid to middle class families, an unprecedented move for that stalwart institution, and one we hoped was trend setting. Obviously it was. What's more, after Yale's announcement, Harvard, whose tuition now stands at $45,620, upped the ante even further by increasing its endowment spending to 5% from 4.3%. WSJ reports that:
"The moves will each add hundreds of millions of dollars to the Ivy League rivals' budgets. They come at a time of pressure from Congress and other quarters for wealthy schools to make tuition more affordable as they stockpile billions of donations and investment gains."
Other Ivy League universities are stepping up to the plate as well. Princeton was the leader of the pack in 2001 when it dropped loans from financial aid packages and other higher educational institutions having been scurrying to catch up ever since. Some ask why Congress has an interest in these matters and may believe that the government should keep its nose out of the Ivy Leaguer's business. However, the Senate Finance Committee felt differently:
"[The Senate] has been pushing to require schools to spend a minimum amount of their endowment each year. Foundations are required to spend 5%, while many universities fall below that threshold. [Senator Charles] Grassley praised Yale's move, calling it 'a day for parents and students.' He noted that Yale's and Harvard's announcements came after a hearing in September that focused on the size of college endowments. It's a big deal that the two wealthiest colleges are making tuition affordable. They set an example for all other well-funded schools to do the same."
The WSJ noted that 62 colleges have endowments over $1 billion and most are opposed to Congress mandating a minimum payout (1-8-08, p. D3.) It is a crying shame that such wealth is held by non-profits unwilling to give back, and this is one time when our government in its oversight role has stepped up and said enough is enough.Apparently, some scientists have come to agree with my view that what they are accomplishing is uncovery rather than discovery. In a recent article entitled "CFS Gene Study Targets Serotonin Function" at www.cfids.org , it was reported that three markers were uncovered that appear to be associated with CFS [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.] While the uncovery itself was interesting to someone with this devastating disease like myself, the word usage was even more impressive. We will watch to see if others pickup on this enlightened trend.
- Blogs 12-29-07; 12-31-07; and 1-5-08
Remember my blog about climate change and earth's magnetic patterns? If you missed that one, you might want to read it and uncover a new thought as to how the climate as well as man are influenced by the earth's magnetic field. Well, it would appear that something else out of the ordinary line of thinking might be influenced in unusual ways. The WSJ recently reported what the New Scientist magazine revealed this month:
"Epileptic fits exhibit some of the same patterns as seismic shocks, . . .raising doubts about the longstanding belief that seizures occur randomly. The research led by neurologist Ivan Osorio of the University of Kansas, found patterns of 'waiting times' between epileptic fits that are similar to earthquake occurrences. Also, just as earthquakes are preceded by tiny tremors imperceptible to humans, epileptic fits are preceded by neural spikes detected only on brain scans. The analysis. . .compared 16,000 epileptic seizures with seismological data from 300,000 earthquakes. The researchers say these and other patterns might hold the key to predicting and possibly preventing epileptic fits" (WSJ, 1-10-08, p. B6.)
These findings might not be surprising if one believed in the literal interconnectedness of all beings as well as resonance with earth's electro-magnetic field. Lynne McTaggart's book The Intention Experiment previously reviewed here goes into great detail about the phenomenon. I would predict that within 20 years her theories will be accepted as the norm. Until then, many uncoveries of the kind noted above will likely surface. As I see these revelations, I will bring them to your attention as a way to shed light on a new reality that may stun us in its simplicity.
Propaganda is a powerful force as we all know, particularly as it relates to negative matters. TIME magazine (January 14, 2008) showed how the view of the war in Iraq might have been influenced by its press coverage. It disclosed a Pew Research Center study that illustrated 46.9% of press coverage of Iraq dealt with acts of violence, whereas only 4.6% of coverage dealt with optimistic themes in 2007. Some might say that this is justified because it faithfully represents what is happening on the ground. However, we know from other sources that many "optimistic themes" occur daily in Iraq and are not covered or covered sporatically.
The journalistic axiom "If it bleeds, it leads" could not be more true than in the case of Iraqi war coverage. Thus, this negative trend in war coverage may have more to do with psychology than politics. In defense of the broadcasting and print news corporations, they give their readers/viewers what is demanded. If not, these companies would be out of business. So, although many fingers point to biased corporations for their negative reporting, the reader/viewer is equally responsible as the ultimate consumer of these products. If more light was desired, more light would be had. This unenlightened trend is due for a change, wouldn't you say? NOTE: "Connecting the Dots. . ." is a new feature and will be brought to you from time to time as trends unfold on the pages of this watch for change blog.
Before launching into the Christmas Day science marathon, a few words on the meaning of discovery might be in order. It's probably the nerd side of me that gets enjoyment from reading the meaning and derivation of words in dictionaries. Take the word "discover"--it literally means a lack of cover and has come to mean finding something new for the first time. But discover carries a connotation of finding something new that wasn't there before. When I was growing up, I thought discovery meant just that.
As an adult, I have come to understand that it really means "uncovery"--finding something not new that has always been there but for our ignorance. The same could be said of miracles. St Augustine put it bluntly: "Miracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only in contradiction to that which is known in nature." That there is nothing new under the sun is literally true--everything possible to know is already available and ready for uncovery when humanity has eyes to see it and is ready to receive it.
Sometimes, I play a mind game and turn the word around to make another. The exercise can be very enlightening and is full of meditative possibilities. Forget mindful meditation on an orange--words are so much more abstract and interesting. Sir Isaac Newton is a case in point. One can take his last name and and turn it into the words "Not New." I would bet that with his studies of ancient wisdom and things mystical, Newton was aware of the true meaning of his "discoveries" as partial uncoveries during the age of enlightenment.
But, I digress and must get back to the topic at hand--the most enlightening science changes or uncoveries of 2007 from DISCOVERY magazine, note that the groupings are mine:
#1 out of 100--"China's Syndrome: Tainted products and choking pollution spark anxiety across the globe" together with #6: "Conservation gets a green light: can a fluorescent bulb save the planet?" and #21: "Quantifying Global Warming" where Al Gore's various accomplishments were listed as well as a list of the global warming studies all speak to the environmental issues that have certainly been the forefront of news story, both scientifically and politically. Probably because of Gore, this year saw the melding of science and politics to an extent not seen before. The fact that the magazine chose such a politically infused subject for its lead science story shows a definite lighted trend, although a little uncomfortable and messy for many at its inception.
#9--"The Genome Turns Personal: with individual sequencing, medicine may soon be custom-tailored to your own DNA" was the top-billed enlightened uncovery regarding DNA in 2007, a heady topic that also included: #43: Human Genome Reveals Signs of Recent Evolution. It would be my guess that because this relatively new area of uncovery is just in its infancy, it will be subject to much reinterpretation over time. In all likelihood, DNA, which science has now proved emits a small packet of light called a biophoton, has much to teach us.
#11--"Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer" was a vindication of the studies and findings of the late Dr John Lee who made this claim for years before his death. If you want to read the whole story of hormone replacement therapy, you can read Dr Lee's book "What Doctors Don't Tell you About Menopause." It was a courageous act of the Women's Health Initiative in July 2002 to abruptly ended its study when it saw the data unfolding about the detrimental effects of HRT because it went against the grain of the medical and pharmaceutical establishment at the time. The findings were confirmed in 2007.
#17--"Is Pollution Weeding Out Male Babies?" together with #22: "Pesticide Effects on Sex Last Generations in Rats" by epigenetic changes in DNA and #42: "California Bans Phthalates in Plastic Toys" as well as #51: "Wastewater Decimates Minnows" shows a trend that I voiced a concern about ten years ago and that I saw was flying under the radar until now. My thought at the time: so, this was how it was going to end. Humanity was going to be sterilized invisibly and no one was going to pay attention until it was too late. Because 4 out of 100 choices highlighted the topic of hormonizing pollution, there is new hope that the invisible will be made visible. Whether meaningful change can be made in time is another matter entirely.
#29--"First Steps Toward Wireless Electricity" together with #52: "Amazing Battery Made of . . .Paper?" shows a leap forward in the science of energy. Tesla, who died a recluse and penniless, would be vindicated with the uncovery regarding wireless electricity made at MIT. Humanity may now be ready for the next phase of energy uncoveries--including advances in the storage of energy-- for which it was not prepared in the early 1900's. Tesla was certainly a man before his time and a forerunner of things to come. Thank you MIT for picking up the pieces.
#39--"Plants Use Quantum Computers" was probably the most startling uncovery of the lot: "Using ultrafast lasers, they [scientists at the Lawrence Berkley National Lab] found that the interaction between the sun's energy and the chlorophyll molecules. . .relies on a piece of quantum mechanical weirdness known as superposition, where a single photon of energy can temporarily be in many different states at once. This allows photosynthesis to probe all the possible reaction pathways withing the various chlorophyll molecules. The most efficient pathway is selected and energy is transferred through the bacterium as the superposition collapses." The author of this piece goes on to quote one of the scientists, "This is similar to quantum computing in some sense. This is how quantum computing realizes its incredible efficiency and its ability to solve very complex problems, because it can evaluate many solutions at once." As a plant person, I had no idea that was going on in my leafy companions. I will have to show them more respect in the future.
And that leads us to #65: "Physics Exposes Light's Weird Quantum Nature" in which scientists have actually observed the collapse of the aforementioned quantum superposition, a first in 2007. Says the Harvard scientists who uncovered the previously elusive phenomenon: " 'This is the kind of research that people will immediately start teaching in physics classes when talking about quantum mechanics. . . this is the first time this basic building block of physics has been directly observed in a very beautiful, clean and textbook kind of way." Wonder if they talked to the scientists at #39. Probably should, don't you think?
#47: "Dimensional Math Problem Solved: More than 120 years after it was first discovered, mathematicians have successfully mapped out a 248-dimensional object called E8 " which is described as "one of the most complicated structures in all of mathematics and a table with more than 200 billion entries. Printed out on paper it would cover all of Manhattan." The principle uncoverers at MIT states that "E8 probably reflects the world somehow: everything interesting does." This one definitely warrants following because E8 could map the invisible, physical world. If nothing else, it's beautiful as illustrated by the colored, two dimensional drawing of it on page 49. Check it out, E8 might prove to be the ultimate mandala on which to meditate.
#78--"Tablets of Unknown Ancient Script Surface" in southeastern Iran: although some think the tablets are a hoax, some alternative historians might feel vindicated at the discovery. What ultimately might be uncovered is the remains of a culture not previously known to exist. Stay tuned, because this may be the first of many such uncoveries in the next 25 years.
And finally, life would not be complete without the uncovery noted at #96: "Function of the Appendix Explained." We all knew that little appendage has some use, right? Well, apparently it is a safehouse for bacteria. You know, you get the runs and wipe out all the good bacteria. To the rescue comes bacteria-in-waiting from the previously quiescent appendix. Good going, appendix. The secret you've kept all these years is now open to the public. Hopefully, you will survive the experience.
On Thursday, it will be on to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN's 50 top science stories. See you then.
