An Oakland artist is ingeniously battling homelessness in Oakland,
California: he builds small houses out of materials he can find in the
streets, with each edifice costing around forty bucks.
The tiny homes are made of pallets, bed boards, washing machine
doors, and other bizarre objects that catch Greg Kloehn’s
attention. Mr Kloehn first noticed that homeless people built
shelters from whatever they find in the street, and he wanted to
make a house like this.
He jokes that he constructs "illegal homes out of illegal
garbage." The cost of one house is “$30 to $40,”
Kloehn told RT.
Image from seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject
“The real cost is just in the wheels: I buy large casters for
the bottom, so that they are mobile, and then nails, and screws,
and paintbrushes. But everything else I get for free,” he
said.
The houses are just comfortable enough to lie down in a warmer
place than a cardboard box, and the homeless in Oakland are
“so happy,” Kloehn told the Independent. "One cried
and got on his knees to thank me. They think I should make them
bigger and suggest improvements. They like to decorate them
themselves.”
Image from seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject
Currently, about 25 people use the homes. One couple’s home
burned down, another one was stolen, and a third was sold.
“It is tough out there. So I keep making more," Kloehn
said. It takes about a week to finish a house, depending on the
style.
“There are some quick, easy homes in maybe two or three days.
But some more elaborate ones, some more Victorian-style ones,
some different dome shapes – it takes a little bit longer,"
he told RT.
Image from seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject
Some people choose to change their homes, Kloehn said to RT.
“One guy remodeled the house and made it twice as big!”
The creator chooses funny names for the homes: R2D2, The Settler,
Romanian Farm House, Uni-bomber Shack, the Tank and The Chuck
Wagon to name a few.
Image from seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject
“They are not just homes but fast becoming a life style
option. They are usually cheaper than regular homes, giving more
people the opportunity of ownership,” he said.
"By skipping the traditional 30 years mortgage, perhaps the
tiny home movement could even reshape the way we think about work
and what we want to accomplish with our lives."
Ozone is invisible but highly toxic air pollution. As the background
level increases, trees that absorb it are poisoned and become more
susceptible to insects, disease and fungus. Epidemic attacks are
causing forests to decline around the world.
Artist Bartholomaus Traubeck has custom-built a record player that is
able to "play" cross-sectional slices of tree trunks. The result is his
artpiece "Years," an audio recording of tree rings being read by a
computer and turned into music, much like a record player's needle reads
the grooves on an LP. It gives us not only a sense of nature's message,
but a perspective on a unique arrangement of sounds that would be
impossible to interpret through any other medium.
Adults who spent three days in forests by trees and plants have
dramatically boost levels of cancer-fighting proteins and natural
killer cells, reflecting lower stress. In Japan, where shinrin-yoku or
"forest bathing" has long been recognized as an important part of a
healthy lifestyle. Another study demonstrated that young men who spent
just 15 minutes sitting in the woods instead of the city experienced
significant drops in heart rate and salivary cortisol.
The tree rings are actually being translated into the language
of music, rather than sounding musical in and of themselves.The custom
record player takes in data using a PlayStation Eye Camera and a stepper
motor attached to its control arm, and relays the data to a computer. A
program called Ableton Live then uses it to generate an eerie piano
track.
Ancient and indigenous peoples respect Nature as if She were
alive; ask Nature for Her permission and advice. These kinds of
practices were considered “crazy” but are now on the rebound. It is this
kind of thinking outside of Western culture’s box that can re-establish
dynamic balance and rejuvenate the health of not only trees and plants
but also WHOLE ecosystems. Partnership, cooperation, and equality with
Nature as a whole and specifically with Her other living beings
represent paradigm shifting practices.
By peeking into the realms of what we can interpret from mother nature,
we open ourselves up to something more.
Though the record player "interprets" rather than actually "playing"
the tree trunk, the digitial interpretation still varies with each new
piece of wood placed on the turntable, indicating there is enough
variance between trees to create unique compositions. To some, each
piece sounds a bit like a horror film, and to others there is beauty and
a sense of peace.
Wildlife biologist Terry Hines stands next to a massive scar on an
old growth redwood tree in the Redwood National and State Parks, where
poachers cut off a burl (photo: Laura Denn, Redwood National and State
Parks)
Some of the world’s oldest trees, located along the Northern California
coast, are being butchered by poachers hoping to sell their loot to
manufacturers of decorative furniture and home goods.
Burls, the knotty growth found on ancient redwoods, are the focus of
the wanton destruction that has left massive scars on the trees and
endangered their growth and reproduction.
Poachers prize the burls because they contain intricate wood patterns
sought by makers of tabletops, clocks and other home furnishings. Items
made from burls can fetch hundreds if not thousands of dollars, making
the collection of burls a lucrative—and often illegal—trade.
The cutting off of burls, often done crudely with chainsaws, has been a
problem for those managing old-growth redwoods for decades. But,
recently, the problem has become acute as drug addicts and the jobless
struggling to make money have ramped up their poaching in Redwood
National and State Parks in Northern California.
Rangers managing these lands have started closing at night a road popular with tourists, the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway,
in an effort to keep thieves from getting at the trees. The rangers
can’t do much else, given that there are not enough of them to cover a
park of 133,000 acres.
One ranger, Laura Denny, told the Associated Press that she knows of
only two or three arrests in the last 12 years for poaching.
And even when poachers are caught, their crimes usually result only in
fines, although the crime can be classed as a felony depending on the
value of the burl.
Comparatively few of the ancient redwoods that used to span a large
portion of Northern California remain today. From the two million acres
that existed in the 19th century, the state now has only 5% of that
total, nearly all of it contained in the Redwood National Park.
The poaching threatens future generations of the majestic trees. That’s
because the burls contain a tree’s genetic code and are responsible for
sprouting a clone before it dies.
“How many do we have that we haven’t found?” Brett Silver, the state
park’s supervising ranger, said of the poached trees, according to The New York Times. “It’s not just a property crime. It’s a legacy, like hacking up a church.”
If you have wondered what GMO forests will
do to the planet, and if they have anything in common with GMO food
crops, you are likely to be flummoxed by the plans of the plutocracy to
take all of the ‘natural’ out of nature.
Our forests provide an extremely high level of biodiversity,
and the destruction of the Amazon forests in recent years has
eradicated estimated thousands of life-giving plants and herbs, not to
mention diverse animal species. Over 90% of Amazonian plants,
for example, have not yet been studied by western science, but have
been used by natives for thousands of years to teat a multitude of
ailments.
A means to increase productivity, including the increase of wood fibers and wood pellets needed for paper production.
Restore
certain diseased or damaged tree species, by transferring a gene from a
Chinese chestnut tree to a decimated American chestnut.
A means for toxic cleanup and bioremediation that will help to remove heavy metals, and reduce contaminated soils.
However:
Fast growing, non-GMO trees are not looked to as a resource. Bamboo, for example, is fast-growing and is a huge carbon sink.
The
level of disease in GMO-planted forests is not yet determined, and
since GMO crops have led to super bugs and weed-resistant super-weeds,
assuming that GMO forests would be any different is purely ignorant.
The
toxic cleanup of this planet can only be remedied by halting both the
spraying of chemtrails and the continuation of GMO crops. Chemtrails and radioactive rain
are killing our trees and plants, yet GMO continues to be the
‘solution’ forced on the public, assuming our lack of knowledge
regarding genetically modified plant problems.
The Importance of (Real) Trees, Forests, and Nature
The
biological diversity in forests is unprecedented, and still little
understood by mainstream science. Trees perform multiple ecological
roles, but they also provide shelter for thousands of other plants that
do not grow well on an open-range or without the shade of trees.
Aside
from this, varying tree varieties (there are over 600 in the US alone,
and thousands throughout the world) provide a home for many creatures.
Animals, micro-organisms, and various plant species rely on the
ecosystem which trees help to provide for their very lives. Genetic
diversity is absolutely essential to the health of our forests.
There
are thousands of complex genetic interactions between trees, plant
species, insects, and fungi that cannot happen if we homogenize the
forests, let alone genetically alter them. Ecosystems cannot function
with a hybridized, genetically made version of Mother Nature. It is
ludicrous for scientists to suggest that replanting large swaths of land
with ‘faster-growing’ but asexual trees is a good idea. The USDA is
currently considering uprooting thousands of native pine tress to plant a
variety of GMO eucalyptus that cannot reproduce.
If
International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp. get their way, the
entire Southeastern United States will be transformed into one big GMO
tree plantation. Just as Monsanto and GMO food crop companies marketed
millions of suicide seeds before truly understanding their long-term
effects on health, which are all but completely deleterious, lumber
companies will attempt to plant GMO trees in order to control the
forests and ensure dominance in an increasingly competitive market.
This
is similar to the plans for GMO corn to provide ethanol for fuel, but
without any consideration for the fact that the GMO varieties can easily
cross-pollinate food crops and destroy a viable food source for the
world. It also means that trees will now be owned as a patented product
which only lumber and energy companies will hold the right to own, and
therefore, plant. All seeds we purchase in the future to maintain
forests must then be purchased by those who have ruined the natural
ecosystems of this planet.
“Syngenta developed Enogen to tap into the growing demand for ethanol; about 40% of US corn production goes to make ethanol.
The problem is that Enogen could mix with corn grown
for food and break down its starches, which would lead to crumbly corn
chips and soggy cereals and corn bread. ‘This will ruin
corn for milling,’ says Clarkson, who sells non-GMO and organic corn to
food processors and millers. ‘The ethanol industry is happy but other
industries are seriously undermined by this corn.’ (The Organic and Non-GMO Report)”
Dangers of GMO’ing All of Nature
Whether
it is food crops, fuel crops, or now, our forests, GMO is a haphazard
and money-grabbing tactic for corporate interests to continue their
aggressive and life-killing habits of ruining human, animal and plant
health.
While GMO seeding of forests in the world is not new, it is finding support via our biotech-infiltrated USDA and EPA in the United States. They are already in Brazil as
a source of biomass (supposedly to reduce fossil fuel-emissions) and
elsewhere throughout the world, including Portugal, New Zealand, China,
Chile, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, and Uruguay.
Of the 205 permit applications listed at the end of 2003 for GMO trees, 73.5% originated in the USA.
A whopping 32% of the permits were asked for based on herbicide
tolerance. Who is the biggest maker of herbicides? There are ten big
ones in the world, but Monsanto is at the top of the list, even though
regulators of these chemicals knew they would cause birth defects when used.
“Transgenic
trees offer potential solutions to a number of forestry problems, yet
the regulatory history for these trees in the United States is very
short, explains RFF scholar Roger Sedjo in his new report, Genetically
Engineered Trees: Promise and Concerns. The report focuses on the
implementation of the Plant Protection Act and related regulations as
the Act has been applied to transgenic trees.
Timber
sources in the United States and throughout the world have evolved in
recent decades, so that by the end of the 20th century, plantation
forests accounted for about one-third of harvested industrial wood
globally. (rff.org)”
Explained eloquently in this documentary entitled, The Silent Forest,
that won first place in the EarthVision Environmental Film Festival and
also First Place in the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film divisions,
we can see how GMO is affecting people and animals on the planet from
multiple angles. GMO forests are just the latest whack job timber
industry joining the biotech game.
SawStop of Tualatin, Oregon, has named several major power tool companies in an antitrust lawsuit,
claiming the companies conspired to boycott SawStop’s device that can
prevent finger amputations by saws. The reason for the boycott,
according to SawStop, is that companies are afraid that if one adopted
the technology, others would be more exposed to personal injury
lawsuits.
SawStop’s technology sends a weak electric current through a saw blade.
When the blade touches skin, a sensor detects the change in current and
jams an aluminum wedge into the blade, stopping it in about three
milliseconds, much quicker than a user can react.
The company filed suit against several companies, including Black &
Decker, Ryobi, Makita and Bosch, according to the website Fair Warning.
The suit says that it was revealed in a 2010 lawsuit that company
officials discussed the SawStop device and its potential effect on
liability issues at meetings of the Power Tool Institute, an industry trade group.
SawStops’ action contends industry companies conspired to boycott the technology and force Underwriters’ Laboratories to change its saw safety guard standards to the detriment of SawStop.
In the 2010 suit, David Peot, Ryobi’s former director of advanced
technologies, testified that “if another manufacturer were to develop a
concept of improved table saw safety, then the manufacturers who don’t
have that would certainly be at a disadvantage when it comes to product
liability,” according to Fair Warning.
A key issue in the SawStop case is whether it was filed in time.
Antitrust claims are required to be brought within four years of the
violation, unless it’s shown that the defendants willfully concealed the
action. SawStop claims it learned of the violation only in 2010, with
Peot’s testimony.
SawStop hopes to collect at least $10 million in lost revenue, as well
as treble damages, in the suit. In the meantime, SawStop is selling saws
using its technology. The company says it has sold more than 50,000 of
the saws and claims to have saved more than 2,000 amputations.
In response to the marketing of SawStop saws, the big players in the
power tool industry joined to create their own version of the safety
technology, according to Fair Warning. The venture ended in 2009 with
the companies saying they had created a device superior to SawStop’s.
However, the device has yet to be incorporated into any saws marketed by
the companies.
"However, the device has yet to be incorporated into any saws marketed by
the companies."
There's a good reason for that. This technology has not figured out how to stop a blade instantly without screwing up the motor and parts permanently that run it. (Notice electric miters saws don't stop on a dime even with their current stopping functions.) Unfortunately, this type of thinking will not suffice over time, and partially because the whole idea of cutting wood is to have a "very sharp" blade that runs efficiently and with greater power. Now, these idiots are attempting to cover the fact their large and obvious warning labels are absent as these warnings are detrimental to their sales to people who really don't have any business using these tools and have not be trained. Nevertheless, being able to sell any tool to anyone is the main objective, and this is an attempt to hide that fact.
The world's biggest trees, such as this large Scots pine in southern Spain, are also the world's fastest-growing trees, according to an analysis of 403 tree species spanning six continents. Credit: Asier Herrero
Like a fairy-tale beanstalk, a tree can grow and grow until it scrapes the sky.
Instead of slowing down as the centuries add up, old trees speed up their growth, according to a study published today (Jan. 15) in the journal Nature.
"Trees keep growing like crazy throughout their life span," said Nate
Stephenson, lead study author and a forest ecologist with the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) in Three Rivers, Calif.
The
results of the survey of 403 tree species around the world suggest that
trees never suffer the ill effects of old age. In animals, cells change
and break down over a lifetime, eventually causing death. But trees
seem free from this growth limit, called senescence. Instead, only
disease, insects, fire or accidents such as lightning will kill a tree,
Stephenson said. (He forgot to mention logging, of course.) "They never
stop," he said. "Every year, they are always putting on more weight than
before."
Ever since the first caveman threw a log on the first fire, burning
wood for heating and cooking has helped to define human civilization.
But wood as a fuel source has some inherent drawbacks, especially the
gases, particulate matter and other pollutants produced by burning logs.
A new generation of high-efficiency wood stoves, however, has become
available that are as low in emissions as they are high in energy
efficiency. And as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduces
new regulations designed to make wood stoves even more efficient, people
are rediscovering wood as a smart, renewable source of energy.
Last week, the EPA proposed tightening its emission standards for wood
stoves: Currently, the EPA certifies wood stoves that produce 7.5 grams
of fine particulate matter per hour, but new regulations would reduce
that level to 4.5 grams per hour by next year, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports, and lower it again to 1.3 grams per hour by 2019.
A 13-year-old boy named Aidan Dwyer has an idea that can vastly improve
solar energy technology. His idea is so revolutionary that it might make
flat panel solar designs extinct.
Aidan discovered a spiral
mathematical formula in trees based on the Fibonacci sequence. When he
recognized this design in the placement of tree branches, he began
applying the secret knowledge to solar panel designs. His discovery
could maximize solar panel sunlight collection in new, efficient ways.
Discovering a pattern in tree trunks
On
a winter hiking trip, Aidan noticed something unique about tree
branches. After collecting photographs of various trees, he began to see
a pattern among the random display of branches and leaves. Aidan
realized that the overall branch pattern of trees resembled a spiral.
Furthermore, he found a mathematical pattern behind the spiral of
branches. To investigate further, he began building test models.
Using the Fibonacci sequence to maximize sunlight collection
Upon
investigating, Aidan discovered a pattern based on a number sequence
invented by medieval mathematician Fibonacci. Fibonacci discovered a
pattern when experimenting with a math puzzle. Through solving a problem
about the rate at which rabbits reproduce over time, Fibonacci invented
a sequence of numbers. Fibonacci invented a mathematical pattern,
starting with zero and one. By adding two numbers to the series
together, the new sum became the next number in the sequence. This
sequence starts out with the numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and 21.
This Fibonacci sequence
and its ratios appear in nature, in many forms of life. According to
Aidan, examples of this pattern can be found in the seeds of a
sunflower, systems of the human body and even galaxies in space.
Aidan found that tree trunks contain similar patterns based on the Fibonacci sequence.
According
to Aidan, "Tree branches follow a Fibonacci formula." He reports that,
in an oak tree, branches are arranged in a two to five sequence. "Five
branches spiral around the trunk two times to reach the same starting
point on the trunk," he reports.
The patterns that he found also
include the elm tree, which follows a one to two pattern, and the beech
tree, which follows a one to three pattern. He found a three to eight
pattern in the willow tree and a five to one pattern in the branch
arrangement of almond trees.
Using the spiral pattern for maximum efficiency in solar panel technology
In
trying to understand the meaning behind the pattern, Aidan hypothesized
that the main goal of the leaves is to collect maximum sunlight for
photosynthesis.
To test this hypothesis, Aidan created mini tree
models with sunlight-collecting solar panels. He arranged the mini
panels in a spiral pattern based on the Fibonacci sequence design he
observed in the trees.
Logging data on voltage and current, Aidan ran tests on the spiral design and on a flat panel design for several months. Click here to view his models.
He
found out that the Fibonacci solar panel design was extremely more
efficient than flat panel designs. The spiral patterns collect, on
average, 20 percent more open current voltage and absorbs 2.5 more hours
of sunlight per day.
Even more exciting were his results during the winter solstice when the sun
is at its lowest point in the sky. During this time, the Fibonacci
design collected 50 percent more sunlight than flat panel designs!
"My
results suggest that the Fibonacci pattern can improve solar panel
arrays in several ways. It collects more sunlight when the sun is at a
low angle in the sky. This is useful during winter months and in extreme
latitudes," Aidan explained.
He mentioned other benefits of the
spiral design, saying that it will take up less room in urban areas,
where space is limited. He also believes that the design would not
collect as much rain and snow and be more weather-resistant than rooftop
flat panel designs.
Genetically engineered trees are being planted in the southeast
United States to produce paper and the wood pellets used in power
plants. Created by ArborGen, a biotechnology company, these GMO trees
threaten the environment in multiple different ways. GMO trees require
twice as much water as regular trees and spread their pollen and seeds
long distances, resulting in a decrease in tree diversity.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) seems to have accepted
expanded planting of GMO trees, despite their negative consequences,
resulting in significant profits for ArborGen. Critics fear that
ArborGen’s economic success will accelerate the proliferation of
large-scale, chemical-centric, monoculture plantations stocked with
proprietary trees—a lucrative prospect for companies promoting this
technology, but not for the environment.
In 2010, the USDA approved widespread planting of experimental GM
eucalyptus trees, covering 28 open-air test sites across seven southern
states, totaling 330 acres. These field trials, planted by ArborGen,
involved over a quarter million GE eucalyptus trees. (The Center for
Food Safety filed a lawsuit challenging the field trials.) Based on
these field trials, ArborGen, a joint venture of MeadWestvaco Corp and
New Zealand’s Rubicon Ltd, requested permission from the USDA in 2011 to
allow commercial plantings of its freeze-tolerant eucalyptus (FTE). If
permitted, the GE eucalyptus will be the first transgenic forest tree
approved for unrestricted cultivation and will most likely pave the path
for speedy clearance of other GE tree species.
Simply put, GE trees and tree plantations are no substitute for the
myriad complex functions of a forest. The rich diversity of forests
provides an array of ecological services such as building healthy soils;
providing habitat for numerous creatures; performing critical
hydrological functions; purifying air and storing carbon; and many other
features.
A carving tool designed
by MIT Media Lab postdoc Amit Zoran, called FreeD, allows the user to
control the carving process while aided by a computer guidance system
that is preprogrammed with the desired three-dimensional shape. Credit:
MIT
It's often easy to tell
at a glance the difference between a mass-produced object and one that
has been handcrafted: The handmade item is likely to have distinctive
imperfections and clear signs of an individual's technique and style.
Now, some
researchers at MIT are finding ways to blur those distinctions, making
it possible, for example, to sculpt items with those distinctive signs
of handicraft, while controlling the outcome so that the object doesn't
stray too far from the desired form. They described their work at the
recent Association for Computing Machinery Symposium on User Interface
Software and Technology.
Amit Zoran, a postdoc at the MIT Media Lab who did much of this work
as part of his doctoral thesis research, is the lead author of the
reports. He says that, in an age of increasing standardization and
mass-production, he has been "searching for this human quality, for ways
to translate the long heritage of craft and creativity" into the
digital age.
For example, in work with graduate student Roy Shilkrot, Zoran has
designed a handheld carving tool that can be programmed with a desired
three-dimensional shape. When the user begins to carve a block of
material, anytime his motions would extend into the region of the
desired final form, the device provides physical feedback that slows the
motion.
If the carving alters the shape so much that it would compromise the
structural integrity of the object, the computerized system can adjust
the shape accordingly, in real time. For example, if in sculpting a
giraffe the user carved too far into the neck, the computer can adjust
the shape, introducing a bend in the neck that maintains its strength.
The basic principles
Zoran and his colleagues are pursuing could also extend into physical
safety. For example, by recognizing when they might be about to inflict
damage, these "smart tools" could sense that a sharp blade is getting
too close to a user's fingers, for example, and automatically deflect
its path to avoid injury.
"We're developing tools that don't have a direct physical, craft
heritage, but are entirely new," Zoran says of a project conducted with
graduate student Pragun Goyal. "Creativity is all about error. … We're
looking for creativity, for something that surprises us."
To demonstrate the inherent flexibility and creativity of these
computer-assisted tools, Zoran had several different people make
carvings based on the same programmed shape—in this case, a cat. As
expected, each piece had a unique appearance, with distinctive textures,
forms, and styles.
Goyal and his
advisor, Joseph Paradiso, an associate professor of media arts and
sciences, have also developed a handheld inkjet printer head. The device
can be programmed to print a specific image, but instead of moving
across a fixed track as in a conventional printer, it can be guided by
hand across any surface. This would allow, for example, a highly
detailed image to be printed onto a complex 3-D shape—something no
conventional printer can do.
This combination of digital capabilities and human control could
permit a new kind of tool for measurement or testing, explains Goyal.
For example, a handheld probe could be used to test an electronic
circuit board—but unlike ordinary probes, it could be preprogrammed with
details of the circuit. So instead of having to manually set
parameters, such as the expected voltage range at a given point, the
device would know what range to set, and do so instantly. It would also
record the reading and automatically associate each result with the
exact location where it was taken.
Zoran, Goyal, and Shilkrot carried out this research with Paradiso
and Pattie Maes as part of the Media Lab's groups on Responsive
Environment and Fluid Interfaces.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you have a golf-ball size consciousness when
reading a book, then you will have a golf-ball size understanding. This
is why it is crucial for you to broaden your minds. I am sure those of
you who are reading this, have a broad mind and expanded consciousness.
And by viewing the videos below, you will open yourselves to the reality
and occult power of sound/music.
There is an ocean of pure vibrant consciousness inside each one of
us. It is right at the source and base of mind. It is right at the
source of thought. And it is also at the source of all matter.
For those of you who do not know, Matter, is actually a poorly
defined term in science. The term, Matter, is used in reference to a
substance (often a particle) which has “rest mass”. Matter is also used
loosely as a general term for the substance that makes up all observable
physical objects.
Why is matter so vaguely defined? Because there is no matter, as such.
All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which
brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this minute solar
system of the atom together. We must assume that behind this force is
the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.
The solidity of this world seems totally indisputable – as a fixed
thing which you can see and touch. Your body seems also reassuringly
solid. But, beginning with Albert Einstein, modern physics has assured
us that this solidity is a mirage.
All physical matter, everything we have around us is actually the
result of a frequency. And what this means is that if you amplify the
frequency, the structure of the matter will change.
Oscillating a wine glass by playing sound at its resonance frequency, will cause it to move, change and liquify its structure and eventually even break it.
Sound is behind the manifestation of form and matter. Welcome to the study of visible sound and vibration, called Cymatics
– allowing us to see into the otherwise hidden geometry in sound and
the frequencies which form matter. Cymatic frequencies have an effect on
texture, structure, water and more. We humans are made of over 70%
water!
University of Florida Threatens to Arrest anti-GMO Presenters and Bans Them from Campus
Global Justice Ecology Project
Gainesville, FL (US) – The
University of Florida, a leading institution researching genetically
engineered (GE) trees [1], threatened to arrest activists from the
Campaign to STOP GE Trees when they arrived on campus Saturday to
prepare for a presentation to highlight critical perspectives on tree
biotechnology that was scheduled for tonight. The police informed the
group that their presentation had been cancelled, and warned them that
they were banned from University of Florida (UF) property for three
years.
“Evicting us from campus was a blatant
act of censorship by the University of Florida, likely linked to the
millions they are receiving for GE trees research,” said Keith Brunner,
from the international Campaign to STOP Genetically Engineered Trees
[2].
In 2011, the University of Florida School
of Forest Resources and Conservation along with GE tree company
ArborGen won a three-year, $6.3 million grant from the US Department of
Energy to develop GE loblolly pines for liquid biofuel production [3].
There is rising opposition to GE trees due to concerns over genetic
contamination, increased flammability, deforestation and other
ecological impacts of industrial tree plantations.
The UF presentation was part of a
multi-week speaking tour titled “The Growing Threat: Genetically
Engineered Trees and the Future of Forests” [4]. The tour will travel
through several southern states (NC, GA, FL, SC) to educate the public
about the social and environmental threats posed by the proposed
commercial release of billions of genetically engineered freeze tolerant
eucalyptus trees in seven southern states from South Carolina to
Florida to Texas.
University of Florida Professor Bron
Taylor teaches a course on Environmental Ethics and had encouraged
students to attend the presentation. He expressed disappointment about
the cancellation and stated, “The University is supposed to be a place
characterized by free and robust debate. This situation begs the
question, why was the presentation cancelled and these activists banned
from campus under a threat of arrest?”
City Commissioner of Lake Worth, FL,
Christopher W. McVoy, Ph.D, an expert in ecological restoration of the
Everglades, stated, “As a UF alumnus, I am dismayed that the University
would interfere with the free exchange of ideas,” he said. “GE tree
plantations have the potential to irreversibly affect large areas of
Florida and the South. As Florida’s flagship academic institution and as
a thought leader regarding southern plantations, the University of
Florida has a particular responsibility to foster open discussion of the
pros and cons of GE trees.”
“The reaction by UF was a pathetic
attempt to stifle growing dissent against GE trees by an industry which
is flailing amidst major public opposition,” stated Anne Petermann,
International Coordinator of the Campaign to STOP GE Trees and Executive
Director of Global Justice Ecology Project. “Last April, the USDA
received over 37,850 comments – almost 10,000 to one – opposing the
commercialization of ArborGen’s freeze tolerant GE eucalyptus trees [5].
One month later, the largest ever protest against GE trees was held at
the international Tree Biotechnology 2013 conference in Asheville, NC.
Opposition is building and the GE trees industry is clearly nervous
about it.”
CONTACT
Will Bennington, Global Justice Ecology Project and the Campaign to STOP GE Trees, +1.802.777.5244 will@globaljusticeecology.org (on site)
1] Genetically engineered trees (GE
trees) are also known as GMO trees, genetically modified trees (GM
trees) or transgenic trees.
2] The international Campaign to STOP GE
Trees is a coalition of hundreds of organizations calling for a global
ban on the release of GE trees into the environment. www.nogetrees.org
As research continues to confirm the
deadly effects of sitting for long periods of time, savvy workers are
switching to standing desks and reaping the benefits.
Notable advocates of tall work stations
include Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Ernest
Hemingway, among others. All sensed the inherent reward of increased
creativity, alertness and physical stamina. What they may not have known
is that standing desks can save lives.
Health perils of sitting
Linked with an increased likelihood of
heart disease, inflammation, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer,
lengthy periods of sitting are bad news for health. According to the Natural News article, “More evidence suggest that desk jobs and excessive sitting are deadly,” researchers at Leicester University in the U.K discovered:
“… the longer a person sits each day,
the more likely he or she is to develop markers of metabolic syndrome,
which include high levels of both glucose and fatty acids in the
bloodstream. As it turns out, an individual’s metabolic rate, which
represents the amount of energy expended while at rest, also plummets
while sitting, which in the absence of proper exercise can lead to being
overweight or obese.”
Additionally, the Mayo Clinic states:
“From previous studies we also know that
a sedentary lifestyle is associated with increased risk for type 2
diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers (breast and colon).”
Thankfully, we need not succumb to such
dire consequences of a sedentary life. When we take a stand for health,
we can fend off disease while encouraging better focus, productivity,
energy and zest. Not to mention a svelte waistline.
Stand-up and thrive
Instead of slouching over your computer
for hours on end, consider a standing desk. Used by great minds
throughout history, standing upright while working burns calories,
increases blood flow, reduces neck strain and keeps us healthy. Steve
Connor notes in The Independent:
Scientists have found that a person’s
metabolic rate crashes to a minimum when sitting and that standing up
for an extra three hours a day, even without exercising, would on
average burn off about 3.6kg of fat a year.
And Chris Adams in “The Benefits of a Standing Desk,” observes:
Another benefit of a standing desk is an
increase in your focus, alertness and activity level. These all support
each other. When standing it is easier to release restless energy.
Combine that with the good circulation, stable blood sugar and an active
metabolism and it is easier to focus on the task at hand. Many authors
and statesmen throughout the centuries who swear by working at a
standing desk have claimed that it helps get the creative juices
flowing. It also fights fatigue and improves tiredness.
If you are sold on the idea, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Place the computer screen at eye level to avoid neck strain
- Arms should be kept at a 90 degree angle
- Stand straight with feet shoulder width apart
Also, do not purely stand throughout
your work day as this increases the risk of carotid atherosclerosis
along with varicose veins. Gentle movements such as shifting weight from
one foot to the other as well as an anti-fatigue mat are helpful to
keep leg circulation humming.
1762 Monograph Series Records - The Five Architectural Orders
The following are the original scans done from records saved from the original publishing (at that time about 1987) which were converted into a PDF file. These are records of William Pain's original work recorded in 1762 for the Tuscan (Etruscan), Corinthian, Ionic (Attic), Compofite (Composite), and Dorick (Doric) orders.
Authorities in Brazil have denounced
church leaders as criminals for chopping down more than 300
centuries-old trees in a national park - so pilgrims can celebrate mass
during the Pope’s visit to Rio de Janeiro.
Pope Francis will make his first international trip to the world’s largest Roman Catholic country later this month.
Organisers
of an event in the diocese of Sao Sebastiao de Itaipu, in the city of
Niteroi, claimed they needed to clear an area of Atlantic rainforest to
accommodate the expected crowd of up to 800 pilgrims
A total of 334 trees at the edge of the Serra da Tiririca national park, but also on church-owned land, were felled.
Niteroi's vice-mayor, Axel Grael, claimed the church did not seek permission to ‘deforest’ the land.
He told Brazil's O Globo newspaper:
‘The incident is lamentable. An event for youth should be educational
and demonstrate a commitment to the environment and the future. This
removal is a criminal act.’
Andre
Ilha, from Rio de Janeiro's state environment institute - which is
responsible for the forest - said the destruction would never have been
allowed.
He said: ‘What was razed was the buffer
zone of the Tiririca park. We would never have authorised that. It is a
fragment of the endangered Atlantic rainforest. We will charge them with
a crime.’
The diocese has reportedly offered to replant trees in the area following the event.
It is not the first time World Youth Day organisers have been criticised for a disregard for the environment.
Earlier
this month a petition was made to Rio de Janeiro's council to remove 11
coconut trees from the side of Leme beach, where the Pope is due to
celebrate mass.
Permission was granted, but after an outcry Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes reversed the decision.
More famous for smoggy skies and congestion Mexico City is actually home
to thousands of hectares of forest. Now the race is on to protect its
flora and fauna from illegal loggers that have been cutting down trees
for years. The Mexican government is cracking down on their operations,
but locals say it is not enough. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from
Mexico City.
Scuba divers have discovered a primeval underwater forest off the coast of Alabama.
The Bald Cypress forest
was buried under ocean sediments, protected in an oxygen-free
environment for more than 50,000 years, but was likely uncovered by Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, said Ben Raines, one of the first divers to explore the
underwater forest and the executive director of the nonprofit Weeks Bay
Foundation, which researches estuaries.
The forest contains trees so well-preserved that when they are cut, they still smell like fresh Cypress sap, Raines said.
The stumps of the Cypress trees span an area of at least 0.5 square
miles (0.8 kilometers), several miles from the coast of Mobile, Alabama,
and sit about 60 feet (18 meters) below the surface of the Gulf of
Mexico.
Despite its discovery only recently, the underwater landscape has just a
few years to be explored, before wood-burrowing marine animals destroy
the ancient forest.
Closely guarded secret
Raines was talking with a friend who owned a dive shop about a year
after Hurricane Katrina. The dive shop owner confided that a local
fisherman had found a site teeming with fish and wildlife and suspected
that something big was hidden below. The diver went down to explore and
found a forest of trees, then told Raines about his stunning find.
But because scuba divers often take artifacts from shipwrecks and other
sites, the dive shop owner refused to disclose the location for many
years, Raines said.
In 2012, the owner finally revealed the site's location after swearing
Raines to secrecy. Raines then did his own dive and discovered a
primeval Cypress swamp in pristine condition. The forest had become an
artificial reef, attracting fish, crustaceans, sea anemones and other
underwater life burrowing between the roots of dislodged stumps.
Some of the trees were truly massive, and many logs had fallen over
before being covered by ocean sediment. Raines swam the length of the
logs.
"Swimming around amidst these stumps and logs, you just feel like you're
in this fairy world," Raines told LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.
Primeval forest
Raines reached out to several scientists to learn more about the forest.
One of those scientists was Grant Harley, a dendrochronologist (someone
who studies tree rings) at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Harley was intrigued, and together with geographer Kristine DeLong of
Louisiana State University, set out to discover the site's secrets.
The research team created a sonar map of the area and analyzed two
samples Raines took from trees. DeLong is planning her own dive at the
site later this year. Because of the forest depth, scuba divers can only
stay below for about 40 minutes before coming up.
Carbon isotopes (atoms of the same element that have different molecular
weights) revealed that the trees were about 52,000 years old.
The trees' growth rings
could reveal secrets about the climate of the Gulf of Mexico thousands
of years ago, during a period known as the Wisconsin Glacial period,
when sea levels were much lower than they are today.
In addition, because Bald Cypress trees can live a thousand years, and there are so many of them, the trees could contain thousands of years of climate history for the region, Harley said.
"These stumps are so big, they're upwards of two meters in diameter -
the size of trucks," Harley told OurAmazingPlanet. "They probably
contain thousands of growth rings."
The team, which has not yet published their results in a peer-reviewed
journal, is currently applying for grants to explore the site more
thoroughly.
Harley estimates they have just two years.
"The longer this wood sits on the bottom of the ocean, the more marine
organisms burrow into the wood, which can create hurdles when we are
trying to get radiocarbon dates," Harley said. "It can really make the
sample undatable, unusable."
New data show an
increase in the rate of deforestation of the Amazon Jungle, a trend
nearing a full year’s reversal of progress in the fight against the
destruction of the world's largest rainforest.
Satellite images showed 465 square kilometers (180 square miles) of
deforestation taking place in May, an almost five-fold increase in
forest loss relative to May 2012, Brazil's National Space Research
Institute, INPE, stated in a report on Friday.
Brazil accounted for most of the clearing, with 59 percent of the
loss in the southern state of Mato Grosso known for its industrial-sized
farms and cattle ranching.
The study also revealed a 14-percent increase in deforestation compared to last year.
Scientists and environmentalists said the trend marks a reversal in
gains against deforestation in Brazil, though other Amazon countries
also witnessed a rise in deforestation since 2011.
The reason is unknown, but experts attribute the deforestation to
government infrastructure projects, environmental policy, and a rise in
demand for soybeans and other Brazilian farm exports, which encourage
ranchers to clear private land in the Amazon.
The Amazon rainforest covers territory belonging to nine nations,
with more than 60 percent located in Brazil, followed by Peru with 13
percent, Columbia with 10 percent, and minor amounts in Venezuela,
Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
Scientists believe they have made the first ever recording of a tree gasping for water.
Just as humans make a noise as they desperately try to gulp air, living
trees make ultrasonic popping noises as they draw in as much moisture as
possible to survive during a drought.
The sounds are a hundred times faster than can be heard by the human
ear, but a team led by French physicist Philippe Marmottant at Grenoble
University believe they have been able to slow the process down
sufficiently to be heard during a recent lab experiment.
Using slivers of dead pine tree wood bathed in hydrogel, they recreated the conditions of a living tree.
The gel was then exposed to an artificially dry
environment, and the researchers listened in as the wood began to make
popping sounds.
The noise comes from air bubbles rising up and then disappearing, a process called cavitation.
As leaves on a tree collect carbon dioxide, they open their pores, leaving them vulnerable to losing water.
To counteract this, trees collect water from the ground through their root system.
The effort of trying to pull this moisture in from the ground creates the air bubbles.
'We can track the articulation of bubbles, and what we found is the
majority of the sounds that we hear are linked to bubbles,' said Mr
Marmottant.
'I say majority, because there may be other causes like cracks in the
wood or insects. But the majority of sounds that occur during
cavitations (tiny air bubbles that pop out in the water) are due to
these bubbles.'
Scientists are now racing to try and come up with equipment capable of listening to these unique sounds created by nature.
It will also prove useful because these air bubbles can block the flow of water in living trees and prove deadly.
Mr Marmottant said he is in early discussions with biologists to produce a sensor.
'These biologists have good experience to do this, so we hope that our
study will bring some new information about the sounds that could be
heard in trees,' he said.
Comment: Actually, wood cut is not dead yet and will continue to act normally, however, the naming of wood as dead is tied to the fact that if you use it as a method of
support within the architecture inspired, it then carrys the name "dead wood," because it is assumed it is both foundational, and structural outside of its origin. In reality, wood is only considered dead from the fact it has been cut out of the forest, and its bark has been forsaken.
