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Archive for February, 2010

Equality – or quality of life aspects for all

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

The Venus Project is advocating a new science based future for all – giving advice on how to remove poverty, crime and the rest of it.

Today’s numbers are quite clear: if you are poor your health will most likely be poor (relatively speaking), your lifespan will most likely be shorter than the rich, poor people are more criminal and so on.

The book “The Spirit Level” tells you about the pain of inequality – inequality breeds unhappiness. It all comes together: bad health, violent crime, lack of community life, teen pregnancy, mental illness, early death.

But there is more to it than that. The book “The status syndrome” tells a story about how social standing also affects health and longevity – if you are down there your health and lifespan suffers. The author introduces a health-gradient concept where low social status and lack of control over the way you are able to lead your life leads to stress and consequent illness, reduced longevity. This happens in spite of being economically well-to-do.

A future society should take these factors into account. Political, social and economic greed should all be reduced – and we will all be better off?

See books:

Michael Marmot -”The Status Syndrome”
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett – “The Spirit Level”.
Buy from Amazon!

Posted in What humans do | 1 Comment »

The world’s energy – a revolution is coming

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Numbers are coming up from many places: The world has abundant energy – lots and lots!

We have winds that sustainably, easily and permanently can deliver a large percentage of what we need, we have the sun that is shining energetically on us and can supply many times our needs for all time, we have geothermal power that can deliver for all as long as we want, we can grow plants to make oils, we have the waves, the high and low seas, hydroelectric power, the temperature differences in air and sea, and we have more…..

Nuclear energy is getting attention – big projects in Arabia, US government guarantees for US projects, new thorium technology waiting in the wings, new players (Korea) emerging – this will be big.

87% of the world’s energy use today is fossils – and the world lacks energy supplies in parts of the world – how is this possible?

Why not go into this properly? Why bother with carbonbased fuels at all? They are not sustainable and cause all sorts of pollution – and the end is coming.

Energy requirements will quadruple this century – no problem – lets use what we already have.

Let the transition start! Now!

Tags: transition
Posted in Deep ecology | No Comments »

Medical fusion of West and East

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Western and Eastern medicine are based on different principles.

The Western view is basically to heal illnesses as they occur and many treatments are available, mainly in the form of drugs or surgery. The phase before the illness is not for the doctors. The basis is scientific.

The Eastern view is of a more holistic nature with a set of treatments that differ clearly from the Western methods. For many Westerners it has a mystic character with non-scientific (seemingly) theory, it is about first correcting body dynamics, using acupuncture, pressure, herbs. The basis is experience over several thousand years.

Chinese medicine is very old – 3000 years, some even say 5000 years.

The foundation is the philosophy of Tao where the concepts of Qi, Yin and Yang and the 5 steps are important, including dark and light and the balancing of the life forces. The aim of therapy is to balance Yin and Yang.

Acupunture, herbs and other natural substances are important to achieve this balance.

The results are very good – it is spreading to the West – the Chinese are coming!

At the same time a new era of medicine seems to be starting: the body-mind-spirit thinking is developing or finding its form, with a fusion of the two sets of thinking. The new medicine has also been called Energy or Energetic Medicine due to the realization that the body has to do with energy and psychic forces as well as physics and chemistry.

Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM, Indian, Korean, Japanese have all had concepts of vital forces that drives all life. It seems clear that energy thinking is vital, and this forces Western medicine to consider a development in this direction.

From the website of the University of Tromsø: “In 1999 Norway and China agreed to a Letter of Intent regarding cooperation within the field of health and medicine. The National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM) is organized as a center at the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tromsø, Norway, and it is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. WHO Collaborating Centre: NAFKAM was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine in 2008. NIFAB: In 2007 a national complementary and alternative medicine CAM bank has been established to provide unbiased research based information.”

Tomorrow’s medicine is coming! Is this happening in other countries as well? We will follow up on this one!

See link: The National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM) Search for NAFKAM

Tags: East, TCM, West
Posted in What humans do | No Comments »

A bold future world: The Venus Project

Monday, February 8th, 2010

An interesting set of thinking is gaining force: The Venus Project.

This is a project about the future and how we possibly are going to live. The basis is scientific methods and the aim is to redesign the Earth’s civilization so that it is the best possible for all. The monetary system is removed, politics is removed, poverty and hunger is eradicated, sustainability is everywhere, equality is ubiquitous…

It is very critical of the state of the world today: the rotten monetary system, politics gone awry, corruption rampant, greedy businesses, unnecessary poverty and hunger, scientific developments stalled.

It is suggested the world should be changed in dramatic ways. The economy will be based on the Earth’s resources made available for all, decisions arrived at with the help of computer systems: this dynamic project could help turn development in the right direction.

Vested interests must be removed so that ideas can flow – and be realized also.

Changes are coming and the Venus Project is a very positive way of looking at the foundations for a new future – let us give it a chance!

See link The Venus Project They have a nice e-book for the project too!

Research into how to avoid cancer

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

The research into cancer is huge and the commercial cancer business is big. Cancer survival rates are improving in most places. Still cancer numbers are growing: In a short time it will be the biggest disease of all. Therefore it will also be one of the biggest businesses – research and commercial sales – of all.

The explanations forwarded as to the causes are related to lifestyle, exercise, diet, a number of risk factors like smoking, living in a city, using a mobile phone, etc. You can maybe reduce your chances of getting cancer by adding vitamins, oils, delay your sexual debut some years, have a slim body etc. 60% of all cancers are found in people over 65 years of age. Research into the DNA of cancers is in the works: we want to map the DNA of all cancers. We vaccinate against cervical cancers (viral).

The business of curing cancer also seems to be locked up by the approved methods, and extreme costs by introducing alternatives for approval. There is an alternative industry claiming to heal people, but that is barely visible in the mainstream media, and documentation is slight.

It is all rather confusing and it seems nobody – in the whole world – knows what is going on.

This is rather amazing: Why is there so little interest – in the whole world – in finding out what cancer really is and what starts it? Is it caused by carcinogens and risk factors gradually or suddenly breaking down your DNA? Is it an infection? Is it caused by fungi? Is it viral? Are cancers many different diseases?

Surely this can be found out – if we want to. Or have we introduced “brakes” that will not let us? Truly independent scientists can find the answer to this.

It must be possible to tell people in a simple manner how to avoid cancer!

A number of research projects should be formulated to find the answers – and financed too.

Tags: avoid cancer, DNA, fungi, research
Posted in What humans do | No Comments »

Coordinating (national) climate research

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Climate research in Norway is being coordinated – good idea!

Quote: “Klima21 is a strategic forum for climate research established by the Norwegian Government. The forum’s objectives are to draw up a cohesive strategy for Norwegian climate research and to facilitate the application of research findings in a manner beneficial to society.

The efforts of the Klima21 forum will provide knowledge about how and why the climate is changing – and the ensuing ramifications for various sectors of society and the public at large. The forum will examine topics such as climate change and its impact, adaptive responses to climate change, climate policy, and the reduction of greenhouse gases and other pertinent countermeasures.”

See website: KLIMA21

Are other people doing similar stuff? Do we need international coordination of climate research as well?

Tags: coordinate research
Posted in Deep ecology | No Comments »

Ruling the world (not at all please)

Monday, February 1st, 2010

The world has some common challenges that must be seen to!

We have now seen the IPCC in action leading us through the challenge of global warming. This is not going well for many reasons: questions about data and also basic assumptions that have not been answered, disagreement about carrying the costs, division between rich and poor countries, a sneaking lack of transparency as to people’s roles.

The work by the WHO to control the swine-flu (epidemic) had faults including the lack of evidence proving a pandemic, with lack of transparency and accountability: who did what and what commercial interests did they have? The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation is drawing criticism on a general basis – what are the side effects of vaccination programs, how much vaccine can the human immune system take before it breaks down. Some nations have forced programs where you have to take a number of vaccines or else… US children must have 33 injections with 10 different vaccines .

Many other areas could be part of such international panels – and the UN already have several bodies – the world of finance surely needs an overseer – water management seems to be a big question looming – and what about poverty? What about use and ownership of the world’s resources?

We must tread carefully, especially when we are divided about basic facts – all human thinking is wishful thinking – there is not always one truth. World panels are anti-democratic by nature and should be used with care and have strong requirements about neutrality and transparency. Systemic bias, politics, commercial interests and hidden agendas are also factors to consider.

The world should be ruled by locals where they are, but maybe the panels can recommend a useful trick or two? Good advice is often taken!

The principles of Economics Nobel Prize winner Elin Ostrom in CPR (Common Pool Resources) should also be taken into account. That would be an innovation: CPR on a global scale.

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