Category Archives: genetics

Air Quality, Art, Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Exercise, Fort Collins, genetics, Marshall Fire, Meditation, Minimalism, Pandemics, Psychology, Science, Space, Wildfire

MUSINGS FOR NOVEMBER 2022

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“To see what we have never seen, to be what we have never been. To shed the chrysalis and fly, depart the earth, kiss the sky, to be reborn, be someone new: is this a dream or is it true. Can our future be cleanly shorn from a life to which we’re born? Is each of us trapped at birth by destiny? Pity those who believe the latter. Without freedom, nothing matters.” Dean Koontz

This is a photo of the astronaut Nicole Mann sitting inside of a T-38 jet trainer. The picture is from November 15, 2018. Mann is a member of the Wailaki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in California. In October of this year, she became the first indigenous woman from NASA to fly into space to the ISS as commander of Nasa Space X Crew – 5 mission. This will be the fifth crew rotation with Space X. They will spend several months aboard the space station doing research on a variety of scientific subjects. Image credit: NASA. If you would like to learn more please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann/biography and https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-spacex-crew-5-launches-to-international-space-station and https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wailaki-tribe/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Valley_Indian_Tribes_of_the_Round_Valley_Reservation

“We can embrace love; it’s not too late. Why do we sleep, instead with hate? Belief requires no suspension to see that Hell is our invention. We make Hell real; we stoke its fires. And in its flames our hope expires. Heaven, too, is merely our creation. We can grant ourselves our own salvation. All that’s required is imagination.” Dean Koontz

This is an image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is of the galaxy pair know as Arp-Madore 608-333. They are located in the constellation of Columba. The galaxy on the left is called ESO 364-35 and the one on the right is known as ESO 364-36. These two are an interacting pair meaning that the gravity from each is disrupting and distorting both of them. NASA/ESA is trying to build up a catalogue of interesting targets with unused Hubble time. The idea is to be able to go back in the future and use ground based telescopes , the new James Webb Telescope as well as Hubble for further study. Telescope time is very limited due to the number of request and “observations” that use almost ever second of time. But there is always a tiny bit left over as the Hubble turns to point at new objects. These snap shots as they are called, fill in the gaps. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Dark Energy Survey/Department of Energy/Fermilab/Dark Energy Camera (DECam)/Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory/NOIRLab/AURA. If you would like to learn more please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-snaps-a-pair-of-interacting-galaxies and ESA – A snapshot of interacting galaxies and https://www.sci.news/astronomy/hubble-two-spiral-galaxies-11249.html

“The sky is deep, the sky is dark, the light of stars is so damn stark. When I Iook up, I fill with fear. If all we have is what lies here, this lonely world, this troubled place, then cold dead stars and empty space. Well, I see no reason to persevere, no reason to laugh or shed a tear, no reason to sleep or even to wake, no promises to keep, and none to make. And so at night I still raise my eyes to study the clear but mysterious skies, that arch above us, as cold as stone. Are you there, God? Are we alone?” Dean Koontz

This is an image from the Hubble Space telescope and it is of an area of ionized gas that is created when gas from a young star collides with nearby dust and gas. These objects are know as Herbig-Haro objects and are commonly found in star forming regions of space. These two are known as HH1 and HH2 respectively and are about 1,250 light years from earth in the constellation of Orion. These were first seen by the American Astronomer Sherburne Wesley Burnham. They are named after the first astronomers to study them, George Herbig and Guillermo Haro. Because of the movement and evolving nature of new/young stars with the associated gas/dust their appearance can change on times scales as short as a few years. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, B. Reipurth, B. Nisini. If you would like to learn more please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-views-a-turbulent-stellar-nursery and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbig%E2%80%93Haro_object and https://www.sci.news/astronomy/hubble-herbig-haro-objects-hh1-hh2-11297.html

“Prayers were a projection of human wants onto an inhuman universe. They were more futile that whistling into a hurricane: they were begging the hurricane to take pity on you because you thought you were special. They were a plea for immunity from prosecution under the laws of nature.” From the book “Wheelers” by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen

This is an image of the supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A or Cas A for short. It lies in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy and occurred about 300 years ago. The explosion would have become visible to earthlings around the mid 1600s. The above image is the aftermath of the explosion and is called a remnant. This is the ejected debris from the exploded star. Besides using data from the Chandra Observatory and the Hubble Telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) was also used. This new telescope is actually three that are designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays of black holes, neutron stars and pulsars. It launched on December 9th, 2021. Image credit: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, IXPE: NASA/MSFC/J. Vink et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI. If you would like to learn more please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/ixpe-measures-exploded-star-remains and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IXPE and https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/exploring-cassiopeiaA.html

“In fact, “atheism” is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a “non-astrologer” or a “non-alchemist.” We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.” From the book “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris.

The above image is the famous “Pillars of Creation” and was first captured back in 1995 by the Hubble Space Telescope. The above and enhanced image is from the James Webb Space Telescope. The Pillars are located in the Eagle Nebula which lies in the Serpens constellation. About 6000 to 7000 light years from earth. The pillars are made up of hydrogen gas and dust that are being slowly eroded over time. The Webb data will help scientist better count new star formations and give a better understanding of the amount of gas and dust in the region. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI). If you would like to learn more please see these links: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/webb-reveals-new-details-in-pillars-of-creation and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Creation

Much of Science Fiction literature presents a view of the universe according to which there is something wrong that leads to hardship, suffering, and death. It hopes to provide an answer to this fundamental problem whereby human suffering may be understood, if not eliminated. This sense of wrongness permeates the genre (and arguably all literature), and even the most materialist of SF writers wish to provide readers with hope that the universe can be improved. SF hope to show us that both the world around us and we ourselves can be made better, and this hope presupposes a sort of fallenness which must be rectified. In most SF there is something, either in humankind itself or in alien beings who wish to help us, that can overcome the problems of sin and suffering. New ideas of evil bring with them new understandings of good, new opportunities to express the best of ourselves. These stories present us not only with new moral problems, but new ways to be moral; not only with sin, but with salvation. From the book “The Gospel According to Science Fiction” by Gabriel McKee

HEY!! I AM LOOKING AT YOU!! THAT’S WHO!!

If you are reading this then you have continued to survive Covid 19 so far and so have I!! Yea for us!! Unfortunately some have not been so lucky, either by choice (not getting the vaccine) or circumstances (Immunocompromised or older than 65). I am hoping that there is not a “newer” variant that puts all of us ( vaccinated and unvaccinated alike) at significant risk again.

By the start of October we were still seeing about 400 deaths per day?! Again I have ask myself what is that about?! Incredible and not in a good way. I guess we are a country of individuals that are not going to do what we have been encouraged to do with the best available science. Oh well what are you going to do about that? Nothing. Some are just going to win Darwin awards and take themselves out of gene pool. What is that old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force him or her to drink.” As I am writing this and looking at the numbers, the USA is less than 5000 deaths away from 1.1 million total so far. Now that sounds pretty awful and it is, but when you look at it in the context of population, we come in about 16th or 3000+ deaths per one million population. Oh well, I guess that is better than being in the top 10, but really, not too good when you think about our level of economic prosperity and health care system. China ranks itself down around 220th place but that is probably a misnomer due to their resistance in reporting. Israel – 84th, Denmark – 85th, and Canada is at 87th place. The number one place is Peru. Of course all of these numbers could be a little skewed due to reporting issues and this includes the United States. If you interested in the numbers yourself check out his link: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

The above picture still has not changed. California, Texas and Florida still lead the country in deaths. Of course this picture is again probably skewed. I am guessing that Florida is much higher since they quit reporting accurately on infections and deaths over a year ago. One of the great missed opportunities in this pandemic will have been our public health system. We have the tools to make it the best in the world but so far we have failed to do that.

By the middle of November the death count for the USA was over the 1.1 million mark. The good news is that the death rate had dropped on average to about 300 per day. Unfortunately new cases across the country seemed to be on the rise again. The greatest increases for the middle of the November were Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. All of these states saw numbers go up by 30 percent in the last couple of weeks.

And if that was not bad enough, Flu and RSV (RSV mainly effects kids) was out of control, to the point that some hospitals were setting up tents in the hospital parking lots to take in the overflow. Oh well, what are you going to do? Get vaccinated! Lol. Of course this does not help with RSV.

If you are interested in more information from reliable sources please check out these links: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ and https://www.youtube.com/c/OsterholmUpdateCOVID19 and https://www.youtube.com/c/VincentRacaniello

The months of October and November were great for getting outdoors in the Fort Collins area. The air quality was much improved from the summer months due to cooler temps and favorable winds. As in August and September, I continued to take it easy with my left knee, meaning not a lot of running. But I was still able to get out with Marvin everyday for walking. Unfortunately Janet suffered an overuse injury to her foot and also had to take time off from walking at the end of October. So it was just Marvin and I for most of the last 30 days.

On the plus side, with the sun setting earlier as we moved further into fall and the change to daylight saving time, I was able to get in some great sunset pictures. Most of the photographs below are from our neighborhood lake or in one of the open spaces along the Poudre River.

The above two pics were taken on October 21st, 2022 at about 6:30pm. If you time it just right the views across the lake looking West can be spectacular.
This image was taken on October 26th, 2022 at about 6:30pm. Again, another beautiful fall sunset with Marvin.
This picture was taken three days later from the above picture on October 29th, 2022 at about 6:30 pm.
The above few images were taken on October 31st, 2022 at about 3pm in the afternoon. It is from one of the many open spaces along the Poudre River in Fort Collins. A lot of trees still had leaves in place. It was a very nice day for an easy run with Dogboy.
This picture was taken on November 12th, 2022 at about 6pm in the evening. Almost every afternoon the sunsets have been beautiful.
This picture was taken on November 18th, 2022 at about 5pm in the afternoon. Due to the shorter and shorter days, Marin and I have had to get out a little earlier each afternoon if we want to catch the sunsets. As you can see in this picture, snow is on the ground and the temps are much colder. The two peaks you see in the back ground are Mount Meeker (13,916 feet) and Longs Peak ( 14, 259 feet) – about 40 miles away as the crow flies.

So all and all, other than Janet’s foot injury and my continued knee woes, it was another great month on the Front Range of Colorado. We still have not had much moisture in the form of rain or snow. But the temps have cooled significantly and this has decreased the fire danger. I have to remind myself that the Marshall Fire in Boulder County did not occur until almost the end of December of last year. Crazy when I think about it. Hopefully the cool weather and more snow / rain will fall in the next 30 days. If you want to read about the Marshall Fire here is a wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Fire

It was another great month for reading and I would like to share a few book recommendations. As I put forth on the last blog post, we are so fortunate to live in a time that allows so much access to information and books. To remain totally ignorant of a topic in today’s reality is a choice and not an excuse. As the late great Science Fiction author Harlan Ellison said: “You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

So with that said, the first book review is on a book called Decoding Your Dog:  The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Dog Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.  If you want to get a basic understanding of canine behavior, both good and bad, then this is the book.  Each chapter is written by a different author(s) and covers just about every aspect of dog ownership.  There is “moderate depth” on most topics in my opinion.  But if there is anything deeper than this, the authors suggest you talk with your local Veterinarian.

I found this book a good review of most topics.  Everything from how to choose a new puppy, to house training, to basic training, to fixing common problem “dog” behaviors, etc.…  There is also a good section on kids and dogs.  I found this particularly interesting.  Especially the recommendation that young children should always, always be supervised around a dog no matter how “good” you think the dog is.  After many years of working in the ER and hearing all kind of dog bite stories, I can attest to this excellent recommendation.  As our Veterinarian once said:  “Any dog can and will bite in the right circumstances.”

I also liked the section on how all dogs need a job so to speak.   Those of us not involved with canines on a professional basis think that a job is only for working (police, military, protection, herding, etc…) dogs but that is not the case.  All dogs need some kind of job.  It helps to strengthen the bond between dog and owner, fights boredom, and gets rid of pent-up energy among other things.  The author of this chapter gives examples of common jobs, like doing agility and or obedience class with the dog, games with the dog like hide and seeks or find it games.  Long walks a few times per week was another suggestion.  And if you don’t have a lot of extra time to spend, you could even use mentally stimulating toys for the dog.   

 I got this book as an audio book but feel it would work better in traditional format.  There is a lot of information here and it would be nice to look back at certain chapters to review information.  Which is hard to do with an audio book.  I got this book at Amazon but you can probably find it at your local book store.  The Amazon link is here: https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Your-Dog-audiobook/dp          

The next book I would like to give a recommendation on is called A Crack in Creation by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg.  Let me start off by saying that Dr. Doudna is an American biochemist whose efforts made it possible for CRISPR gene editing to become a reality in the real world so to speak.  She did this work along with her graduate student at the time Samuel H. Sternberg, now a PhD in his own right.  In 2020, Jennifer received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of this method for genome editing.   If you are not familiar with what CRISPR is all about, you need to be.  This technology has given humans the ability, if we so choose, to radically change our destiny.  We now have the power, for better or worse, to change who and what we are at a fundamental level.  This includes all living things in the environment.

CRISPR was actually discovered about thirty years ago, but not many understood at the time how important it might become.  CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.”  In a nutshell, it allows for a much more accurate and cheaper way to edit genes.  At some point, there will not be any part of the human condition that has not been touched by this.  Jennifer and Samuel opened the world’s eyes in seeing how to edit genes in a new light.  This occurred back in 2012 and has since taken off, significantly.  The only limiting factor will be our imaginations. 

In the book, the authors go through the story of CRISPR and how it was developed into a more accurate and cheaper gene editing technique.  They do a great job in explaining it all, but if you are like me, you need some kind of visual representation to help with the understanding of how it works.  There are multiple short YouTube videos on this very subject.  My recommendation is to go and watch one so you have a much better understanding.  You can find a good one here: https://youtu.be/ANehpGhbuF4

Another part of the book that I found interesting was the Author’s warning on editing the human germ line.  That is where you forever change the DNA of a human that can then be passed on to future generations.  Scary but at the same time hopeful stuff.  It might mean the end of genetic diseases in family lines. Things like Sickle Cell Anemia, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, some cancers, genetic caused blindness, etc…

I listened to the book as an audio book, but I think it might work better in traditional format if you need to re-listen (like I did) or reread certain sections to better understand.  Of course you can find the book on Amazon or at your local book store.  Here is the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/A-Crack-in-Creation-audiobook/dp

The next book I would like to give a recommendation to is called “The Body Keeps the Score:  Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma” by Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD.”  Let me start off in saying that all of us, and I mean all of us, have experienced some type of trauma in our lives.  It is a part of the human condition for better or worse.  You didn’t have to be a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan, or go to a third world county like Haiti, or work in a busy ER like I did to experience trauma.  Trauma occurs anywhere and everywhere and no one is immune to it.  Whether it is war violence like what is going on in Ukraine or at home domestic violence, it can be found any place you look.  It affects us all, not just the person that experienced the trauma but everyone around them. Most of us try to bury the horrendous experience(s) by pushing it (them) out of our minds.  Unfortunately it does not work that way.   It will still be there and can surface at any time if the right triggers are pushed.  Trauma can cause actual physiological changes in the body, especially the brain.  Because of this, traumatized individuals can keep repeating the same mistakes in life: drinking too much, over eating, drug abuse, cutting, sexual promiscuous, etc.…never learning from the experience.  It is not a sigh of moral failure, or the lack of willpower, or just bad character, or for you religious types – the devil.  These behaviors are caused directly or indirectly by changes in the brain brought about by the traumatic experience. 

The treatment of trauma has been Dr. Kolk’s life’s work.  In his own words:  “ I wrote this book to serve as both a guide and an invitation to dedicate ourselves to facing the reality of trauma, to explore how best to treat it, and to commit ourselves, as a society, to using every means we have to prevent it.”

The book was published in 2014, so some treatment modalities might be a little dated or not included, otherwise the book is as relevant today as it was eight years ago.   This book is for everyone, not just the medical professionals.  One of the things that I really liked about the book was the topic on the “over use and potential misuse” of psychiatric medications.  Very interesting.  Another section that was a favorite of mine was the use of Yoga and Meditation in the treatment of trauma.  I practice both of these on a daily basis, but not for trauma.  I had no idea that they could be used this way.  Again pretty interesting.    

I liked this book so well, I got the paperback version and I am in the process of reading it again while listening at the same time.  The book works in any format.  I am sure you can find the book at your local book store or on Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp     

The next book I would like to give a recommendation to is a great “Brain Bubble Gum” book – one that you read just for the fun of it. A short escape from reality.  It is called Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins.  A pure Mystery/Thriller/Suspense type of book.  If you have read a Rollins book before then you know what I mean.  In this book, the Sigma Force is back and in the Congo working on trying to figure out a new viral outbreak that has plants and animals going berserk and becoming more aggressive.  But with humans that are infected – they become more docile and eventually go into a stupor/catatonic state.  Now throw into this mix, a rich bad guy with his own objectives. And you get a story that is hard to put down.

All the usual characters – Gray, Monk, Kowalski, Tucker and Kane are back in force and trying to save the world as usual.  One of things I really liked about the book was the last section where the author goes through and talks about what is real and what he totally made up to fit the story.  Pretty interesting and relevant to our current state of affairs with the pandemic.  

If you haven’t read a Rollins book before and are unfamiliar with the characters don’t worry.  The book can be read as a stand-alone.  If you are looking for a thriller with some history and science mixed in then this is the book for you.  I listened to it as an audio book but it would work in any format.  I am sure you can find it at your local book store or on Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Bones-Novel-Sigma-Novels/dp

The next book (another brain bubble gum) I would like to give a recommendation to is actually a book series.  The one I just finished is called Vengeance:  Confluence, Book 5 by Jennifer Foehner Wells.  This was the last book in a series of five books with two main protagonist character arcs that don’t overlap much at all with each other, but do with what is happening in the overall story.  The first two books and forth book, deal with the discovery that humans are not alone in the Universe (Dr. Jane Holloway is the main first protagonist) and the third and fifth book tell a story about a human (Darcy is the second main protagonist) that finds she is part of that much bigger cosmic picture.   And in the process, discovers that earth has been visited in the ancient past by aliens.   

When I listened to the third book of the series, not realizing that this was a separate protagonist character arc, I was a little confused to put it mildly.  But as the story went along I got my bearings.  These books are not really stand-alone books but need to be read in order.   This is a great space opera and well worth the read.  Here is a list of the books in order: Fluency book 1, Remanence book 2, Inheritance book 3, Valence book 4 and Vengeance book 5. 

I listened to them as audio books but they would work will with any format.  I am guessing that you could find them at your local book store or on Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Vengeance-Confluence-Book-5/dp   

The last book I would like to give a semi-warm recommendation to is called Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.  This is more of a serious speculative fiction book. Not really a brain bubble gum book. I got this book after an NPR interview with the author.  You can listen to the interview here: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978138547/kazuo-ishiguro-draws-on-his-songwriting-past-to-write-novels-about-the-future

The author won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature and has several other books to his name.   Klara and the Sun is his eighth or ninth novel.   

This is a dystopian science fiction novel with a little bit of mysticism thrown in, so it is not a true hard science fiction story.  The narration is told by an “AF” or Artificial Friend (Klara) who is the companion of a sickly child named Josie.  This is pretty interesting in itself and what makes the book.  Klara observes, records and analyses everything, but cannot see the bigger picture of what is happening to Josie.    

There are parts of the book that seem a little long winded but in the end are somewhat necessary in understanding the story.  This is not a fast paced action type of book.  There is none of the typical action infused drama in this story and maybe that is why it did not appeal to me as much.  It is more of “let’s take a year out of the lives of the characters that are living in a world in which something bad has happened” and make a story out of it.  We are never told what has happened or what the world might be like, except in tiny bits and pieces.  There is some interesting reflection and dialogue with the characters on what it is to be human.  But it does not give a satisfactory answer one way or another in my opinion.  I think that this book would appeal more to those of us that hold a belief in some kind of higher power.  For Klara it is the sun.    

I listened to this book as an audio book but it would work in any format.  You can get the book at your local book store or on Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Klara-Sun-Novel/dp      

Last but not least I would like to show case a new piece of art work. I have been playing with acrylics more the last few months and I am finding that I really like it. Even better than pen and ink.

This one I call “It is all about the Heart.” It is 9×12 inches, acrylic paint on canvas paper, mounted to a hardboard frame and sealed with archival varnish.

This piece and other types of artwork are for sale and can be found on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/strugglingprotoplasm/edit?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

In support of Prochoice and the Separation of Church and State, I will donate 10% of any sales to Planned Parenthood or the Freedom From Religion Foundation, but only if you wish me too. If not I will be more than happy to keep the money! Lol.

Well I have come to th end of another blog post! Yea! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. One final thing before I go, I want to give a shout out to minimalism. It is one way to possibly make that “sting we are all feeling with inflation” a little less painful. And in the process of becoming minimalist you might find new happiness. I know that I did.

If your interested for more information, please check out this link: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

So take care my friends and if you have not gotten vaccinated or boosted, even if you have had Covid, then get it done. It would be stupid to say the least, if you were to lose your life or suffer significant disability with this virus when vaccines are readily available in this country. So until next time Adios!!

“It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” Carl Sagan

“Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.” Yuval Noah Harari

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous…, leading to the most amazing views.” Edward Abbey

Book Review, Colorado, Covid 19, Dogs, Fort Collins, genetics, Life and Meaning, Longivity, Pandemics, Psychology, Sociology, Space

MUSING FOR FRIDAY 24TH, APRIL 2020

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“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exist.” – Eric Hoffer

The Witch’s Broom – Located in the Veil Nebula, is part of the remnants of a star 20 times the size of our sun that went supernova, exploding roughly 8,000 years ago. The long, slender filaments of the Witch’s Broom are part of an expanding blast wave from the supernova – shocking, heating, and transforming interstellar gasses as it goes. The bright spot at the nebula’s upper edge is the giant star 52 Cygni in the constellation Cygnus.

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” Alan W. Watts

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured its highest-resolution panorama yet of the Martian surface between Nov. 24th and Dec. 1st, 2019. This version with the rover contains nearly 650 million pixels and is composed of more than 1000 images. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates the Mastcam. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington and built the Curiosity rover.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama

This 2010 image is from the Herschel Space Observatory and shows dust clouds associated with the Rosette Nebula. It is a stellar nursery that is somewhere around 5,000 light years from Earth. The Observatory collected infrared light radiated out by the dust. The bright spots are cocoons containing embryonic stars. They will eventually grow up to 10 times the mass of our sun.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

Apollo 17 (December 1972) was the last crewed lunar landing. It hosted the first scientist-astronaut to land on the Moon, Harrison Schmitt, a geologist. The lunar module was distinguished by extended hardware capability, larger scientific payload capacity and the use of the battery-powered Lunar Rover. The rover vehicle traversed a total of 30.5 kilometers. The crew “stay time” on the moon was 75 hours and approximately 243 pounds of material was brought back to earth.

“Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?” Carl Sagan

HEY!! I AM LOOKING AT YOU!! THAT’S WHO!! LOLOLOLOLOL

Well if you are reading this… then you have survived Covid – 19 so far and I have too!! That is a very good thing. This virus has turned out, as most of the experts predicted, to be much worse than the flu. It was interesting to me that even after the first week of April or so, when the death toll continued to climb each day, there were some individuals that thought it was still being over blown. I mean I get it. It is hard to believe that something like this could occur in our modern day and age. Especially if you have no science and or medical training. And of course after hearing the “Orange DT” expound over and over, again and again, upon the idea that all the media is “fake news” for the last four years – I am guessing this affected some individuals in that they did not know what to believe. I have to ask myself how much needless suffering and death was inflicted upon the public due to this conman’s irresponsible rhetoric? Oh well, its all water under the bridge, not much we can do about it. The issue now is all about mitigation and recovery at some point. And I am wondering if “opening back up” at the end of April is the best move? Maybe putting it off another month might be better? Time will tell. And the question to ask is what will be our new normal?

This picture was taken March 3rd, 2020 at about 4 pm. Here I am looking South from the top sections of Horsetooth Mountain Park, due West of Fort Collins. It was a beautiful spring afternoon in Colorado. My elevation at this point was just over 7,000 feet.

On a more positive note it sounds like there are several different companies around the world, working on a vaccine for this virus. From the United States to Australia. I know that one company was given the green light to skip animal trials and go straight to human testing. That is pretty amazing because it has never been done before. Think about that, straight to human testing?! If you ever needed another reason to take this viral illness seriously, then this would be it. The company’s name is Moderna. Based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. You should check out their web site. It looks like they have a list of vaccines they are working on using mRNA. Or messenger RNA. Every thing from infectious diseases, like Zika and Covid 19 to Cancer Vaccines. Also it looks like they have an area of research called Regenerative Therapeutics – meaning they are developing gene therapy to treat injured or diseased tissue. That is pretty cool. Here is the link: https://www.modernatx.com/

This picture was taken March 11th, 2020 at about 5:30 pm. It was another beautiful spring like day in Colorado.

If there is only one silver lining to come out of the pandemic, it will be the advancement of knowledge in working with genetics, viruses and vaccines. And this includes dealing with mass causality situations due to an infectious agent, on a scale that has not been seen since the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Hopefully when the next one occurs we will have a much more robust capability and knowledge base to deal with it.

This picture was taken March 19th, 2020 at about 7 pm. It is from one of the parks in Fort Collins. Wow what a difference a week makes in the weather. From 50 to 60 degree days last week to cold and snow a week later. Oh well it is spring time in Colorado and there is an old joke that you can experience all four season in a single day living here. Lol

What does the future hold? What will be our new normal? Truthfully, I have no idea. But I am guessing that as we do try to unlock the economy, I feel that there will be a “blitzkrieg” in advertising. All of it, trying to help you feel “comfortable” again. And we all want to feel that way. I have been lucky so far. My “day job” so to speak, is medical and for now it has escaped budget cuts. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be worried about paying rent and bills, not to mention just affording food. Our need for comfort and safety will be genuine. The advertising agencies and corporations know this. I am guessing that there have been countless teleconferenced meetings around the world on the best strategy on how to sell you the old normal. But do we want the old normal back, as it was? Like an economy that is based on debt and over-consumption to the point that it collapses when people start to buy only their essentials. How strong could it have actually been? Or a health care system that does not work for everyone or charges you so much money that you have to the sell the farm to pay the medical bills. Or a degraded social safety net that relies in part on the capricious generosity of others. I could go on and on with this. But I think you get the picture. Maybe a modified version might be better?

This picture was taken March 22nd, 2020 at about 7 pm. Only three days later and temps back in the 50s. Beautiful evening. Marvin was keeping a close eye on the geese. Lol

As I write and research this, I find a lot of other authors talking about “time.” How in the old system, we just did not have enough time to care. In the previous economy, no matter who we were as Americans, we all shared one thing in common, we were busy. Working, paying bills, taking kids to school, answering e-mail, phone calls, attending meetings, and the list goes on and on and on. So, how can you worry or much less logically think about an existential issue or problem when you barley have enough time for eating and sleeping, before you have to do it all over again the next day. Truly – you had no time. This really hit home with me. Not because I was feeling stressed about time, but because I wasn’t. I have been in health care for about 40 years and for the majority of it I have worked 12 hours shifts. Three per week, sometimes more but recently a lot less – my choice for the last few years. Now I only work two 12 hours shifts per week or less. Having time to read more, to exercise more, to eat better, to work on my mental health, etc… has been liberating to say the least. If I would have been more self-disciplined when I was a younger man, I would have gone to this part-time way of existence much sooner. Yes I had to make sacrifices in what I spend and buy. But that was more of a mental issue than a true physical one. My wife used to ask the kids when they were younger, “Is it a want or a need.” And she was right in more ways than one. Our needs are few but our wants are endless. The advertising agencies and big business know this.

This picture was taken March 23rd, 2020 at about 7:35pm. Looking West along the Poudre trail in Fort Collins. A lot of the open space areas that the trail transects were old farmsteads in the past. Looking at this tree, I wonder who in the past might have looked the same direction? What thoughts they might have had, their worries, their concerns, their loves, their likes and dislikes, etc… What would they think of the world today?

Big government, big business and advertising are all teaming up. They are going to want to make you feel comfortable again. They will be there to indoctrinate you into the old ways of doing things. To make you think that it was not as bad as what it was. Like a Jedi mind trick. You didn’t see those body bags in Italy and New York, you didn’t see the death count, you didn’t see the doctors and nurses on the front line describing hospitals as war zones, you didn’t see the food lines, you didn’t see that the air was much cleaner, you didn’t see those headlines and if you did they were all fake. You did not see or hear the leader of the free world reference the virus as a new hoax, or take too long to declare a national emergency. In order to be good children, you will be told over and over again and again through advertising to drink the proverbial Kool-aide. So I ask you, is this what you want? To go back? This crisis has given us a chance to see ourselves and our world from a very different view point. It has hit the pause button on the human-ant like madness that was taking place on the planet. To see it in a better light. To give you the “time” to wake up and take a much closer look at the issues and problems that we all face at some point in our lives. So ask yourself, what is it that you want to put back into in your life? How do you want to spend your time?

This picture was taken March 25th, 2020 at about 7:30 pm. I was looking West along the Poudre River and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Another beautiful Colorado sunset. They never get old.

A few book reviews before I go. There are several that I have finished over the last year and I would like to give a recommendation on them.

One of the fist ones I would like to talk about is an old one but just as relevant today as it was when published in 1996. The book is written by Carl Sagan and is called “The Demon-Haunted World.” This is one of those books that you need to savor. Take a chapter at at time, read it, think about it and maybe even reread the same chapter. Or better yet look up some of the ideas put forth. He talks in detail about many myths and pseudoscience concepts (ghosts, aliens, crop circles, spirits, etc..) that we have heard about over time and why people seem to have this incredible need to believe in them. And why education in science is an answer to dispelling them. This is my second time to read the book, but I felt like he had just written it yesterday due to current events in the world. If anything this book is prophetic. A lot of what Carl talks about in the book, to take as a warning for the future, has unfortunately come to pass. This should be one of the books that is mandatory reading for all High School Seniors before graduating. This book works great in traditional format and as an audio book. You can find it at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Haunted-World-Science-Candle-Dark

The next one I want to talk about is called Lifespan and is written by David A. Sinclair, PhD. I have worked in health care for almost 40 years now and have seen all the usual diseases associated with getting old, heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, arthritis, neuro-degenerative, etc… and how we approach each disease in a singular fashion. With each disease having it own specialist. David puts forth that all of these diseases with some exceptions can be linked to aging. And if we treat the cause of aging, then we also will be treating the diseases that are related to getting old at the same time. His theory on why we age is also something that was a surprise to me. But once it was explained, made perfect sense. Like an Ah Ha moment. The book does require a small amount of prior knowledge of cell biology, genetics and physics to truly be appreciated. But it is really just a small amount and no math! Lol. If your willing to look up a unfamiliar term or concept, the book is well worth the read. It is not just about living longer but also about living healthier. The book is better if you read it in traditional format. I bought it as an audio book the first time. But I am now going back through it in the paperback form. You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lifespan-Why-Age-Dont-Have

The next one I want to talk about is a Science Fiction Series that has been made into a TV series. It is called “The Expanse.” There are 8 main books in the series so far. They are by James S.A. Corey, which is a joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Wow is the least that I can say about the books. The TV series is good but not at the level of the books. The setting is Earth, Mars, the moons of Jupiter, assorted asteroids, and eventually alien worlds. It takes place a couple of hundred years into the future. Humanity has moved out into the solar system and taken our same societal issues with us. Some good and some bad. A great Space Opera. Well worth the read while you are stuck at home. You can find the books here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes

Well that is about it for me on this Blog post. Another somewhat long one but again due to the crisis in the world today there is a lot to think about and in turn write about. As the Pandemic drags on, ask yourself what do you want your “new normal” to be. We have a great opportunity to create something different. Just remember a lot of the old guard will not like what you have in mind and will try to divert your attention by selling you things that help you to feel normal. And if that is what you need then by all means take it. But if you want something different…resistance is not futile. So take care my friends and remember social distancing. Adios!!

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous.., leading to the most amazing views.” Edward Abbey

Exercise, genetics, Science, Skiing

MUSINGS FOR FRIDAY 14th, DECEMBER 2018

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I hope that it has been a good week for everyone!!  The thing I would like to talk about in this blog is one that I really think will be a game changer in current and ongoing human evolution.  It starts with  the news out of China a few weeks ago.  A researcher there has genetically modified two human babies prior to fertilization to prevent both from becoming HIV positive because one parent has HIV. This sounds like a rather simple issue but it is huge….  Sounds great on the surface, but what does it really mean?  The researcher modified the germ-line, another words, before conception, at the sperm and egg level.   And the way that I understand it, these two babies will carry this modification for the rest of their lives and will be able to pass it along to their offspring, who will pass it along to their offspring, who will….  So, the picture becomes a true, possible permanent change in the human genome. These two kids will look like us, but have never existed in the history of humans.  Let me say this again, their genomes, have never existed in the history of humans, until now.  That in and of itself is pretty amazing but it gets better.

Could an x-men scenario become a reality!!

CRISPR (clustered regularly inter spaced short palindromic repeats)– the gene editing technique that allowed the “precision” to do this can be applied to all kinds of conditions and diseases caused by your genetics.  Now imagine you are planning a family and you want a child to be stronger, have denser bones, or to run faster, for example.  Well…. The genes to edit for this are all known.  See the You Tube video link for an explanation:    https://youtu.be/uaNHUTIbqdo

If you have the money and political clout, who is going to stop you?  Who is going to stop you from permanently altering the human genome for your own child’s benefit or your countries benefit?  And when your child grows up and has kids, what will these passed along alterations, potentially change in the next child, etc.….  If you are wondering like I was about this, take a look at some Science Fiction on the subject.  You might have seen a few of these already but here is a short list of some of my favorites.  Remember that every technological change that has occurred in our world was once just Science Fiction.

Great movie about the manipulation of genetics and how it creates the haves and the have nots.  Well worth the rental!  
Fantastic TV series on genetics and the potentials for good or bad with Cloning.  A five-season series that is well worth the rental!
A book series (three books) created by Nancy Kress about what can happen for good or bad, when you mess with the human Genome. One of my favorites.

There are many,many more examples in popular culture (movies, TV, books, magazines) of stories about the good and bad of genetic modification. My point in writing to you dear reader about this is that sometimes the things that truly change the world are what seem on the surface small.  They make little waves and are soon pushed aside in the noise of everyday life.  I believe the events that happened in China about 9 months ago, present today as twin new born girls, are one of those things. Life on this planet as we know it has changed, it might not be readily apparent yet, but it has. I used to think that the next big evolution inhumanity would be a machine interface of some kind, but now I am not so sure.  It might still be part of the picture but “genetics” will play an immense role.  And of course, this could be looked at as good or bad.  It will really depend on other forces that have the potential to drive it.  As a recent example, there is a push by the Religious Right to end research on fetal stem cells.  Some of this research has to do with curing HIV. If you limit this area of research, then a real-life example is what I just talked about.  Since the Chinese Genetics researcher has shown that he can prevent the transmission of HIV, how many others will take this approach, because fetal Stem Cells are out of reach?  What will be the consequences??  Are we ready for the changes coming to our world??   

Could a “Super Solider” be part of our future. A new/old idea – rebirth of the “Warrior Cast.”
Back Country Skiing at Cameron Pass!!

Well I have to say that the last couple of weeks have been good!!  The skiing has been great and I really cannot complain. I guess if I did though, the only fly in the ointment is that I have to work a little bit and take a class or two?! What is that about??  Oh well, I do have to work at the day job in order to pay the bills and keep doing what I want and love to do.  And let me say it again the skiing has been great!!  I love Colorado, where else can you get in skiing at two or three different resorts and disciplines in the same day?!  Really there are not too many places on earth that would allow that kind of access just due to the logistic of time and travel.  And if that was not enough, to come home, back to Fort Collins, and the next day do a fantastic bike ride or trail run?!  So cool. Now of course it does not always happen that way due to weather or having to work but these past few weeks it has been…. Just fantastic!!

A question that I get a lot, is why don’t I play golf?  And the answer I give is “I don’t have time.” Between all the other outdoor activities that I like to do, the problem becomes one of just not having enough time. I feel this is a good problem to have. One of the best decisions I ever made was to leave Texas and move to Colorado.  There are a lot of good people down there in Texas, but just not the opportunity.  Especially for the outdoors.  Teddy Roosevelt became president a little too late to help with land preservation in the state of Texas. 

A-Basin early in the AM on Tuesday, November 27th, getting ready for a Randonee Race!!  11F degrees in the parking lot!!

Loveland ski area at the Eisenhower Tunnel looking North, same day as the above picture, but in the afternoon.  You can just make out I70 at the bottom!!
Riding on the Spring Creek trail in Fort Collins Wednesday afternoon, November 28th.  Love riding this bike!!  Trek Cross Country 29er with lockable shocks so that you can ride bike trail or dirt!!
Contemplating a long bike or trail run, beautiful afternoon weather, Saturday 8th,December 2018. I went with the run!
Snowshoe trip at Montgomery Pass, Monday December 10th, lots and lots of snow!!

Well that is going to be about it for me this week.  Need to get back out there and do some more skiing. Hope your weekend is a great one. Remember your commits and questions are always welcome.  Take care my friends and see you “Out There!!”