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From John Hays – The Immortal Wilderness (1987)

“We put the whole animal kingdom down as being lower than ourselves, but their travels are flexible and they have minds which work according to rhythmic consistencies and recurrences of the earth. That’s about as deep as you can get.”

PRINCIPLE OF SUBOPTIMIZATION

The well-being of an element is dependent on the well-being of the system of which it is a part. It is sometimes necessary for an element to limit its goals and actions in order to preserve the well-being of the system. In acting to achieve its goals one element may come to constrain the actions of another element to the point of serious injury to the other element.

World Birth Rate 2000-2005: 22-20.15 births/1,000 population
World Death Rate 2000-2005: 9-8.78 deaths/1,000 population
World Population: 2000-2005: 6,080,671,275 – 6,446,131,400
Land on the Earth – 148,940,000 sq km
Acre of land on earth/person – 5.68

Round that up and you get 5.7 acres and growing per person on this planet. Now consider all of the other living stuff that is crowded in around us.

Gravity has played a huge role in human and all natural evolution. This I believe is the cause for the symmetry that exists, the balancing necessary for our bodies and all other natural things to function properly on earth. So would it not make sense then, that everything that humans create or select through preference – also has a sense of symmetry – since that is what is all around us? We have all seen the studies that have been done on the “attractiveness” of a more symmetrical face to a less. It is what our brain inherently tells us is the correct way for things to be. So, if everything on this planet is more or less symmetrical, or balanced due to the affects of gravity, then this leads me back to the human need for 2 predominant types of everything. We seem to have the tendancy to view things as two opposing, two symmetrical, two sided, two choices, when thinking about the world around us.

So, if this is “duality” is our natural tendancy, than here is a societal example of where we have gone wrong.

One president: although we have two predominant political parties, why is it that we only have one actual president? Why not two co-presidents, one from each party, so there is a balance? Oh, then nothing would ever get accomplished the naysayers would say. There would be no agreement between the two presidents, and their ideas would cancel one anothers out. This is just the kind of argument that leads me back to stating that human beings have the natural tendancy to view things as having only two sides. Black or white, right or wrong, true or false. These are the overlying parameters that we live by and we attempt to set up laws and morailty based on this, when we all know that there is much more subtlety to life than this. Is it just too hard to take better advantage of the “grayness” that exists?

I am sure someone has already pondered this and it may be just ridiculously obvious to everyone but me, but I have just come across the thought that everything that is affected by human preference is subjugated to having only 2 predominant types. My evolution to 2 theory is: everything that is affected by human preference over time evolves into two predominant types.

Here are some examples of our physical evolution:
Type of chromosomes: x and y or
Type of sex: male and female
Sides of our brain: left and right
Number of eyes, ears, nostrils, lungs, kidneys, legs, arms, hands, feet, the list goes on and on: 2

Here are some examples of human preference:
Most popular pet: dog and cat
Most popular political party in us: democrat and republican
Most popular religion in the world: christianity and islam
Most popular soft drink: coke and pepsi
Most popular type of meat: beef and chicken
Most popular seasoning: salt and pepper
Most popular condiment: ketchup and mustard
Most popular cell phone company: cingular and verizon
Most populated country: china and india
Computer types: pc and mac
Sides of a coin: heads and tails
Responses: yes and no, true and false
Morality: right and wrong, good and bad, yin and yang, guilty and innocent
Directional: up and down, left and right, front and back

So some of my questions on this topic are:
Is this just a load of bs?
What other examples can be thought of that support this theory?
What about things that have evolved to just one? Are there any? Why? How?
Where does “nothing” fit into this theory?
What about things that have two main types, but a third is close at its heels – like religion and our american political parties?
Does the evolving of two types create a third type? Or one type?
Is there a way to predict the outcome of the struggle to become one of the main two or the ultimate one of things?
What are the impacts of this theory on the advertising industry? auto industry? all industries?
How does the validity of this theory impact our perception of the world around us?
Is god the ultimate one that we as humans are striving for?
Is having children the ultimate one that we as humans are striving for?
Are there only two predominant types, simply because there will always be a second-most popular competing with a most popular to be the most popular?
Is this the meaning of human life? If I correlate meaning to mean ultimate goal?
Is this symmetry all just due to gravity?

If you have not already – check out the pictures on Dean’s site of the fence lizard and the roadrunner. It absolutely amazes me that both look just like the live oak trees that is part of their habitat. Both predator and prey have evolved the most perfect camoflauge to both stalk and hide in the oak trees. I just love it.

Empathy is one’s ability to recognize and understand the emotion of another. As the states of mind, beliefs, and desires of others are intertwined with their emotions, one with empathy for another may often be able to more effectively divine another’s modes of thought and mood. Empathy is often characterized as the ability to “put oneself into another’s shoes”, or experiencing the outlook or emotions of another being within oneself, a sort of emotional resonance.

Empathy is a characteristic that is believed to be uniquely human

Therefore all humans must have empathy

Bush has no empathy

Therefore Bush is not human

If empathy existed in the people that are in our current government, I suspect that we would be living in a very different world. I ask Bush this question, if another country invaded the US, or tried to push the US around – would we not defend ourselves? Why is it then that we are surprised and outraged when another country that is stomped upon by the US reacts in just this way? Why is it that our current administration seems to lack this fundamental human characteristic of empathy? Because – I say – they are aliens.

We should be spending our R&D resources on developing the special “alien-detecting” sunglasses as portrayed in the movie THEY LIVE. Then maybe more people would be able to see through the bullshit.

Here is this weekends creation

In viewing Mike Wallace’s interview with Ahmadinejad this evening, I am appalled at the righteous tone and cranky handling of the leader of another country by Mike Wallace. Wallace comes off as if nothing that the president of Iran has to say is valid. If this is the case, why interview him in the first place. Wallace’s derision of Ahmadinejad is disrespectful and typifies the lack of willingness to understand other peoples that President Bush and many Americans seem to have.

I am very disappointed that all I have come away with from this exchange, is that yet again Americans look like a bunch of puffed up buffoons to other countries. We like to think that we are morally superior, yet in this example, Wallace falls very short and only looks like a foolish, cranky old man that is badly in need of a nap.

This was a hugely wasted opportunity by CBS, 60 Minutes and Mike Wallace in getting some valid and pertinent information to the US viewers. Thanks for the crappy and sensational reporting – I will happily go back to only listening to NPR for real journalistic reporting.

Lost viewer in Austin, TX – Carrie

Here he is – complete with background and border. Took 6 days from initial idea to completion – not bad. And…he has the impression at least of feet. On to the next design!

This is my late-Sat into Sunday creation – an adaptation of a photo of a Western Tanager (many thanks to Mom Wolf for the Birds and Blooms subscription – it has been inspiring). I have been wanting to design and create photo-realistic needlepoint for some time, and this weekend I finally broke through the creative barrier. I am calling this the free-stitch method, as the only patterning I used was an outline on my canvas while looking at the picture to stitch the color. I am really excited as this opens up immense possibilties – especially coupled with Dean’s incredible photography. Do not be surprised if you see some bug needlepoint in the near future. I did not stitch any legs or feet – I read somewhere that in the wildlife art world, the hardest part of a bird to paint are the legs and feet. I get it. The next step is to fill the background with a gorgeous green to really make him pop. More pics when I get that stitched in. Success at last!!!

This is an awesome meal during these incredibly hot months, eating it actually makes you feel cooler. This recipe is an adaptation of the chicken salad that my grandma made for my mom and I the last time I was up in Duluth, MN.

1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (green, red, orange – one or all three for more color)
2 cups seedless purple grapes – halved
3 chicken breast halves – baked (20 min @350 degrees) – cubed
4 cups (dry) organic Fusilli – or any kind of pasta you prefer – cooked of course
1 cup mayo
Garlic salt, onion salt or dried shallots and pepper to taste

Mix together in a large bowl – refrigerate and enjoy!

I realized that my brain is smarter than I am. It knows more about me than I know about it. I am not sure what that means – but I am sure it means something and that my brain already knows what.