Would you agree that “to live is to know”?
yes, i would agree with the above statement. before moving to california, friends told me what it was like and i read many descriptions. nothing could teach me what it's like to live in san francisco better than actually living here.
Memory and magic – how might you view things differently now?
the article on magic helped me to see that cognitive therapy teaches us how to be our own magicians. when using cognitive therapy, you distract yourself. old negative thoughts are observed and then quickly changed into positive self talk. this is just what magicians do when the coin disappears from their palm and is replaced with a dove.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
week thirteen: cell biology
* Describe connections you are making between cell biology & your TCM studies
my studies of cell biology and other western sciences have taught me that all healing occurs at the cellular level. understanding how our cells produce and use energy is essential to comprehending the movement and purpose of qi. having a mental picture of how healing occurs in the human body will allow me to better empower my patients to help heal themselves through visualization and breathwork.
* Check out the link on How Cells Divide: Mitosis vs. Meiosis below, & post your impressions.
really enjoyed this link. i could read the information at a comfortable rate and then replay the animation to see the description happen. the spindle fibers finally made sense to me in step 4: prometaphase. i would highly recommend this link to fellow students. i didn't know that the female reproductive cell initially divides into two with one of the two eventually degenerating. doesn't seem efficient to me. does anyone know why this happens?
* Check out the other links on cell biology below
http://mrskingsbioweb.com/cell.html was the link that i found most helpful after checking out the links. she is one dedicated teacher. i would have loved to be able to click on each part of the cell for a description of what it does.
my studies of cell biology and other western sciences have taught me that all healing occurs at the cellular level. understanding how our cells produce and use energy is essential to comprehending the movement and purpose of qi. having a mental picture of how healing occurs in the human body will allow me to better empower my patients to help heal themselves through visualization and breathwork.
* Check out the link on How Cells Divide: Mitosis vs. Meiosis below, & post your impressions.
really enjoyed this link. i could read the information at a comfortable rate and then replay the animation to see the description happen. the spindle fibers finally made sense to me in step 4: prometaphase. i would highly recommend this link to fellow students. i didn't know that the female reproductive cell initially divides into two with one of the two eventually degenerating. doesn't seem efficient to me. does anyone know why this happens?
* Check out the other links on cell biology below
http://mrskingsbioweb.com/cell.html was the link that i found most helpful after checking out the links. she is one dedicated teacher. i would have loved to be able to click on each part of the cell for a description of what it does.
Friday, July 27, 2007
week twelve: living diversity
* Examine your immediate environment for diversity of species & post your findings.
we live in san francisco. in the nearly 7 square miles of our city, there is a zoo, a field of buffalo, numerous parks and enough annual festivals for every possible type of person known to man. in terms of cities, i think ours is pretty darn-tooting diverse. one of the things that i love most about sf is the fact that i can find true quiet and solitude in a number of our parks.
however, the diversity i speak of is mostly man made. nature doesn't create zoos or fences for buffalo. what i have experienced naturally in my neck of the concrete is a combination of rats, spiders, humans, cats, dogs, raccoons, skunks, trees of many types, varied plants and humans.
* Check out the various links on cells below, and post your impressions.
after reviewing two of the links, i came away with some interesting tidbits. here are my thoughts concerning a few of them.
the average human body consists of 75 trillion cells. oftentimes, a number is presented in science and i'm left amazed by the unfathomable amount. this is one of those times.
bacteria has existed for at least 3.5 billion years. and we thought we were the king of the castle. mankind is a toddler compared to bacteria.
viruses are not actually living but are parasites of the living. while i already knew that viruses were not technically living, i wasn't aware that they could be classified as a parasite. the definition of a parasite (from www.dictionary.com) includes the word organism. an organism is something that lives. my guess is that we don't quite have the words to describe a virus properly.
* Take a look at Spike’s Gallery below
i put one of spike's photos in this blog. it could fetch a good price as modern art.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
week eleven: the chemistry of life
*Post your thoughts on the issues raised in "growing brain cells in the laboratory".
a few students mentioned the complexity of this issue. i agree with that assessment. it would be nearly impossible to summarize all the pros and cons in one paragraph.
*Check out and review one of the Definitions of the “Chemistry of Life”.
i reviewed the first definition, "Biochemistry is the chemistry of life." from the attached link, i found a section on the history of biochemistry. the science is only about 400 years old. it's interesting to note that before biochemistry, science did not pertain to life the same way it did to non-life. scientists once believed that living beings were the only substances capable of producing the molecules of life.
*Check out and review one of the Animations.
i watched the boiling water animation. although i hoped to learn more about the molecular dance that occurs in boiling water, the animation offered no explanation in conjunction with the video. unfortunately, i didn't learn much from the slow motion cartoon.
a few students mentioned the complexity of this issue. i agree with that assessment. it would be nearly impossible to summarize all the pros and cons in one paragraph.
*Check out and review one of the Definitions of the “Chemistry of Life”.
i reviewed the first definition, "Biochemistry is the chemistry of life." from the attached link, i found a section on the history of biochemistry. the science is only about 400 years old. it's interesting to note that before biochemistry, science did not pertain to life the same way it did to non-life. scientists once believed that living beings were the only substances capable of producing the molecules of life.
*Check out and review one of the Animations.
i watched the boiling water animation. although i hoped to learn more about the molecular dance that occurs in boiling water, the animation offered no explanation in conjunction with the video. unfortunately, i didn't learn much from the slow motion cartoon.
Friday, July 13, 2007
week ten: a question of balance
** Discover your “Semiconductor of the Week” and post a brief description
aluminium (atomic symbol, Al) has been chosen as my semiconductor of the week b/c i don't know much about this common metal. called one of the "poor metals", it is highly resistant to corrosion. that's why it has been used in canning and inexpensive pots. high levels of aluminum in the body has been linked to alzheimer's disease. because of this information, i have refrained from canned drinks and canned food whenever possible. an article i read while researching for this blog stated that the polymer coating on the inside of these cans prevents most aluminum leaking.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/alzheimers.htm
hmm, thanks for the info. i think i'll stick with glass jars all the same.
** Check out the link to "Welcome to Chembalancer".
ohhh, games. i love 'em! i tried "classic chembalancer" and did quite well. there were two things that i found helpful - 1. the elemental diagrams at the bottom of the game helped me keep track of my equation and visualize what i was creating. 2. the fun facts when i got the correct answer. great way to sneak a little extra learning in there.
** Check out the link below to General Chemistry :: Balancing Equations.
more games. yay! i would say that this game is my top pic b/c it helps to count out the elements and compare side by side. plus, the little jumpy guy was a nice touch.
aluminium (atomic symbol, Al) has been chosen as my semiconductor of the week b/c i don't know much about this common metal. called one of the "poor metals", it is highly resistant to corrosion. that's why it has been used in canning and inexpensive pots. high levels of aluminum in the body has been linked to alzheimer's disease. because of this information, i have refrained from canned drinks and canned food whenever possible. an article i read while researching for this blog stated that the polymer coating on the inside of these cans prevents most aluminum leaking.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/alzheimers.htm
hmm, thanks for the info. i think i'll stick with glass jars all the same.
** Check out the link to "Welcome to Chembalancer".
ohhh, games. i love 'em! i tried "classic chembalancer" and did quite well. there were two things that i found helpful - 1. the elemental diagrams at the bottom of the game helped me keep track of my equation and visualize what i was creating. 2. the fun facts when i got the correct answer. great way to sneak a little extra learning in there.
** Check out the link below to General Chemistry :: Balancing Equations.
more games. yay! i would say that this game is my top pic b/c it helps to count out the elements and compare side by side. plus, the little jumpy guy was a nice touch.
Friday, June 29, 2007
week eight: an inconvenient truth
Post your thoughts on "An Inconvenient Truth"
i was grateful to see the tv wheeled into our classroom this week. why? because my brain has been slowly turning to jelly from studying and any change in routine helps it to solidify. many thanks for the temporary reprieve!
a few friends have recommended this movie to me. although i've danced around it at the video store, i knew there would come a time to see it. thankfully, the time was not a relaxing friday night.
the movie was informative without being too emotionally draining. it's essential that we talk more about what the effects of global warming are. this movie touches on quite a few of them. the images have left imprints in the minds of the audience.
when al gore started calling this a "moral issue," my stomach turned a bit. perhaps it's because i've heard the word "moral" often used and abused. i'd prefer to look at it as a "practical issue". if we don't do something, many bad things will happen to us. no right or wrong needed in my opinion.
i was grateful to see the tv wheeled into our classroom this week. why? because my brain has been slowly turning to jelly from studying and any change in routine helps it to solidify. many thanks for the temporary reprieve!
a few friends have recommended this movie to me. although i've danced around it at the video store, i knew there would come a time to see it. thankfully, the time was not a relaxing friday night.
the movie was informative without being too emotionally draining. it's essential that we talk more about what the effects of global warming are. this movie touches on quite a few of them. the images have left imprints in the minds of the audience.
when al gore started calling this a "moral issue," my stomach turned a bit. perhaps it's because i've heard the word "moral" often used and abused. i'd prefer to look at it as a "practical issue". if we don't do something, many bad things will happen to us. no right or wrong needed in my opinion.
Friday, June 22, 2007
week seven: the chemistry of color and nutrition
“Alkali Earth Metal of the Week”: post a brief description
if there's one thing i will walk away knowing from my physiology class, it's this - calcium is essential to human health. it's needed everywhere in the body. and so, calcium is my alkali earth metal discovery. on the periodic table, calcium is also known as Ca. it comes as no surprise that calcium is the most abundant metal in many living animals.
why was i told that my calcium supplement should have magnesium in it? from what i've read, calcium alone would not absorb efficiently in our bone. one of the reasons i take Mg with Ca is that magnesium stimulates a hormone called calcitonin which helps bones to absorb calcium. ( http://www.mgwater.com/calmagab.shtml )
although we've known about calcium since 1st century roman times, it wasn't isolated until 1808 in england.
Explore the colors in your own kitchen – report your findings.
most of the colors in our kitchen are red and gold. that's right. chris and i eat mcdonald's for most of our meals. we're taking the idea of "supersize me" to a whole new level of understanding.
just kidding. after watching that movie, we decidedly boycotted mcd's. it's been about 3 years without the golden arches. that's a great feat considering the smell of their fries still sends my fat cells into a tizzy.
as strange as this may sound, the foods in my kitchen look very much like chris'. crazy, i know. we've been including as many colors as possible since we married. our two simple shopping rules are; pretty colors in produce and words we can pronounce in the ingredient lists.
Examine the links below and post a discovery you make there
turquoise - though it's my least favorite stone, i was happy to discover that it was mined as far back as 6,000 years ago in eygpt. fitting as turquoise looks great on brown skin.
if there's one thing i will walk away knowing from my physiology class, it's this - calcium is essential to human health. it's needed everywhere in the body. and so, calcium is my alkali earth metal discovery. on the periodic table, calcium is also known as Ca. it comes as no surprise that calcium is the most abundant metal in many living animals.
why was i told that my calcium supplement should have magnesium in it? from what i've read, calcium alone would not absorb efficiently in our bone. one of the reasons i take Mg with Ca is that magnesium stimulates a hormone called calcitonin which helps bones to absorb calcium. ( http://www.mgwater.com/calmagab.shtml )
although we've known about calcium since 1st century roman times, it wasn't isolated until 1808 in england.
Explore the colors in your own kitchen – report your findings.
most of the colors in our kitchen are red and gold. that's right. chris and i eat mcdonald's for most of our meals. we're taking the idea of "supersize me" to a whole new level of understanding.
just kidding. after watching that movie, we decidedly boycotted mcd's. it's been about 3 years without the golden arches. that's a great feat considering the smell of their fries still sends my fat cells into a tizzy.
as strange as this may sound, the foods in my kitchen look very much like chris'. crazy, i know. we've been including as many colors as possible since we married. our two simple shopping rules are; pretty colors in produce and words we can pronounce in the ingredient lists.
Examine the links below and post a discovery you make there
turquoise - though it's my least favorite stone, i was happy to discover that it was mined as far back as 6,000 years ago in eygpt. fitting as turquoise looks great on brown skin.
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