LegendaryLife.com Blog

It can be said that we are all a product of one another’s expressed desires and fears, like a school of fish, each fish has it’s own mind and ways of doing things but the school behaves as if decisions are made by one collective mind.

What are or is a social construct(s)?

You don’t need to go far to see close to perfect social constructs, we are surrounded by them, breath them, feel them… they are as much a part of us as our very own flesh yet rarely do we actually stop and analyze the flawed foundations they originate from. With each interaction we make not only with our fellow human beings but nature itself, it shows it’s face ever so slightly, so vast our eyes cannot perceive them yet so narrow our mind pinpoints them with uncanny precision. Social constructs are the underlying foundation that our societies are based upon, they include culture, language, habits, food, religion… essentially anything that makes a group of individuals feel as it they are part of a collective. If I visited the North Pole, polar bears would think of me as food while, if I was a powerful polar bear myself, I would be accepted (challenged) as part of the polar bear collective. Like the school of fish, we tend to gravitate towards other with the same sense of being.

Social construct examples

Alright, you attend a business conference that is dedicated towards monetizing the internet, how many chiropractors will you see there? My bet is that unless you have several thousand people, the answer will be none. Why is that? Well, now I have set you on an interesting adventure that is a social construct… social constructs ask why things are in a particular way, analyzing patterns and systematics not only about why they came into being but what keeps them together.

Social constructs are fun to play with

When you begin to realize the power of social constructs, you can have fun playing with other peoples perceptions of them. I never joined the military but when I walk around in my military uniform, it causes civilians to “look” and “interact” with me quite differently then if I was wearing ragged cloths with a beard. Soldiers come up to me then they are puzzles, I look the part yet I have no badges, you see, soldiers know who is and isn’t part of their social construct based on certain identifiers that I don’t have on my uniform yet to civilians who don’t know any better, I can assume that persona with total acceptance. What changed? I am the same person, same mind, same desires… but my outward appearance has directly changed how people perceive my value to them to be within their own minds. I have morphed from being part of one social construct into another rather easily unless somebody looks at me closely.

Social constructs is serious business

Ironically, observations about social constructs are what people in the security business (police, army, intelligence… ) look for when assessing a threat level. People may be able to blend with others but what usually gives them away are their actions which don’t mix in with the crowd… it’s what makes them stand out. For instance, if you where a bus driver in Israel and a passenger was about to come on who was sweating profusely, had either an intense gaze or lack thereof, you best get the heck out of dodge ASAP. Knowing who is and isn’t part of a group, on an instinctual level is a skill that few people bother honing. If you want to really get to know somebody in a very quick fashion, ignore EVERYTHING they say and instead, look at their body movements. If somebody leans towards you when you speak, it means they are interested in what you have to say, if somebody is walking in a zig-zag pattern, it means they aren’t “all there” and the list goes on. What I am trying to say is that by analyzing why people of a particular group act a certain way towards one another, you learn how to differentiate those who belong vs those who do not. Body language is an essential part of this.

Benefits of social construct knowledge

Once you realize the mannerisms and patterns of people of a particular social construct, it becomes rather easy to morph to the point where you are accepted by them. Like I mentioned previously, most people are attracted by like minded people… they draw comfort from being around others whom they have shared similar experiences with. Back to my soldiers uniform, as I mentioned, those in the military saw me as kinda weird but not the public… why? Well, if you study enough social interactions in life you will realize one vital thing, most people pay very little attention to what they are actually doing or perceiving. If a civilian looked at my uniform, they would notice there is NO badges, no name tag, no country flag and the list goes on… but most simply accept the color scheme as being enough to quantify me into a particular group within their mind. What’s the benefit to all this? Easy, once you know what to do and when, you can learn to control your own social constructs. Mastering your own inherited social constructs allows you to be far more effective at communicating with crowds of all types… the more people can identify some of themselves within you, the more they will understand what you are telling them. This has proven invaluable to me in both the business world and social circumstances.

The Bottom Line

Study others so that you can learn to control and morph yourself.

Life is about adventure and learning about oneself, about 6 months ago I was on a remote beach in Cape Tribulation, Australia right before the tourist flow and this is what it was like.

How I got there

I rented a room from a great family in Cairns who gave me a ride up to Cape Tribulation, I planned on going there for a week before leaving Canada about 5 months prior simply to see what is was like to actually live on a beach for a week. The roads where not bad but one thing I learned quickly about Australia is that in the outback, there aren’t any straight roads. Past Cape Tribulation is pure off-road dirt roads, south is relatively paved but still rough. After taking too many bends to count and starting to get nauseated, we finally arrived! This place, that I so feared never arriving to was finally a reality. The family stayed there for a day then we parted ways.

Survival: Shelter, Food and Fire

In any survival situation, the first priority is shelter, the elements, even in a tropical area can be extremely grueling. This wasn’t anywhere near a survival situation and I had more cans of beans and peanuts, my staple for a week, to last me easily twice that long. At night, there was a communal camp fire but after coming from a night-shift position I took temporarily, to say my hours where screwed up was an understatement. Being use to waking up at 6pm and going to bed around 8am… well, you get the idea. I went from rarely seeing sunlight to being basked in it full time! Back to the story, after checking-in, I got my tent set-up and jumped right into the waves.

The Beach!

Coming from Canada with it’s polluted waterways, Australia was amazing! I never got tired of heading to the beach every few weekends just to BE THERE. There is something extremely peaceful and yet adventurous about the beach. The beaches North and South of Cairns aren’t bad but they sure as hell aren’t a Cape Tribulation Beach! Beautiful white sand, waves full of sea urchins and jellyfish, nothing comes close! This beach was everything I imagined it would be and more. Well, I soon realized that Cape Tribulation had two tides, the first high-tide was around 11am and the second 11pm. I was also surprised by the complete lack of mosquitoes, the constant sea breeze and salt water sure did a number on them.

What to do on a remote beach?

As this wasn’t a survival situation, I had basically all day to do as I wished. About 95% of the time, I had the entire few kilometers of beach to myself, what I mean by myself is exactly that, no other humans in sight! Backpackers where busy getting over their hangovers or their sunrise mates, most people would walk on the beach then the rest of the day, disappear like I would have if I had been in such a remote place with a lover. The fact that this was the off-season just made things that much better in my opinion. At night it was freezing as I caught a fever which took the first few days to combat and during the day it was easily over 30 degrees with full humidity. I kinda wished it was rougher, this was too easy an adventure for me! I spent my days walking up and down the beach, doing some great photography and in between, going up to the coral reef that outlined the Cape Tribulation beach about 100 meters out. Laying around in the afternoons under a palm tree and taking a nap soon became a good habit of mine. The beach is really a cool place, each tide would being in some interesting creatures, one day, it was a huge lobster and another day interesting shells. Regardless, compared to the modern monotony of the cities most of us inhabit, the beach is always different!

Realizations

What do you realize when you have an entire week to just relax and think? Well, quite a bit, this isn’t a confessional but what I will say is that time “off” like this is vitally important to allow your brain to wind down the recuperate. Much like a muscle that worked very hard, a few days to recover pay huge dividends. Things that once seems unsurmountable begin to make sense, the various mental blocks that get created just dissolve away and better yet, alignments in life can be re-orientated.

Next Time…

Now that I know what it’s like to be a beach bum for a week, next time I want something with more of a survival tone to it. I would like to spend a month, yes, an entire month with nothing but a hatchet, netting and an emergency pack full of food just in case my hunting / fishing skills aren’t where they should be. I have a few tropical islands that are sufficiently remote to accomplish this goal with the timing is right in my life. I want to challenge myself, would I actually be able to live off my wit in the face of nature herself? I am confident I could but I have never tested this out and I am eager to get my feet wet. I have found during my travels that it takes about a week for the brain to realize “yes, you are really here” followed by a week of “what the heck are you doing here” then a few more weeks for the reality to be fully accepted. I have many other outdoor survival adventures I want to try as well in different areas of our vast planet, and I look forward towards turning them into a reality. This is something that every human should live through.

The Bottom Line

Life is about living it!

I realized something a few days ago that I hadn’t thought of previously, do people buy something because a corporation is selling it or because of the people running the place?

What is a Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity that, as one documentary I saw a while back put it, was equivalent to a psychopath hell-bent on making profits at any cost. The reason people set-up a corporation is normally two fold, the first is legal protection in case of lawsuits which isn’t possible under a sole proprietorship and the second, to make money. If you don’t want to make money, then a non-profit designation is for you but if you have very long term objectives of one day drinking a martini on your personal comet, well, a corporation is needed.

Who runs the corporation?

Left to it’s own devices, a corporation will by definition become ruthless in the pursuit of wealth, leaving many on the wayside. The job of the CEO, or more apt, the face of the corporation, is to reign in the profit beasts. Now, if your corporation is run by an accountant, there probably won’t be much difference but if it’s run by the founder, usually things are much more humanized then otherwise possible. Take for instance General Electric. Who runs that place? I haven’t a clue, it’s just some huge corporation that builds everything from sink plugs to jet engines. Same goes with Exxon, IBM, Johnson and Johnson and the list goes on. Now, if I say Apple, you will probably instantly say “Steve Jobs”, how about Microsoft? Bill Gates, Virgin? Richard Branson, Disney? Walt Disney in his cryogenic tomb. WHY IS THIS?

Brand of the Founder

I believe that there is something special that happens when a corporation is run from scratch by the founder throughout their lifespan. For instance, Ford has been run by distant relatives and stock holders for so long that it has lost the “synonymousity” that it once had with Henry Ford. Sames goes with the now Eatons, a huge retail empire in Canada that once dominated but has since been sold too many times to count. In these cases, the kids where unable to maintain the spirit or vision that their father had for the corporation. We actually saw this happen with Apple for a brief period of time when Steve Jobs was essentially kicked out, what happened? Apple went to the brink of extinction until he triumphantly returned. There is something special that only the founder of a corporation, who has managed it’s growth like a well pruned Bonsai Tree that simply cannot be taught or passed on very well. Now for another question, do you buy an Apple computer because of Steve Jobs or because of Apple?

Synonymous Founder

Apple is a good example of hype generated by it’s founders, I doubt people run to the stores and wait for days to get their hands on the latest Vista operating system, but they will for the iPhone! Why? Sames goes with Richard Branson who is basically a demi-god in the UK, are people buying something from his 350+ companies because of HIM or because of Virgin? In these cases, the company has become the persona of it’s founder and vice versa. This may cause some big problems in the future because, although a Corporation has an indefinite lifespan, humans do not. Bill Gates for some reason never was able to become a body double of his corporation and Steve Ballmer even less so.

Corporation vs Human

Humans have emotion, passion and desires, corporations have simply the bottom line. They seem like such different things but somehow, a few select executives and CEOs have managed to turn the two into one. Another great example is Micheal Dell, he built Dell Computers into a vast empire and once he left to become a “sabbatical chairman”, his company floundered. He had to return, much like Steve Jobs decades earlier, to pick back up the pieces and begin pruning his corporation once again. I find it

What does this all mean?

Anybody can run a corporation, but it takes a very magic touch indeed to be able to actually BECOME the corporation, where the company and the person behind it (usually the founder) are one. If you are able to achieve this goal, then you really have reached a peak that few have ever climbed.

The Bottom Line

There is a human behind every corporation, but not necessarily a corporation behind every human.

I have a lot of theories about life that just seem to come to me and are re-enforced through experiences in daily living on this 3rd rock from the sun we all inhabit. Exponential learning of the mind is one of them.

Thinking leading towards success

It’s no secret that the reason for our species success on this planet is due to the complexity of our mind and it’s ability to create abstract thought patterns that can be retrieved at a later date to improve our reproductive success. For instance, there is plenty of scientific studies showing that great apes, of which we are a lineage, are willing to learn sign language in order to get a much prized food item. You even see this in nature with Chimpanzees who use sticks to get termites out of termite mounds to get food. What I am saying is that our mind, when given the incentive, will learn things far beyond what is essential for survival. The massiveness and complexity of our brain is simply due to the constant rewards we received from increasingly being able to exploit the environment around us.

What is the brain anyhow?

Now into something more complex that I am seeing and slowly cultivating in my own mind, that of exponential learning. A brain is essentially a big glob of fat, there is no muscles, no cartilage nor any bone making up the brain, it’s fat! What differentiates our brain from the fat around our waists is it’s composition and blood flow. Our brains make up 25% of our metabolic rates, put another way, a quarter of what you eat simply goes towards fueling the brain. This relative metabolic massiveness of our primary organ requires a lot of blood and as a result, lots of resources to keep at peak functionality. If you give your brain EVERYTHING it wants, then, like the gas you feed to your car, will return to you incredible advances in thinking power. The neurons that construct thought and memory will create stronger bonds, the way our neural mapping is constructed will be far more efficient and optimized for any situation you are experiencing and best of all, when you need access to raw inter-spacial power, it’s there for the taking!

What is the exponential mind?

Much like the athlete trying to break the one minute mile or 9 second, 100m run, the exponential mind is the result of creating the optimal soup for the brain to gather its resources from. The exponential mind is able to routinely come up with concepts based on previous learned relationships and apply them towards issues in daily life. The exponential mind is capable of creating thought processes that optimize the capture and retainment of new, perceived important, data along with its related ramifications. The exponential mind is, most importantly, capable of achieving exponential learning.

What is exponential learning?

Exponential learning is the result, break thought even, that occurs once you are on the path towards creating an exponential mind. Exponential learning is the simple ability to acquire and quickly synthesize new information, chuck out the crap and keep the good stuff at an ever increasing rate. It has nothing to do with being smart or IQ but more importantly, the filtration of information. For instance, in case you didn’t know, the television you may be watching right now is actually receiving ALL the channels it’s capable of receiving, much like a radio, the dials you turn or press are simply choosing which filter to apply on this mind numbing amount of data. The ability for exponential learning is the same, the ability to efficiently filter information that is relevant and important only to you. Why waste brain power towards something that you have no interest?

Our brain has finite resources, just like the television, but unlike a television, we cannot go buy a bigger one, so the only course of action to get more out of it must be through the initial filtration process.

How to create an exponential mind capable of exponential learning?

Much like the working out your muscles, the filtration systems within the brain must be exercised. For me, I have learned to automatically wipe out useless information on a daily basis, we all do this already, but being able to choose ahead of time to do this takes some practice. For instance, if you are going to visit your in-laws but have no interest in being there but have no choice, you can decide ahead of time to forget the entire evening as it’s occurring. The next day, you will remember you visited your in-laws but have no clue about what happened. You have created an effective filter that is similar to selective amnesia. Practice doing this, over and over… after several months, you will begin to get the hang of it and simply get better at it.

Advantages of exponential learning

Now the flip side of exponential learning. What possible advantage to controlling your minds own gate keeper provide in your life? Plenty! The first is that once you are able to efficiently, consciously, select what goes in, you can then keep your brain working on things that ARE important to you. For instance, if you want to learn how to play the guitar, not wasting the minds resources on useless information bombarding your brain, well, you can acquire this skill in a fraction of the time. The additional advantage is that you will quickly learn that one thought or skill quickly compounds itself into another at an increasing rate, exponentially! Much like a snowball rolling down a hill, it gets bigger, more powerful as it acquires more snow. Soon, your mind will be swimming in what you want it instead of having to waste precious resources bumping into useless junk.

The Bottom Line

The mind is a terrible thing to waste, optimize what you got!

When you live paycheck to paycheck… there is no style nor life to your lifestyle. I am a student of life, and I wanted to experience first hand what life was like for far too many people on this planet.

Background

Business was slow over the holidays last year and so I figure I might as well use this opportunity to find out what it’s like to work at minimum wage for a change. I tried 3 different jobs, all though different job agencies. I substantially dumbed down my resume, removing anything that would show that I had achieved anything in life, otherwise there is no way I would have ever been considered. People are given minimum wage jobs because the employer knows they need the job, as soon as they are not needed – their power is gone. I wanted to guarantee I got the job, and I got one within 5 minutes of stepping into the first recruiting agency. They needed manpower for a quick project, I was at the right place at the right time… $8.25 was the wage without any negotiations!

The three jobs from hell (Canada)

I worked at 3 different spots, the first was through a temp agency, essentially working in a heavy metal stamping plant. I was paid 9$ per hour, I am sure the agency was sub-contracting me at about 14-15$ per hour based on what the others told me they where getting paid. The other was helping to cap wine bottles, yes, putting on one cap at a time after bottles where filled up with their expensive wine. The last job was doing inventory control with a Wizard.

Observations

• minimum wage jobs seem to be generational, I talked to many of the employees and it wasn’t rare when they stated their father, mother, brother or even husband was doing similar work
• minimum wage jobs are exploitive to the tilt! These job agencies where making a living off my efforts, day in and day out, taking away much needed money and putting it in their pocket. I met people working these jobs that where far smarter then the agencies but due to circumstances, stuck in the minimum wage rut
• people fear loosing their minimum wage jobs, this was the most surprising of discoveries, I told one boss I was heading to the bathrooms (it was a factory) and he told me to wait till break time, I told him “I don’t think so” after a lengthy discussion that was going nowhere then proceeded to the bathroom. When I got back, the employees who overheard me where shocked that I talked back to the boss and where worried my job was on the line as a result (???)
• there is a heck of a lot of turnover in these jobs, even during the short term I was working there, those who where smart where taking studies to get out and others where looking elsewhere
• you don’t know monotony until you have done the same damn thing like a robot day in and out, I don’t know how these people do this for years, after a week I felt myself loosing my sanity
• minimum wage people are among the toughest jobs out there and the people are tough both physically and mentally
• I never saw so many smokers in my life! Seems the rates of obesity, ill health and alcoholism are rampant within this segment of the population.
• I never saw such a bunch of unhappy people, who have lost hope in their lives, you see it in their eyes, they want more but are exploited from ever achieving any worthwhile goal in their lives
• you are not appreciated for your work or your creativity, you are but a body that must perform X task over and over and over again, without complaint, without thought and without hope of getting out as you are easily replaced

After doing the above for a little over a month, I proceeded to walk away from each job without even giving them notice, what is there to say when you no longer need to work for a slave master?

One Great Job from Hell (Australia)

In the above jobs, my average pay rate was $8.25 an hour and then there where government deductions so maybe I was lucky to net $7.00 an hour. Australia… wow… most minimum wage jobs started at $9.00 an hour but I was lucky enough to net a job that was union based for a large printing company. My minimum wage job? $23.00 an hour! I was doing the same monotonous jobs, saw just as many smokers and people who gave up on life but wow… $23.00 an hour was nothing to complain about. This job was incredibly boring, the company (other employees) where, for the most part, quite dull with substance abuse problems but I kept my mouth shut most of the time. Unlike the minimum wage jobs in Canada, this job actually had a way out if you worked long enough. During my short few months there, I received forklift training, was managing production for my manager and was becoming a valued member of the staff. I heard a few people complain behind my back, who had been there for YEARS (some 20+) who where not happy that I leapfrogged over them within the first month there!

Overall Observations

As a person who has no lack of self-esteem and self-confidence, minimum wage jobs and my personality just don’t jive. I have no problem telling somebody that they are wrong, standing my ground and even telling them off if needed. I have a very direct managing method, no bullshit, no stories, good or bad, just tell me what is going on. Office politics aside, if somebody stands in front of me, like they did in the factory in Canada, trying to tell me to go to the bathroom just for their own power trip, the best get out of the way. One more thing I noticed that came to me a few months later, just about everybody who worked minimum wage jobs had HORRIBLE ORAL HYGENE. I don’t mean bad, I mean HORRIBLE. Broken and missing teeth, gingivitis was rampant, my only guess is that alcohol, tobacco and poor diet along with a completely loss of hope of every achieving something in life had been made representational in their mouth. These people where branded for life, good luck getting a corporate job with a mouth that looks like it belongs in that of a wild animal!

The Bottom Line

There are many Hells on this Earth… minimum wage jobs is probably among the worst.

If you are unlucky enough to require the use of an artificial limb, I hope this gives you hope that the functionality desire may not be that far away.

Dr. Goldfarbs Background

Dr. Goldfarbs is a professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University who has been fascinated by prosthetic limbs since childhood, and did his masters degree into designing a robotic artificial leg. He later did his doctorate in developing a computer controlled brace that would allow paraplegics to walk with the use of electrical stimulation on their muscles! He’s currently doing research into dramatically improving the usability and functionality of artificial limbs.

Power requirements are the next hurdle

Dr. Goldfarbs realized while doing robotic research that the achiles heel of any powered prosthetics is the inability to function for extended periods of time without having to have the power supplies refreshed (plugged in). As a result, he exchanged motors for special materials that expand and contract based on varying voltage, functioning very much like normal muscle tissue. In 2000, while doing research for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency), he developed a fuel source that simply used hydrogen peroxide instead of conventional motors and batteries.

Military needs artificial limbs!

With impressive advances in body armor, the number of casualties that the military suffers from was sharply down but as limbs are still exposed, a record number of limbs where being amputated. Having impressed other researchers, he then set his sights in 2005 towards developing an advanced prosthetic arm ever with 30 million dollar in funds from DARPA.

DARPA Results

The artificial arm developed by Dr. Goldfarbs was radically different then anything currently in the marketplace and has almost the same functionality of a real one! The artificial arm has more dexterity, freedom of movement and power then what is currently available with the added benefit of using a liquid fuel power system which can be refreshed when ever the user desires. Other researchers are also studying implantation of electrodes directly within the central nervous system to control artificial limb movement instead of using current methods.

The Future of Artificial Limbs

Dr. Goldfarbs is now researching the development of an artificial leg using the same technology he developed with DARPA funds for the next generation artificial arm.

Video

I found a video by Dean Karmen, I don’t know if the arm is the same as the one developed by Dr. Goldfarbs but the end of the video is interesting regardless.

The Bottom Line

Follow your strengths and success will surely follow.

Buzzvia
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Creating_The_Ultimate_Artificial_Arm_999.html

I find it interesting how Christian religious doctrine tells us that our species is less than a thousand years old when evolutionary, carbon-dating and physical proof demonstrate otherwise. I believe ignorance must be confronted with facts on an ongoing basis so that our civilizations can improve themselves for the benefit of all. If the foundations of any particular belief or faith are so brittle that lack of education is the only way to keep it alive, then it has no place in the human psyche.

Egyptian Footprints

Footprints found in a desert Oasis called Siwa, within Egypt. The archeologists performed carbon-dating of underlying vegetation in the now petrified (turned to stone) footprints and have come to the conclusion that they are at least two million years old.

We have been walking for millions of years

Well, this isn’t the first time old footprints have been found, suffice it to say, the human species has walked on just about every inch of this blue rock for millions of years. There is far more footprints out there yet to be discovered as a result but the environmental conditions required to maintain said footprints is tantamount to a perfect storm. You need just the perfect consistency of mud, underlying vegetation (strata), cover (once footprints done to protect them from the elements) and finally, the perfect environmental conditions for maximum preservation.

Ramifications

I believe ignoring our evolutionary past and not shedding light on our incredible journey into modern life is really ashame. We have and continue to live with amazing challenges, the fact we are still alive is a testament to our ingenuity and perseverance, not to be ignored but celebrated!

The Bottom Line

You must know your beginnings in order to prepare for your future.

Buzzvia
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/08/20/egypt.footprint.reut/index.html

You know, those red blood cells that carry oxygen to the bodies cells, the white ones that fight infection and the ones that heal battle damage (platelets)… well, they produce their own waves to get to their required destinations.

Where do cells get their power?

Cells are so beyond our modern technology it’s absolutely mind blowing. Each cell within our bodies is powered by the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, the mitochondria but instead of producing radioactive waste, it simply produces carbon dioxide (along with a few benign chemicals) and is powered by sugar! Now that we have the power plant out of the way, now it’s time to explain the drive system that has only recently been discovered using very high power microscopes.

How are these waves produced?

To greatly simplify the process, think of a shotgun being fired. You have a bullet (Hem-1 protein) in the chamber, the trigger is pulled by the cell leading to a controlled explosion. Right before the bullet leaves the chamber, another one is put into it’s place (right hand side of cell) while the spent cartridge is then discarded but enough of the cartridge is left for regenerating a brand new bullet (recruitment of Hem-1 protein on left hand side). What you end up with is a system of propulsion system that never needs refueling due to being self-generating and works almost anywhere in the body where these proteins are present.

Ramifications

Once you discover how cells within our body propel themselves and more importantly, their driving force, you can develop therapies that either enhance or impede these movements based on the chemical nature of a specific cell type. For instance, a drug could be developed to prevent all cancerous cells within the human body from being able to move or gene therapies that would give helper cells a locomotive boost if, say, somebody was infected with a potent Virus. Although far into the future, once you understand the control mechanisms behind cell movement, radio controlled device could be created to focus cells onto a particular activity such as clearing out blocked arteries or repairing a heart muscles after a heart attack.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is like a river, winding and ever changing yet always expanding.

Buzzvia
http://www.interndaily.com/reports/Bursts_Of_Waves_Drive_Immune_System_Soldiers_Toward_Invaders_999.html

View the video
http://cvri.ucsf.edu/~weiner

All animals that have made it this far on our planet have an innate reaction, one that instantly goes off even before a signal as to what to do reaches the brain, it’s called the “fight or flight” response.

Background

Last week I went up to Cape Tribulation (Australia) to get some camping done, admiring nature and swimming with the jellyfish/man-a-wars when the tide was high in the main bay. When it was low tide, remnants of ancient coral where exposed, long since dead but still as hard as iron. Walking along the exposed reef, I kept hearing a snapping sound all around me, I would then walk a little more, stop and again hear “snap, snap, snap”. Oddly enough, I never heard it “under me”, always a few meters AROUND me. This made no sense obviously, so I just crouched down until I could pinpoint one specific snap and followed it until I discovered what it was.

Fight, Flight or Hide

What I was experiencing on the ancient exposed reef was the reaction of thousands of little crabs, about the size of my fist that where incredibly well camouflaged - I can only guess it was either a mating call or a message to other that “this is my territory, stay out”. Their initial reaction to a HUGE 6ft tall, 160lbs white monster (I was wearing a bright white long sleeve t-shirt) was to stand absolutely still, not make a sound if I was within about a 3 meter radius from them, any further, they would either run off (flight) or cease all sounds/movement hoping I missed them.

Discovery: What to do?

Keep in mind, I had to spend several minutes to simply pinpoint one of these noble little creatures, they are incredibly difficult to find when they don’t move or make a sound - I saw only 5 of them during a 8 hour period, of which only one I was able to get close enough to take a picture. Their initial reaction once it became obvious I was ABOUT to find them was to run away like Armageddon was at their doorstep asking for their soul… they may be very small, but they can sure run/swim faster then I ever could.

Fighting me off

Below is a picture of a brave little crab trying to fight me off as best he/she could. This screams of bravery and this little guy should get a medal but alas, I was just playing with it, I don’t particularly like crab as food so I posed no danger to him. There where Dingos, birds and other marsupials along the beach when the reef was exposed and at night when it was high tide, who knows what lives in the ocean looking for a quick and easy snack. The ONLY way I could ever get a “fight” response from a crab was to corner it, otherwise, it was a futile effort of hide and seek with them having the upper hand. Keep in mind, these little guys are about 1/4 a pound soaking wet - they stand absolutely no chance against me even if I fought them with my eyes closed. Just think, what would your reaction be if a giant about the size of the Eiffel tower was trying to catch you and you get a small glimpse as to how they may have felt about me. Would you stand defiant against all odds, stand your ground and fight?

Also below is a picture I took as to the consequences that are very real to these little crabs on a daily basis, the cost of fighting to the death or hiding to the death. So as you can see, it’s totally logical that if you see a potential predator coming your way, running away is probably better then hiding or fighting them off. You can see this everyday in our own species and countless others.

Brave little soldier!

Life is TOUGH on the Ree

The Bottom Line

We have a lot yet to learn from nature, if we open our eyes and give it the time it needs to reveal itself.

Growing up as a kid when everybody else was suffering from acne, I was suffering from poison ivy blisters Actually, I can’t think of a summer where I didn’t catch this wonderful condition – it’s almost a right of passage for me now to confirm warmer weather is upon me… this time I tried something different.

What is the good news about Poison Ivy?

Although I am sure poison ivy has its role in nature (feeding birds, protecting against erosion etc.), it still ranks up there with mosquitoes as things that I wouldn’t miss if they ever became extinct. Poison ivy (its cousins poison oak and sumac) are actually quite harmless, they will not attack you, are rarely fatal and best of all, once you catch it, easily treated. One of the few pleasures of catching poison ivy is hot showers never felt so damn good.

What is the bad news about Poison Ivy?

The worst thing about poison ivy is you can’t get rid of it, you cannot burn it as the smoke can harm your lungs, you can’t rip it out of the ground as even a small piece of root will make it come back with a vengeance and any way you cut it, no matter how you do it, will most likely lead to re-infection unless you are doing it in a bio-hazard suit. One last thing, poison ivy LOVES carbon dioxide (as do most plants) so the more you drive your car and use energy – burning fossil fuels - the more poison ivy will be out there waiting for you during your next camping trip.

How do I know if I got poison ivy?

It’s always a good idea to double check with a medical doctor to make sure you don’t have more serious health or medical problems – your rash might have nothing to do with poison ivy. Over the years, I have come to recognize the hallmarks of poison ivy, usually (but not always), poison ivy rashes develop in clumps, like they are in a race to see which “rash” can get the highest on elevation on my skin, another hallmark is lines, for some reason, poison ivy loves to form rashes that go in straight lines… so remember, clumps with lines
What causes those rashes?

Poison ivy (and its cousins) contain an oil called urushiol, this agent causes those wonderful rashes. It takes only a few minutes to enter your skin (causing a reaction) and it may take up to a week before you start noticing a rash.

What does poison ivy look like?

Make a quick search on the Internet for poison ivy, sumac or poison oak but if you think you can avoid it in a thick forest or while crawling through bushes, forget about it… it blends in and rarely have I been able to trace my steps back to identify exactly where I caught it. My rule of thumb is that if you see poison ivy, you probably already caught it… take a hot shower with plenty of soap ASAP.

What can I do to cure my poison ivy?

For years I would go to the doctor to get topical cream, worked great but a month ago I decided to try something different – very different. Instead of visiting the clinic, I visited the pharmacy and bought some GOLD BOND, it’s a drying powder that is wonderful and curing many types of rashes – baby powder probably does the same thing. Several times a day I would take the hottest shower I could stand for as long as I could take it then upon drying myself off, put the Gold Bond over the rashes. Within a week, everything was gone I have read stories of Aboriginals using ashes to cure their poison ivy – basically anything that dries out those sores and prevents them oozing on fresh skin would work.

The Bottom Line

Poison ivy is here to stay but the faster you recognize its effects, the easier it is to cure yourself.