Today, many work at a frantic rate. Its well known that we need to keep fit, eat well, avoid excessive alcohol and have a reasonable amount of sleep to cope with the stress and strain of the daily grind. Such common sense approaches are essential for "good living" and help prolong our life.
But the hardworking executive mechanisms of our brains also require rest and nutrition. It seems the most recent development of the brain, the frontal lobes, are quite fragile, and in need of even more tender loving care than was previously understood. A price to pay, you might say for our development, because this richness of an advanced consciousness made available through the operation of the frontal lobes, easily breaks down under extreme pressures.
The development of the frontal lobes occurred late in our evolutionary cycle, causing confusion amongst early communities.
When people died, the memories that persisted in the minds of those who were left were thought to be "ghosts" or assumed as evidence of life after death. And so this "consciousness" was understood within the context of early religious and magical beliefs.
Elkhonon Goldberg's quotes "A rich sensory memory of a deceased tribesperson would be interpreted as the tribesman's "ghost" or as evidence of the tribesman "life" after death". According to the scenario, some of the more literal religions and magical beliefs, which persisted for millennia are vestiges of early humans inability to distinguish between one own memories of other people (internal representations, parts of "self") and those actual people themselves ("nonselves".Others). According to Jaynes, this self-oneself confusion was not confined to prehistoric times. It extended well into the early history populated by individuals we assume to be neurobiological "modern''
Click on http://www.thymos.com/mind/goldberg.html to visit his website.
To day it is understood that it is the frontal lobes that allow us to clearly identify our "consciousness" and make" executive decisions" when required, on any number of complex and abstract matters. Such development of the frontal lobes does however have a downside, the loss of control by the frontal lobes to the more primitive areas of the brain. As this occurs, initially the two are in "conflict" until such time as the lower brain takes control. When we lose this control of the frontal lobes it is similar to losing control of an "Executive Manager"of the brain.
That means you are operating at a much lower level, largely from an instinctive, survival mode, without the flexibility and higher level thinking provided by the frontal lobes.
I quote from Edward Hallowell -psychiatrist -an Article from Harvard Business Review -re published in the Work Space area of the Financial Review on Tuesday 15 March 2005.
You can visit his website by clicking on http://www.drhallowell.com or the icon at the beginning of the article.
"As a specialist in learning disabilities, I have found that most dangerous disability is not any formally diagnosable condition like dyslexia or ADD (attention deficit disorder). Its fear. When the frontal lobes approach capacity and we begin to fear that we can't keep up, 'the relationship between their higher and lower regions of the brain take an ominous turn. In survival mode, the deep areas of the brain assume control and began to direct the higher regions.
As a result the whole brain gets caught in a neurological Catch 22. The deep regions interpret the messages of overload they receive from the frontal lobes in the same way they interpret everything. They furiously fire signals of fear, anxiety, impatience, irritability anger or panic. In a futile attempt to do more than is possible, the brain paradoxically reduces its ability to think clearly."
This can happen a lot easier than we can imagine. Try depriving your self of sleep, become unfit and put yourself in a stressful, hardworking environment when you become "fearful" of not meeting those deadlines.
Under such circumstances there is a good chance your frontal lobes will become overworked to the extent they surrender to the more primitive areas of the brain. We see it all the time don't we? Highly charged emotional decisions, deprived of any creativity, and viewed in purely simplistic terms of who's to blame. Rage is a common reaction. It is also interesting to consider what happens when we are no longer "in control" caused by the temporary or permanent loss of functionality provided by frontal lobe control. We are greatly diminished and lose our perspective to the extent that our "consciousness"is diminished, as we become reliant on instinctive type responses.
Fortunately the solution is simple. Look after those fragile frontal lobes with adequate sleep, a sensible diet and a regular exercise programme. Plan ahead and don't become "fearful" of deadlines, for it is far better to negotiate a postponement, then to risk the "disaster"
of a frontal lobe overload. Make sure you take short breaks at work and wherever possible, discuss matters, rather than e-mail
When you are talking to someone, your brain begins to buzz, releasing pleasurable feelings similar to endorphins when you exercise. This will happen even when you are in a confrontation situation. Providing you don't allow your emotions to "take over" you will feel better afterwards? It is preferable to sending an e mail.
Have you ever noticed, when making presentations to smaller groups, in an interactive mode, how you always feel better than addressing large groups of people when you are in "remote" mode?
When giving presentations I had wondered why those to small groups seemed more successful. Was it the material? Was I more relaxed? Were those present more receptive when in a smaller group, or could it be that the interactive format meant that we were all receiving pleasurable stimuli, similar to endorphins, that made us feel appreciative afterwards.
So I am concerned for you all if you are caught up in a frenetic work pattern. I would like to hear how you plan to avoid a frontal lobe crash. In the meantime, can I send out a "Red Alert"? Be kind to those fragile frontal lobes.
They depend on your tender, loving care much more than you imagine.
Saturday, March 26
Tuesday, March 8
Loyalty
Having an interest we're passionate about is a great attribute, as it generates vitality and enhances our lives. These days I sometimes ask people "What's your passion" to find out their real interest. Recently I have been fortunate to celebrate with my work colleagues 10 years service. The company pays for the celebration to gather with a generous gift. The benefits have recently been significantly increased. Staff turnover is at an all time low with some good profit results. Is there a connection? Does loyalty shown by the Employer make good business sense?
Prior to my present position I was even more fortunate to accumulate 18 years of service with the same company. But when it ended abruptly I was devastated. Despite putting the company first it became apparent my loyalty was misplaced. It all happened subsequent to a tumultuous year which included the deaths of one of my best friends and widowed mother. Since I was an only child I had taken off suddenly from work, to look after her at home in the country. The work position had become tangled up in the process and it wasn't long after her death that I found myself looking for another position.
Looking back now is like standing on a mountain and being able to see all the detailed landscape and intricate patterns of bush and valley behind you and its purpose. I have changed my career occupation in a 360 degree turn, and after the initial difficulty, standing on the mountain and looking back it never felt better. But its been an arduous climb to get there.
I would like to know if anyone out there is passionate about "Loyalty".
Charles Kovess LL.B.(Hons), LL.M., CSP* has a point to make so I have included in full his 2nd Passion Point for 2005 "DOES LOYALTY PAY?"A Passion Point to Ponder 1 March 2005 Welcome to the 2nd Passion Point for 2005.Our goal this year with these Passion Points is to provoke you so that your business, and the rest of your life, become filled with more passion, performance, and improved balance of mental, physical, and spiritual elements.
NEWS :Charles spent five days last week with one of Australia's best retailers,Bev Marks Beds. If you want to experience great customer service with accompany that's committed to delivering great Australian bedding, go unadvised one of the five retail outlets weekend, Charles will be contributing to the celebration of Rotary's Centenary by delivering a number of presentations to a District convention's Bendigo. If you have never explored what Rotary is all about, give it a go! Even though Charles is not a member, he has given many speeches to its various Clubs over the past 12 years. Joining Rotary will expand your soul!
DOES LOYALTY PAY?""20 years ago, everybody who started working to retire after 25 years with a gold watch.Now, that's unusual." Realistic words from a Senior Vice-President of a Scandinavian temporary staffing. For those who did start work around 20 yearsago, 2008 and 2009 might have been those gold watchyears. Looking back they might wonder what was best,the loyalty of then, or the prospects--perhaps thelack of them--of today. Certainly younger workers seethings differently, and regard a change of jobs asroutine and an opportunity to retrain. They'll probably never know, or see, that golden watch ofloyalty.It's not the watch, but the loyalty it represents, that counts. To go through a working life without knowing loyalty is to have missed something; but doesloyalty pay? Only those who have experienced it are qualified to comment. Current theory suggests that today's arrangements benefit the employer and the employee, but time--and those who shared it--will be the final arbiter.Despite its current rejection, loyalty remains a value. Its lack of modern following does not diminishit; in many ways it elevates it, like a scarce resource, a diamond waiting to be discovered, it remains beyond the reach of all. When eventually rediscovered, the challenge will be to see its economic benefits. That will take time of course and, in today's time stressed world, might be difficult.The clock is still ticking and, one day, when digital watches also measure loyalty, society might be betterfor it.
QUOTES TO CONSIDER"We must have loyalty and character." Ralph WaldoEmerson (1803-1882), American writer, philosopher andpoet.Is loyalty on your "must have" list, or do you resistits character?"I'll take 50% efficiency to get 100% loyalty."Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974), American film producer.What percent do you measure, what percent do youtreasure?"Loyalty starts with the leader, not the follower: the employer is theleader, the employee is the follower. Inspire your followers by demonstrating your loyalty!"Charles B Kovess.To your ongoing development of your passionate performance..Charles Kovess Australia's Passion Provocateur ©Copyright- Charles B. Kovess & David J. Wood of Passionate Performance.Republication welcome provided authors are acknowledged & advised at above address. If you want to see Charles on video, or listen to audio, just go http://:www.kovess.com and follow the links.For a list of keynote speech topics that Charles would love to deliver in a passionate, entertaining, provocative, and educational way to your teams,clients, or prospects, at breakfast, lunch or dinner, see below.All 128 published Passion Points to Ponder are on our website. If you wish to review them, please visit the site. If you wish to receive a list of the128 titles of the Passion Points please let us know.
http://www.kovess.com
KEY NOTE SPEECH TOPICS1 PASSIONATE PERFORMANCE: YOUR KEYS TO MENTAL, PHYSICAL & SPIRITUALWELLBEING IN BUSINESS.2 THE POWER OF VISIONARY LEADERSHIP 3. THE 7 KEY STEPS TO CREATE OUTSTANDING TEAMS.4 HOW TO RETAIN THE BEST PEOPLE IN YOUR ORGANISATION.5 PASSION: THE KEY TO YOUR SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE 21STCENTURY.6 HIGH PERFORMANCE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN THE KNOWLEDGE AGE. 7 CHANGE: MAKE IT AN INSPIRATIONAL GAME! 8 A PASSION FOR LIFE, AND LIVING IT! 9 KEY PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.10 7 STRATEGIES THAT GUARANTEE LOYALTY FROM EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS.
best regards from Australia's Passion Provocateur (copyright) Charles Kovess LL.B.(Hons), LL.M., CSP*National PresidentNational Speakers' Association of Australia(*CSP means Certified Speaking Professional, the highest possible international qualification and accreditation for professional speakers.There are only 464 CSP's in the world, of whom only 52 are in Australasia.)
Prior to my present position I was even more fortunate to accumulate 18 years of service with the same company. But when it ended abruptly I was devastated. Despite putting the company first it became apparent my loyalty was misplaced. It all happened subsequent to a tumultuous year which included the deaths of one of my best friends and widowed mother. Since I was an only child I had taken off suddenly from work, to look after her at home in the country. The work position had become tangled up in the process and it wasn't long after her death that I found myself looking for another position.
Looking back now is like standing on a mountain and being able to see all the detailed landscape and intricate patterns of bush and valley behind you and its purpose. I have changed my career occupation in a 360 degree turn, and after the initial difficulty, standing on the mountain and looking back it never felt better. But its been an arduous climb to get there.
I would like to know if anyone out there is passionate about "Loyalty".
Charles Kovess LL.B.(Hons), LL.M., CSP* has a point to make so I have included in full his 2nd Passion Point for 2005 "DOES LOYALTY PAY?"A Passion Point to Ponder 1 March 2005 Welcome to the 2nd Passion Point for 2005.Our goal this year with these Passion Points is to provoke you so that your business, and the rest of your life, become filled with more passion, performance, and improved balance of mental, physical, and spiritual elements.
NEWS :Charles spent five days last week with one of Australia's best retailers,Bev Marks Beds. If you want to experience great customer service with accompany that's committed to delivering great Australian bedding, go unadvised one of the five retail outlets weekend, Charles will be contributing to the celebration of Rotary's Centenary by delivering a number of presentations to a District convention's Bendigo. If you have never explored what Rotary is all about, give it a go! Even though Charles is not a member, he has given many speeches to its various Clubs over the past 12 years. Joining Rotary will expand your soul!
DOES LOYALTY PAY?""20 years ago, everybody who started working to retire after 25 years with a gold watch.Now, that's unusual." Realistic words from a Senior Vice-President of a Scandinavian temporary staffing. For those who did start work around 20 yearsago, 2008 and 2009 might have been those gold watchyears. Looking back they might wonder what was best,the loyalty of then, or the prospects--perhaps thelack of them--of today. Certainly younger workers seethings differently, and regard a change of jobs asroutine and an opportunity to retrain. They'll probably never know, or see, that golden watch ofloyalty.It's not the watch, but the loyalty it represents, that counts. To go through a working life without knowing loyalty is to have missed something; but doesloyalty pay? Only those who have experienced it are qualified to comment. Current theory suggests that today's arrangements benefit the employer and the employee, but time--and those who shared it--will be the final arbiter.Despite its current rejection, loyalty remains a value. Its lack of modern following does not diminishit; in many ways it elevates it, like a scarce resource, a diamond waiting to be discovered, it remains beyond the reach of all. When eventually rediscovered, the challenge will be to see its economic benefits. That will take time of course and, in today's time stressed world, might be difficult.The clock is still ticking and, one day, when digital watches also measure loyalty, society might be betterfor it.
QUOTES TO CONSIDER"We must have loyalty and character." Ralph WaldoEmerson (1803-1882), American writer, philosopher andpoet.Is loyalty on your "must have" list, or do you resistits character?"I'll take 50% efficiency to get 100% loyalty."Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974), American film producer.What percent do you measure, what percent do youtreasure?"Loyalty starts with the leader, not the follower: the employer is theleader, the employee is the follower. Inspire your followers by demonstrating your loyalty!"Charles B Kovess.To your ongoing development of your passionate performance..Charles Kovess Australia's Passion Provocateur ©Copyright- Charles B. Kovess & David J. Wood of Passionate Performance.Republication welcome provided authors are acknowledged & advised at above address. If you want to see Charles on video, or listen to audio, just go http://:www.kovess.com and follow the links.For a list of keynote speech topics that Charles would love to deliver in a passionate, entertaining, provocative, and educational way to your teams,clients, or prospects, at breakfast, lunch or dinner, see below.All 128 published Passion Points to Ponder are on our website. If you wish to review them, please visit the site. If you wish to receive a list of the128 titles of the Passion Points please let us know.
http://www.kovess.com
KEY NOTE SPEECH TOPICS1 PASSIONATE PERFORMANCE: YOUR KEYS TO MENTAL, PHYSICAL & SPIRITUALWELLBEING IN BUSINESS.2 THE POWER OF VISIONARY LEADERSHIP 3. THE 7 KEY STEPS TO CREATE OUTSTANDING TEAMS.4 HOW TO RETAIN THE BEST PEOPLE IN YOUR ORGANISATION.5 PASSION: THE KEY TO YOUR SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE 21STCENTURY.6 HIGH PERFORMANCE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN THE KNOWLEDGE AGE. 7 CHANGE: MAKE IT AN INSPIRATIONAL GAME! 8 A PASSION FOR LIFE, AND LIVING IT! 9 KEY PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.10 7 STRATEGIES THAT GUARANTEE LOYALTY FROM EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS.
best regards from Australia's Passion Provocateur (copyright) Charles Kovess LL.B.(Hons), LL.M., CSP*National PresidentNational Speakers' Association of Australia(*CSP means Certified Speaking Professional, the highest possible international qualification and accreditation for professional speakers.There are only 464 CSP's in the world, of whom only 52 are in Australasia.)
Sunday, February 20
Morality
This discussion was prompted following posts by Laura on Asceticism and Spiritual Good Material Bad. Laura joined in on the discussions and enhanced our understanding on some of the aspects included here in this posting. Thanks Laura. Click on the icon to visit her website or on the address below.
http://spiritualpaths.blogspot.com
Morality is influenced by environmental factors evolved over very lengthy periods.
On our earth some species do appear to be much more committed to a kind of basic morality (what we call humanity) than other groups (perhaps instinctive to a large degree) in caring and nurturing the members of their extended family often at a sacrifice to themselves. Humans and other species exhibit anger and aggression that lead to violence but it needn't have been be to that degree, if by chance a different evolutionary path had been taken. This is evidenced by the varying skeleton remains exhibiting past violence (or lack of it) within those respective communities.
William Calvin has an interesting website http://www.williamcalvin.com/index.html
Scientists are beginning to question just how close are we related to the higher order animals such as the great apes .Can we ascribe to them any moral values or responsibilities in a limited way. Or is it all instinctive or pre programmed in the genes of evolution. How much of their behavior is learned and adapted and to what extent do these developments enter into a state of “consciousness” where they are aware of themselves just like us. The tide of scientific thought is turning towards an acceptance (in a very limited way) that indeed some level of consciousness can be ascribed to these “higher order “animals. However for the vast majority of animal’s behavior their actions are overwhelmingly instinctive and hence the application of ”morals" is irrelevant.
It is in the more recently evolved area of the human brain, the frontal lobes that we separate from the animals. These frontal lobes are the most recent development in the brain and are the “Executive Function” allowing us to make complicated decisions drawing from available information stored in a number of different loactions.
As we learn more of the interaction of the brain. hopefully we will become a more compassionate society. In a study carried out of large sample of unpremeditated murderers continued in Elkhonon Goldberg’s Book “The Executive Brain" it was found in all cases the offenders had significant damage or poorly developed frontal brain lobes. The frontal lobes are the equivalent of the executive function of the brain. The offenders are able to distinguish easily between right and wrong and hence would be denied an insanity plea despite being incapable of making rational decisions in any pressurised situation. Click to visit his website.
http://www.thymos.com/mind/goldberg.html
Materialism
The conflict of materialism with spirituality is more a question of relativity and balance rather than a titanic struggle of opposing forces. Materialism is a basic need of our human condition and it is perfectly moral to enjoy and appreciate the finer things in life including material possessions. It is only when our principles have to be compromised by the excesses of an overly focused material outlook to the exclusion of anything else that a conflict arises. Early christen thought divided the body and spirit as if they were entirely separate entities of good (spirit (except for evil spirits) was next to godliness) and the body was often associated with weakness -exposed to the sins of the flesh. We now know the two are inextricably linked but we are left over with theses antiquated ideas suggesting the body and spirit are at war with one another.
Conclusion
A study of our past behavior will indicate varying times of morality or lack thereof over different periods in history. It is our responsibility to be ever vigilant to our principles but be willing to make changes when new knowledge leads to a better understanding of our moral responsibility. Morals are a moving feast, just like (and at times in harmony with) creation as it also continues to evolve.
It is interesting to look back in time at one of that grand philosophers of the Middle Ages namely St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Much of what he wrote then is still relevant to day and we can continue to learn from his ideas. He was the first to rationalise that through "human reason" we can know god and left us with an enormous legacy on every aspect of life. Notwithstanding this contribution to civilization, some aspects of his thought are entirely unacceptable to day given our benefit of expanded knowledge and understanding.
So our future is to continue contemplation and education seeking the truth as we find new pathways of understanding. This is the essence of our humanity. Click on the link for futher history.
http://spiritualpaths.blogspot.com
Morality is influenced by environmental factors evolved over very lengthy periods.
On our earth some species do appear to be much more committed to a kind of basic morality (what we call humanity) than other groups (perhaps instinctive to a large degree) in caring and nurturing the members of their extended family often at a sacrifice to themselves. Humans and other species exhibit anger and aggression that lead to violence but it needn't have been be to that degree, if by chance a different evolutionary path had been taken. This is evidenced by the varying skeleton remains exhibiting past violence (or lack of it) within those respective communities.
William Calvin has an interesting website http://www.williamcalvin.com/index.html
Scientists are beginning to question just how close are we related to the higher order animals such as the great apes .Can we ascribe to them any moral values or responsibilities in a limited way. Or is it all instinctive or pre programmed in the genes of evolution. How much of their behavior is learned and adapted and to what extent do these developments enter into a state of “consciousness” where they are aware of themselves just like us. The tide of scientific thought is turning towards an acceptance (in a very limited way) that indeed some level of consciousness can be ascribed to these “higher order “animals. However for the vast majority of animal’s behavior their actions are overwhelmingly instinctive and hence the application of ”morals" is irrelevant.
It is in the more recently evolved area of the human brain, the frontal lobes that we separate from the animals. These frontal lobes are the most recent development in the brain and are the “Executive Function” allowing us to make complicated decisions drawing from available information stored in a number of different loactions.
As we learn more of the interaction of the brain. hopefully we will become a more compassionate society. In a study carried out of large sample of unpremeditated murderers continued in Elkhonon Goldberg’s Book “The Executive Brain" it was found in all cases the offenders had significant damage or poorly developed frontal brain lobes. The frontal lobes are the equivalent of the executive function of the brain. The offenders are able to distinguish easily between right and wrong and hence would be denied an insanity plea despite being incapable of making rational decisions in any pressurised situation. Click to visit his website.
http://www.thymos.com/mind/goldberg.html
Materialism
The conflict of materialism with spirituality is more a question of relativity and balance rather than a titanic struggle of opposing forces. Materialism is a basic need of our human condition and it is perfectly moral to enjoy and appreciate the finer things in life including material possessions. It is only when our principles have to be compromised by the excesses of an overly focused material outlook to the exclusion of anything else that a conflict arises. Early christen thought divided the body and spirit as if they were entirely separate entities of good (spirit (except for evil spirits) was next to godliness) and the body was often associated with weakness -exposed to the sins of the flesh. We now know the two are inextricably linked but we are left over with theses antiquated ideas suggesting the body and spirit are at war with one another.
Conclusion
A study of our past behavior will indicate varying times of morality or lack thereof over different periods in history. It is our responsibility to be ever vigilant to our principles but be willing to make changes when new knowledge leads to a better understanding of our moral responsibility. Morals are a moving feast, just like (and at times in harmony with) creation as it also continues to evolve.
It is interesting to look back in time at one of that grand philosophers of the Middle Ages namely St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Much of what he wrote then is still relevant to day and we can continue to learn from his ideas. He was the first to rationalise that through "human reason" we can know god and left us with an enormous legacy on every aspect of life. Notwithstanding this contribution to civilization, some aspects of his thought are entirely unacceptable to day given our benefit of expanded knowledge and understanding.
So our future is to continue contemplation and education seeking the truth as we find new pathways of understanding. This is the essence of our humanity. Click on the link for futher history.
Malawi Support Group Happennings
Click here for the Malawi Support Group blogspot
The Malawi Support Group is an initiative of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Melbourne. The group provides spiritual and material support to its sister parish “St Kizito’s” in Malawi. The group’s focus is on raising much needed funds for carefully chosen projects that fulfil the needs of the sister parish community.
Sunday, February 13
Global Warming Warning
Award winning journalist Melissas Fyfe reported in the Age newspaper published in Melbourne on Saturday 12th February that Australia is especially at risk to global warming.
Following on from my previous posting on the NZ iceberg sightings I thought it may be of interest.
Melissa reports:
"Australian scientist Dough Thost spends months at a time on Heard Island, studying a river of ice called Brown glacier. It once wound down unil it met the sea, but has retreated more than a kilometer since 1947 and, at this rate will be gone in a few hundred years. Other glaciers are melting all over the island and an area of about 30 square kilomertres has been exposed in their wake."
The case for global warming and the inevitability of reaching a point of no -return even in the next 20 years (if not already ) is overwhelming. A temporary solution away from fossil fuels to nuclear energy my be the best short term solution. Despite the obvious dangers it may be our only salvation as natural energy equivalents will take too long to develop.
Let us know what you think.
Following on from my previous posting on the NZ iceberg sightings I thought it may be of interest.
Melissa reports:
"Australian scientist Dough Thost spends months at a time on Heard Island, studying a river of ice called Brown glacier. It once wound down unil it met the sea, but has retreated more than a kilometer since 1947 and, at this rate will be gone in a few hundred years. Other glaciers are melting all over the island and an area of about 30 square kilomertres has been exposed in their wake."
The case for global warming and the inevitability of reaching a point of no -return even in the next 20 years (if not already ) is overwhelming. A temporary solution away from fossil fuels to nuclear energy my be the best short term solution. Despite the obvious dangers it may be our only salvation as natural energy equivalents will take too long to develop.
Let us know what you think.
Tuesday, February 1
Hawking no longer believes we will discover a theory for everything.
click on the icon on the left hand side of the heading to visit his website.
It has been reported Hawking no longer believes in a discovery of an underlying theory providing anwers to all of our understanding. I thought it timely to review his book "The Universe in a Nutshell" which prompted his thoughts in this way of thinking.
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
Reality is revealed to us as stranger than fiction by Hawing who takes us on a roller coaster discovery of the latest developments in cosmological physics that we can (with some hard work) understand.
I hope my review generates both a passionate interest in reading the book and discussions on the latest theories from Hawking that help us better understand the universe in which we live. My understanding is in overview summary form for each chapter and I conclude with an explanation of some of the impact of these theories on religious and secular philosophy.
1-History of Relativity (E=mc)
A refresher of Einstein’s theory of relativity and later enlarged to include space-time warping when it was renamed the general theory of relativity. Warping in space-time has been observed during an eclipse when light from a passing star near the sun was deflected by the way the mass of the sun curves space-time.
To day the idea of a universal quality called time that all clocks can measure has been abandoned in favour of the concept of personal time. Extremely accurate clocks were placed in aircraft flying in opposite directions around the world and the experiment verified the fact less time was recorded in the aircraft clock traveling from west to east (assisted by the earths spin) than the clock that was in the plane flying in the opposite direction.
Hawking was the first person in the world to show how time would come to an end inside a singularity (popularly named a black hole that is a star with infinite density to which light cannot escape) both for the star and any astronaut who happened to fall in.
2 Shape of Time
What is time? You cannot say what it is, but you can find a good mathematical model for it and its predictions. Einstein showed time and space to be linked but what shape is it?
The benefit of hindsight if available would be keenly sought after but we can view the galaxies as they appeared almost at the beginning of time (at the time of the big bang singularity) as light has a finite speed. Looking back in time when matter was at a higher density over a period of roughly 15 billion years the universe can be imagined as looks something like an inverted is techical cone as light is warped by gravity and energy from its big bang singularity tip beginning.
The theory of general relativity ran into troubled waters following discoveries in the quantum area (very small particles) that indicated there was enough gravitational attraction in the universe to curl up space-time into a single point, which obviously hasn't happened. As the book progresses a lot of time is taken up with the possible solutions to this seemingly contradictory fact.
You may need to conjure -up all of your persuasive powers of imagination to understand Hawking's quantum theory to M-theory possible solutions as he unravels before us the secrets of the universe.
3 The Universe in a Nutshell
If we were able to view the entirety of the universe reduced in size to a nutshell what would it look like? Would it shaped like the earth and have no boundaries?
Here on earth at this point of time inflation seems to be coming under some control with only small increases evident for most countries but in the universe it would seem inflation is speeding up with expansion likely to keep on forever in all directions.
What are the histories of the Universe and will one day stars be no longer visible to the naked eye (assuming we do not blow ourselves up beforehand) as matter and energy are distributed less densely within its colder ever expanding state.
What happens to the previous history or knowledge contained within in a black hole when time ceases to exist? Is it somehow re-energies back into space like the sound waves of a gramophone that represent music to our ears.
4 Predicting the future
It would seem if we know the laws of science and the outcomes are verifiable by experiment then why should we not be able to one day predict the future.
Hawking reveals to us there are a number of obstacles and the first being the uncertainty principle where accurate measurement of the direction of extremely small particles is always at the expense of accurately knowing their velocity and vica versa. You cannot accurately measure both at the same time.
Improvements in predisposition were provided with the application of quantum mechanics but their still remained a high degree of uncertainty.
Another obstacle lies within the creation of black holes where time comes to an end and all knowledge is lost.
5 Protecting the Past
Chapter 1 indicates the effects of space-time warping that means (if we can find a wormhole to climb through to another space-time period) we should be able to go back and protect the past. There are some obstacles to overcome along the way such as being zapped by a bolt of radiation when crossing the time travel horizon but theoretically it seems possible. Hawking uses some of the work he undertook in discovering and defining singularities (back holes) to convince us this is true.
One example he gives is of light waves (within a finite horizon) trapped in area of space-time that keep coming back to the same point over and over again.
An interesting point to traveling back to the past is the question of whether we will be able to change it when we arrive. Perhaps we will one day also discover a cosmological constant that prevents us from killing our grandfather before he was born. In other words our free will is restricted to space time regions where time moves forward.
6-Our Future starters or not
If we continue to expand at our current rate of knots it may be necessary in the near future to spread out firstly to planets in the solar system and then to the nearby stars.
7-Brane New World
We have only added some fancy bells and whistles to Einstein general theory of relativity but in other areas our understanding has expanded at a prodigious rate.
We on the verge of discovering we live in a Brane New World comprising a 4 dimensional surface (or Brane) in a higher dimensional space-time.
Reality may outclass our wildest imagination as we grapple with such complicated concepts. Reality is definitely stranger than fiction.
8-Impact of the theories on secular and religious philosophy,
Einstein theory of relativity had unsettling effect in the community during the 1920's and 1930's with many people asking if it inferred that everything was relative. Were there no longer any absolute moral standards they asked.
His contribution has enabled a more enlightened view of the world and to polarise views between people who have faith or not but away from a fundamentalist or creationism view in the interpretation of religion.
Previously under the influence only of Newtonian theory it was strongly believed time existed independent of anything else. It was the equivalent of a single line or railway track that existed and would exist forever.
This worried German philosophers such as Kant who concluded if the universe had been created, why had there been an infinite wait before creation. Einstein theory showed there was a beginning to time with the big bang singularity but he was never happy with the conclusion as he was ensconced with the prevailing view at the time of the total independence of time to space and matter.
However with the work undertaken by Hawking he was able to show time did indeed have a beginning with the big bang and an end with the creation of a singularity or black hole. This neatly sidetracked Kant's concerns over time by showing time simply cannot exist before the advent of the big bang and is inextricably linked to space (resulting in warped space -time) rather than being independent.
Today his theory of is now completely accepted and its predictions have been verified by any number of applications. Time no longer exists before the big bang and ends with the forming of a singularity (black Hole).
Interestingly St Augustine, the 5th Century thinker, stated before God made heaven and earth, he did not make anything at all. In fact, this is very close to modern ideas. The Catholic priest Georges Lemaitre was the first to investigate the origin of the universe that we call the big bang. and named it the primeval atom.
Conclusion
The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all those who want to understand the universe in which we live.
Visit his website by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the heading.
It has been reported Hawking no longer believes in a discovery of an underlying theory providing anwers to all of our understanding. I thought it timely to review his book "The Universe in a Nutshell" which prompted his thoughts in this way of thinking.
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
Reality is revealed to us as stranger than fiction by Hawing who takes us on a roller coaster discovery of the latest developments in cosmological physics that we can (with some hard work) understand.
I hope my review generates both a passionate interest in reading the book and discussions on the latest theories from Hawking that help us better understand the universe in which we live. My understanding is in overview summary form for each chapter and I conclude with an explanation of some of the impact of these theories on religious and secular philosophy.
1-History of Relativity (E=mc)
A refresher of Einstein’s theory of relativity and later enlarged to include space-time warping when it was renamed the general theory of relativity. Warping in space-time has been observed during an eclipse when light from a passing star near the sun was deflected by the way the mass of the sun curves space-time.
To day the idea of a universal quality called time that all clocks can measure has been abandoned in favour of the concept of personal time. Extremely accurate clocks were placed in aircraft flying in opposite directions around the world and the experiment verified the fact less time was recorded in the aircraft clock traveling from west to east (assisted by the earths spin) than the clock that was in the plane flying in the opposite direction.
Hawking was the first person in the world to show how time would come to an end inside a singularity (popularly named a black hole that is a star with infinite density to which light cannot escape) both for the star and any astronaut who happened to fall in.
2 Shape of Time
What is time? You cannot say what it is, but you can find a good mathematical model for it and its predictions. Einstein showed time and space to be linked but what shape is it?
The benefit of hindsight if available would be keenly sought after but we can view the galaxies as they appeared almost at the beginning of time (at the time of the big bang singularity) as light has a finite speed. Looking back in time when matter was at a higher density over a period of roughly 15 billion years the universe can be imagined as looks something like an inverted is techical cone as light is warped by gravity and energy from its big bang singularity tip beginning.
The theory of general relativity ran into troubled waters following discoveries in the quantum area (very small particles) that indicated there was enough gravitational attraction in the universe to curl up space-time into a single point, which obviously hasn't happened. As the book progresses a lot of time is taken up with the possible solutions to this seemingly contradictory fact.
You may need to conjure -up all of your persuasive powers of imagination to understand Hawking's quantum theory to M-theory possible solutions as he unravels before us the secrets of the universe.
3 The Universe in a Nutshell
If we were able to view the entirety of the universe reduced in size to a nutshell what would it look like? Would it shaped like the earth and have no boundaries?
Here on earth at this point of time inflation seems to be coming under some control with only small increases evident for most countries but in the universe it would seem inflation is speeding up with expansion likely to keep on forever in all directions.
What are the histories of the Universe and will one day stars be no longer visible to the naked eye (assuming we do not blow ourselves up beforehand) as matter and energy are distributed less densely within its colder ever expanding state.
What happens to the previous history or knowledge contained within in a black hole when time ceases to exist? Is it somehow re-energies back into space like the sound waves of a gramophone that represent music to our ears.
4 Predicting the future
It would seem if we know the laws of science and the outcomes are verifiable by experiment then why should we not be able to one day predict the future.
Hawking reveals to us there are a number of obstacles and the first being the uncertainty principle where accurate measurement of the direction of extremely small particles is always at the expense of accurately knowing their velocity and vica versa. You cannot accurately measure both at the same time.
Improvements in predisposition were provided with the application of quantum mechanics but their still remained a high degree of uncertainty.
Another obstacle lies within the creation of black holes where time comes to an end and all knowledge is lost.
5 Protecting the Past
Chapter 1 indicates the effects of space-time warping that means (if we can find a wormhole to climb through to another space-time period) we should be able to go back and protect the past. There are some obstacles to overcome along the way such as being zapped by a bolt of radiation when crossing the time travel horizon but theoretically it seems possible. Hawking uses some of the work he undertook in discovering and defining singularities (back holes) to convince us this is true.
One example he gives is of light waves (within a finite horizon) trapped in area of space-time that keep coming back to the same point over and over again.
An interesting point to traveling back to the past is the question of whether we will be able to change it when we arrive. Perhaps we will one day also discover a cosmological constant that prevents us from killing our grandfather before he was born. In other words our free will is restricted to space time regions where time moves forward.
6-Our Future starters or not
If we continue to expand at our current rate of knots it may be necessary in the near future to spread out firstly to planets in the solar system and then to the nearby stars.
7-Brane New World
We have only added some fancy bells and whistles to Einstein general theory of relativity but in other areas our understanding has expanded at a prodigious rate.
We on the verge of discovering we live in a Brane New World comprising a 4 dimensional surface (or Brane) in a higher dimensional space-time.
Reality may outclass our wildest imagination as we grapple with such complicated concepts. Reality is definitely stranger than fiction.
8-Impact of the theories on secular and religious philosophy,
Einstein theory of relativity had unsettling effect in the community during the 1920's and 1930's with many people asking if it inferred that everything was relative. Were there no longer any absolute moral standards they asked.
His contribution has enabled a more enlightened view of the world and to polarise views between people who have faith or not but away from a fundamentalist or creationism view in the interpretation of religion.
Previously under the influence only of Newtonian theory it was strongly believed time existed independent of anything else. It was the equivalent of a single line or railway track that existed and would exist forever.
This worried German philosophers such as Kant who concluded if the universe had been created, why had there been an infinite wait before creation. Einstein theory showed there was a beginning to time with the big bang singularity but he was never happy with the conclusion as he was ensconced with the prevailing view at the time of the total independence of time to space and matter.
However with the work undertaken by Hawking he was able to show time did indeed have a beginning with the big bang and an end with the creation of a singularity or black hole. This neatly sidetracked Kant's concerns over time by showing time simply cannot exist before the advent of the big bang and is inextricably linked to space (resulting in warped space -time) rather than being independent.
Today his theory of is now completely accepted and its predictions have been verified by any number of applications. Time no longer exists before the big bang and ends with the forming of a singularity (black Hole).
Interestingly St Augustine, the 5th Century thinker, stated before God made heaven and earth, he did not make anything at all. In fact, this is very close to modern ideas. The Catholic priest Georges Lemaitre was the first to investigate the origin of the universe that we call the big bang. and named it the primeval atom.
Conclusion
The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all those who want to understand the universe in which we live.
Visit his website by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the heading.
Tuesday, January 11
Human Embryo Alert
click on the icon to visit an intersting website on public ethics.
Adult stem cells research rather than human embryos.
The issues of stem cells and embryonic cloning remain a confusing aspect for many of us including our parliamentary leaders.
Stem cells are cells, which can become any tissue. They can become liver, nerve, skin and eye or anything else. They are seen as tools of the future to cure the difficult diseases. Sickness like MS, Parkinsonism, or heart and liver disease are seen to be possibly curable with stem cells which are found in embryonic tissue, cord blood and virtually every tissue investigated. An example is bone marrow transplants where the stem cells present in the marrow recolonise to cure leukemia. The debate today is about which tissue to use as a source of stem cells.
Embryonic cells
Embryonic cells are prepared from embryos left over from a IVF program (currently 70,000 are frozen in storage in Australia alone) favoured by some scientists to be used for research into methods to enable these to grow into the desired tissues. It seems our politicians may have become mesmerised by the proposition of a mass market for stem cell products using embryonic cells, without understanding the alternatives and the ethical questions arising from this type of research. Are we using the left over embryos because there is no other use for them? There is very little known about their properties and research will take at least 5 or even 10 years to yield useable results. It is known however that embryo stem cells in their current state can cause cancerous growths and our immune system will reject them. Research will take us down a dangerous path, which will almost certainly, ultimately lead towards human cloning.
Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells come from any other tissue, and also have the property of becoming almost any other tissue under the right conditions. They are the basis of all natural healing processes.
Bone marrow transplants have already been mentioned, but there are reports of eye repair, heart damage repair and many animal instances of repair processes, which can easily be translated into human results reasonably soon. Adult stem cells have already produced promising results without cancer growths or rejection from our immune systems.
Our Choice
Embryonic cell stem research represents a highly theoretical exciting but dangerous research effort for the few in comparison to a developing ethically sound promising source of cures arising from the use of adult stem cells. What are we choosing, the dangerous pathway, which uses human embryos for experimentation or the morally right path using adult stem cells.
click on the icon on the left hand side of the heading to visit and view an interesting website on public ethics.
Adult stem cells research rather than human embryos.
The issues of stem cells and embryonic cloning remain a confusing aspect for many of us including our parliamentary leaders.
Stem cells are cells, which can become any tissue. They can become liver, nerve, skin and eye or anything else. They are seen as tools of the future to cure the difficult diseases. Sickness like MS, Parkinsonism, or heart and liver disease are seen to be possibly curable with stem cells which are found in embryonic tissue, cord blood and virtually every tissue investigated. An example is bone marrow transplants where the stem cells present in the marrow recolonise to cure leukemia. The debate today is about which tissue to use as a source of stem cells.
Embryonic cells
Embryonic cells are prepared from embryos left over from a IVF program (currently 70,000 are frozen in storage in Australia alone) favoured by some scientists to be used for research into methods to enable these to grow into the desired tissues. It seems our politicians may have become mesmerised by the proposition of a mass market for stem cell products using embryonic cells, without understanding the alternatives and the ethical questions arising from this type of research. Are we using the left over embryos because there is no other use for them? There is very little known about their properties and research will take at least 5 or even 10 years to yield useable results. It is known however that embryo stem cells in their current state can cause cancerous growths and our immune system will reject them. Research will take us down a dangerous path, which will almost certainly, ultimately lead towards human cloning.
Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells come from any other tissue, and also have the property of becoming almost any other tissue under the right conditions. They are the basis of all natural healing processes.
Bone marrow transplants have already been mentioned, but there are reports of eye repair, heart damage repair and many animal instances of repair processes, which can easily be translated into human results reasonably soon. Adult stem cells have already produced promising results without cancer growths or rejection from our immune systems.
Our Choice
Embryonic cell stem research represents a highly theoretical exciting but dangerous research effort for the few in comparison to a developing ethically sound promising source of cures arising from the use of adult stem cells. What are we choosing, the dangerous pathway, which uses human embryos for experimentation or the morally right path using adult stem cells.
click on the icon on the left hand side of the heading to visit and view an interesting website on public ethics.
Saturday, January 8
Friday, January 7
Emotional Inteligence
Todays buzzword is emotional inteligence but Dr Cynthia Davis has really got to the heart of the matter in her latest mindwise bulletin. Scientifically it has been shown the heart is the largest source of bio electricity found in the body and 40/60 times the electricity found in the brain.
What is even less well known is the heart sends messages back to the brain providing a 2 way communication effecting perception, reaction speeds and decision making ability.
Below is her latest bulletin
Dear Colleague
It has been some time since my last correspondence but I'm told I have been forgiven because in recent months the following has occurred: I have married; have gained 4 step-children; moved house; had a family re-union and filmed a pilot program for a television program. I am told I should be stressed and I probably am!
The following is some research on ‘emotion’ which I reconsidered in recent months as I experienced a multiplicity of emotions. You may find it relevant to your own life.
First, can we measure emotion and its effect on the body?
In Positive Health, January 1997 Issue, Dr Alan Watkins talks about ways of harnessing the electrical energy generated by the heart. He says, “This may sound unusual, but the energy generated by the heart is the largest source of bio-electricity found in the body and 40 to 60 times greater than the electricity produced by the brain. The energy produced by the power station of the heart reaches every cell in the body and can be measured up to 18 inches away from the body with sophisticated modern electronic instruments called magnetometers. Our light really does shine and it can be measured scientifically!”
Dr Watkins describes the heart rhythm associated with two feelings, frustration and appreciation, and shows two graphs; one where the rhythm is jagged and chaotic and the other smooth and undulating. The quality of the energy produced by the heart of an athlete at peak performance looks very similar to the quality of energy of a person who is experiencing sincere appreciation. He uses a process called ‘Freeze-Frame’ to help people clean up the energy output from their heart.
So, how much frustration or appreciation do you experience in life? Are you seeking confidence or trying to break some obsessive behaviour like overworking or smoking, or perhaps you are in a loveless relationship?
All of these can be affecting your health. Dr Watkins goes on to say, “It is well known that the brain sends messages via the autonomic nervous system and hormonal and immune systems. What is not well known is that the heart sends messages back to the brain, providing a two-way communication system that directly affects perception, reaction speeds and decision making ability.” No wonder that a bullying or sarcastic boss or teacher can so quickly take us to that feeling of being paralysed by fear.
But does a negative emotional experience have a lasting effect?
Candace Pert, in her ground breaking book "The Molecules of Emotion", has made the connection between molecules, chemistry and emotion. Her search started as a graduate student looking for receptor sites, the little keyholes where drugs like morphine, heroin and opium fit. The sites were hypothetical until she found them and initiated an explosive search for the brain’s own morphine. The University of Aberdeen found the clue, a peptide which is a relatively simple chemical. This was the beginning of the peptide revolution, because endorphins (endogenous morphines) are found not just in the brain but throughout the entire body, in the immune system, the digestive system and others.
In an interview with the journal of the Scientific and Medical Network last December, Candace said, “I was interested in studying the brain because I thought that’s where the mind and consciousness was located." So, if our body is our subconscious mind, then do the emotions that we experienced in the past stay in the body and affect our behaviour and our health? You answer the question!
But what of those in the world who do not make the connection between emotional health and physical health. We work in commerce helping people to become leaders, and elsewhere, helping professionals and performers to excel. Many of them have been looking outside themselves for techniques to improve performance. We call this ‘Performance Excellence’. The problem with this is that they can learn to perform excellently as measured by material success, but can cover over insecurities, inner conflict and suppressed emotions, and in this case, perform means to ‘act’ or ‘pretend’.
You may know someone like this in your life.
In a recent edition of the Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman explored ‘What Makes a Leader’ and based his article on studies of ‘Emotional Intelligence’ in 188 global companies, including British Airways. These show that for those who rise fast to senior positions in the business, qualities such as empathy, self-awareness, motivation and social skills are 90% more important than hard analytical skills such as financial management or marketing. He goes on to describe people without emotional intelligence who need coaching, constant feedback and guidance in order to access or make habitual the soft skills that lead to feeling empathy or love for others.
So, while my Emotional Intelligence skills have been sorely tested in recent months, I hope yours are intact!
Dr Cynthia DavisB.Ed, Grad. Dip. App. Psych., M.Sc., Dip. Clin. Hyp., M.A.Ps.S., F.C.C.Ps., Ph.D.
Clinical and Corporate PsychologistAccredited Professional Speaker (APS)
Email: e-mailto:cyndav@ozemail.com.au
What is even less well known is the heart sends messages back to the brain providing a 2 way communication effecting perception, reaction speeds and decision making ability.
Below is her latest bulletin
Dear Colleague
It has been some time since my last correspondence but I'm told I have been forgiven because in recent months the following has occurred: I have married; have gained 4 step-children; moved house; had a family re-union and filmed a pilot program for a television program. I am told I should be stressed and I probably am!
The following is some research on ‘emotion’ which I reconsidered in recent months as I experienced a multiplicity of emotions. You may find it relevant to your own life.
First, can we measure emotion and its effect on the body?
In Positive Health, January 1997 Issue, Dr Alan Watkins talks about ways of harnessing the electrical energy generated by the heart. He says, “This may sound unusual, but the energy generated by the heart is the largest source of bio-electricity found in the body and 40 to 60 times greater than the electricity produced by the brain. The energy produced by the power station of the heart reaches every cell in the body and can be measured up to 18 inches away from the body with sophisticated modern electronic instruments called magnetometers. Our light really does shine and it can be measured scientifically!”
Dr Watkins describes the heart rhythm associated with two feelings, frustration and appreciation, and shows two graphs; one where the rhythm is jagged and chaotic and the other smooth and undulating. The quality of the energy produced by the heart of an athlete at peak performance looks very similar to the quality of energy of a person who is experiencing sincere appreciation. He uses a process called ‘Freeze-Frame’ to help people clean up the energy output from their heart.
So, how much frustration or appreciation do you experience in life? Are you seeking confidence or trying to break some obsessive behaviour like overworking or smoking, or perhaps you are in a loveless relationship?
All of these can be affecting your health. Dr Watkins goes on to say, “It is well known that the brain sends messages via the autonomic nervous system and hormonal and immune systems. What is not well known is that the heart sends messages back to the brain, providing a two-way communication system that directly affects perception, reaction speeds and decision making ability.” No wonder that a bullying or sarcastic boss or teacher can so quickly take us to that feeling of being paralysed by fear.
But does a negative emotional experience have a lasting effect?
Candace Pert, in her ground breaking book "The Molecules of Emotion", has made the connection between molecules, chemistry and emotion. Her search started as a graduate student looking for receptor sites, the little keyholes where drugs like morphine, heroin and opium fit. The sites were hypothetical until she found them and initiated an explosive search for the brain’s own morphine. The University of Aberdeen found the clue, a peptide which is a relatively simple chemical. This was the beginning of the peptide revolution, because endorphins (endogenous morphines) are found not just in the brain but throughout the entire body, in the immune system, the digestive system and others.
In an interview with the journal of the Scientific and Medical Network last December, Candace said, “I was interested in studying the brain because I thought that’s where the mind and consciousness was located." So, if our body is our subconscious mind, then do the emotions that we experienced in the past stay in the body and affect our behaviour and our health? You answer the question!
But what of those in the world who do not make the connection between emotional health and physical health. We work in commerce helping people to become leaders, and elsewhere, helping professionals and performers to excel. Many of them have been looking outside themselves for techniques to improve performance. We call this ‘Performance Excellence’. The problem with this is that they can learn to perform excellently as measured by material success, but can cover over insecurities, inner conflict and suppressed emotions, and in this case, perform means to ‘act’ or ‘pretend’.
You may know someone like this in your life.
In a recent edition of the Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman explored ‘What Makes a Leader’ and based his article on studies of ‘Emotional Intelligence’ in 188 global companies, including British Airways. These show that for those who rise fast to senior positions in the business, qualities such as empathy, self-awareness, motivation and social skills are 90% more important than hard analytical skills such as financial management or marketing. He goes on to describe people without emotional intelligence who need coaching, constant feedback and guidance in order to access or make habitual the soft skills that lead to feeling empathy or love for others.
So, while my Emotional Intelligence skills have been sorely tested in recent months, I hope yours are intact!
Dr Cynthia DavisB.Ed, Grad. Dip. App. Psych., M.Sc., Dip. Clin. Hyp., M.A.Ps.S., F.C.C.Ps., Ph.D.
Clinical and Corporate PsychologistAccredited Professional Speaker (APS)
Email: e-mailto:cyndav@ozemail.com.au
Thursday, January 6
New Zealand Ice Bergs
As the debate rages over the interpretation of the available data predicting the likely dire consequences of global warming (perhaps to a point of no retrn in the next 30/ 40years) the insurance industry has been making its own interpretations. The analysis showing increases in large claim natural loss disasters shows a remarkable degree of correlation with the increased temperatures over the past several decades. Its sending shivers down the spine of a the actuarial calculators.
For evidence of global warming down under in Australia and NZ Look no further to recent reports of icebergs spotted off NZ for the first time since 1948.
It was reported in Fairfax NZ that the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said the cluster of icebergs had been seen on the Southern Ocean east of Campbell Island. 700 Km southeast of the South Island . NAWB scientist Dr Lionel Carter had said 15 icebergs , some up to 3K wide were recorded in a single sighting before Christmas .
Although it may be too soon to blame this flotilla of ice on global warming the co incidence of large collapse of the Antarctic Ice shelves with rapidly changing climate could not be dismissed, and it seems we are ultimately tied to Antarctica.
For evidence of global warming down under in Australia and NZ Look no further to recent reports of icebergs spotted off NZ for the first time since 1948.
It was reported in Fairfax NZ that the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said the cluster of icebergs had been seen on the Southern Ocean east of Campbell Island. 700 Km southeast of the South Island . NAWB scientist Dr Lionel Carter had said 15 icebergs , some up to 3K wide were recorded in a single sighting before Christmas .
Although it may be too soon to blame this flotilla of ice on global warming the co incidence of large collapse of the Antarctic Ice shelves with rapidly changing climate could not be dismissed, and it seems we are ultimately tied to Antarctica.
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