Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Friday, September 20, 2013

"The Hygiene Hypothesis", We should all be like 'Pigpen'

"Just look at you; you've been outside only ten minutes
 and your clothes are a mess." 
So what are the historical foundations of good health and vitality before humans came along and created those major imbalances to the Natural World which have given us far more disease and illness than previously ? Seriously, we are now at that promised future time in history in the age of enlightenment where most of these past plagues of mankind are not only still with us, but in many cases have morphed into things often times more serious than previously experienced in the past. Historically where severe sickness plagued certain civilizations at one time or another, it was the result of unsanitary living conditions brought on by people moving to city centers where people practically lived on top of one another and proper hygiene wasn't exactly even an expression word or term used or even known back then. But traditionally, people in more rural settings were not necessarily plagued the same way if at all by the conditions experienced in the cities. Of course there will always be exceptions. Talking to African friends, they have said that some of the common allergy problems that exist in Industrial Lands are not present there in Africa. Why ? A lot has to do with them living a more outdoors lifestyle.   

"Peanuts Wiki"
Incredibly, getting ourselves outdoors and doing things like gardening and getting a little dirt and grit under our fingernails is actually a good thing. We are biologically a part of the Natural World with all of it's micobiological critters like bacteria and viruses the majority of which are friendly and good for us. Some like our own gut bacteria we have a symbiotic relationship with. Without them we'd starve without their ability to process what we enjoy eating. Plants have the same type of digestion symbiosis, but more of an external as opposed to our internal. Hence the often used term 'primitive' in describing such an amazing group of living organisms is really unfair. They are truly complex and in many ways a part of us. If we could illustrate through some type of an intense magnification and illumination device, we'd probably all look like the famous 'Peanuts' character "Pigpen" with that ever present cloud hovering around our bodies everywhere we went. Too bad the peanuts-wiki had this to say about that well known character.
"Charles M. Schulz admitted that he came to regret "Pig-Pen's" popularity, given the character's essentially one-joke nature; he utilized the character very rarely in the later years of the strip's run."
So everyone loved 'Pig-Pen' (actually me too). I think it is because I could identify with him, and his little cloud of swirling dust. I was always outdoors as a kid. Remember the little boy saying - "sticks and snails and puppy dog tails" ? Yeah, me, and proud of it! *smile* Children today for the most part in the Industrial Societies with all manner of electronic gadgetry, are sadly foreigners when it comes to Nature and the outdoors in general. That's why the phrase has been coined "Nature Deficit Disorder". They have been brought up in an Anti-Bacterial world advertised and sold to us by Industrial Science over many generations. Of course it was all for our own good and who would dare question the authority of the then known Science back then. How often did kids back in the 50s and 60s hear their mother say the above quote at the top of this page where the little boy got his brand new clean clothes soiled ? Funny, sometimes it's still like that today. Old traditional genomically imprinted paradigms given birth to decades ago are hard to cast off. 

But this is where researchers in recent years have come up with something called, "The Hygiene Hypothesis". Here are some quotes from the Wiki article on the subject:
" . . a lack of early childhood exposure to infectious agents, symbiotic microorganisms (e.g., gut flora or probiotics), and parasites increases susceptibility to allergic diseases by modulating immune system development." (source)
 Or in other words, we in the industrial lands have sanitized ourselves sick or to death. It is well known that the incidence of allergies in children has risen since we have become overly preoccupied with sanitation of our world around us. The education from the past was that all those little creepy germs were bad for us. Then another  Hygiene Hypothesis article has this to say:
"Viewed through the lens of the hygiene hypothesis the modern obsession or preoccupation with sterility, equating it with cleanliness and goodness, is revealed for what it is. An unhealthy cultural artifact that arose as a consequence of the more immediate and apparent benefits from adopting modern sanitary practices and technologies. Eliminating typhoid and cholera has saved millions of lives in the aggregate since sewers and clean drinking water was introduced in North American and Western Europe for instance. But in so doing we caused the rise of the modern diseases involving immune dysregulation."  (source)
image: John Kelly
Recently there was an article on the research work done around the Chicago Metro area where it was found that water from storms drains which also feed off industrial sewage overflows, can be contaminated with all manner of pharmaceuticals like, Triclosan, which is a synthetic antibacterial widely used in personal home care products. Unfortunately, it appears to be fueling the development of resistant bacteria in streams and rivers. So the journal Environmental Science and Technology, attempted to document Triclosan resistance out in the natural environment. They have found this antibacterial resistance out in the wild, but created an experiment with an artificial stream to prove how it happens.

image: John Kelly
Article's Abstract: 
Antibacterial Products Fuel Resistant Bacteria in Streams And Rivers
Triclosan (TCS) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound that is incorporated into numerous consumer products. TCS has been detected in aquatic ecosystems across the U.S., raising concern about its potential ecological effects. We conducted a field survey and an artificial stream experiment to assess effects of TCS on benthic bacterial communities. Field sampling indicated that TCS concentrations in stream sediments increased with degree of urbanization. There was significant correlation between sediment TCS concentration and the proportion of cultivable benthic bacteria that were resistant to TCS, demonstrating that the levels of TCS present in these streams was affecting the native communities. An artificial stream experiment confirmed that TCS exposure could trigger increases in TCS resistance within cultivable benthic bacteria, and pyrosequencing analysis indicated that TCS resulted in decreased benthic bacterial diversity and shifts in bacterial community composition. One notable change was a 6-fold increase in the relative abundance of cyanobacterial sequences and a dramatic die-off of algae within the artificial streams. Selection of cyanobacteria over algae could have significant implications for higher trophic levels within streams. Finally, there were no observed effects of TCS on bacterial abundance or respiration rates, suggesting that bacterial density and function were highly resilient to TCS exposure. 
Incredible! This triggered my finishing this post which I had already thought about and started, but just left it sit around for some months. For all the knowledge that the enlightened gang on this planet have at their finger tips, why do we still have and live in this artificial world we have now ? Mostly it has to do with Corporate P&L Statements. That's Profit and Loss bottom-lines. Acquiring the Big Coin is a strong motivational driver. Yet, the resulting consequences which have resulted in allowing them control the foods industry  defies all logic. But remember that newer modern day version of the "Golden Rule" ? "The one with the Gold makes the Rules".

Daniela Maschek, Institute for Wood Biology
and Wood Products, Göttingen, Germany
That's really what defines our world, among other imperfections and flaws. There was also recently another great article about the microbial world in the American Journal of Botany Rhizosphere Interactions Special Section. This is an incredible world mostly unknown and overlooked by most humans. Yet it is a foundation for all other biological life. Without them, all much larger physical life would cease to function. Wonder what we'd find it we took a closer look at Nature's P&L Statement ? With Nature however, this is known as Nature's own checks and balances. It's a system where everyone and everything benefits for FREE. As the article noted in the beginning: "We often ignore what we cannot see, and yet organisms below the soil's surface play a vital role in plant functions and ecosystem well-being." But most people don't actually know this. They are never taught this in schools early on and they should. Not that this is a secret, it's not. But people have been so thoroughly trained by every manner of television, radio and/or journal advertising scheme that the Industrial Brand Name Corporate Science has now made gardening and landscaping easier, cleaner  and more convenient for you. Actually, that is a lie. It is not more convenient, time saving and cheaper and the horrible end results over decades which has created our planet's health condition as a whole now puts it in serious jeopardy. The once perfect planetary hygiene has been seriously compromised by those who have persuaded the Public that they know more than Nature does. That's why we have countless chemicals. That's why we have GMOs, because Nature evidently got it wrong and who would know better how to create and design better biological systems than a human scientist bought and paid for by the Industry in charge of change ? 

Image: Mycorrhizal Applications Inc.
Fortunately, not everybody believes in the industrial type of science. There are companies like "Mycorrhizal Applications Inc" who not only has developed microbial products for the garden and urban landscape use sector, but also is developing products to be used on large scale Agricultural situations which is an area in which the Industrial Chemical giants have traditionally avoided. As you can see in the above photo, such biomimicry of what nature actually does and making practical application of those components, also works on a large scale application with regards large scale Agriculture needs. Unfortunately, recent grant research funds have been awarded for to various groups in the research and development of genetically modifying mycorrhizae and bacteria for root colonization. This is not only is totally unnecessary, but also hints at more of the same product patenting business schemes which were the original driver behind most of the Bio-techs agendas today. Feeding the world was always nothing more than an advertising tool. It really never was about charity and caring for fellow man. It was always a business commodities trades decision for those that profit from  the massive monocropping on industrial levels. 

Photo: Chaparral Institute
Then there are also not-for-profit organizations like the California Chaparral Institute that are determined that people be educated about how nature actually works and correcting many of the ideologically driven misconceptions and traditional believes about Nature by individuals or corporations with a vested interest in development of wildland areas. There is also an ongoing educational program by the Institute's director, Richard Halsey and his staff in reaching out to younger generations and providing an accurate education and instilling a deeper appreciation for the chaparral ecosystem early on in life. Helping all types of people understand how these wild ecosystems really work and operate and how we can restore such damaged wildlife habitats by replication of what has been observed and learned in the field. This is actually a growing interest in a research called biomimicry or biomemetics. 

So where did this obsession with microbes as evil originate ? Mostly  from Louis Pasteur we got Germ Theory and all those microscopic organisms were all lumped together as evil pathogens that had to be eradicated. Much of Pasteur's life was dedicated to finding substances that would kill the infecting organisms. Not that a certain element of pasteurization has been beneficial, but things have gone fanatically way overboard. What an open door for abuse by industrial giants this has led to. Why, new business markets had now suddenly been discovered. The medical industry suddenly became obsessed with killing the infective organism rather than promoting defense against infection. Let's be honest here, it makes for better business sense by those with a vested interesting in keeping their livelihood intact. Servicing the symptoms as opposed to preventative medicine has always made better business sense. 

Louis Pasteur's nemesis, Claude Bernard had an entirely different take. He believed one's own internal terrain as he called it or the immune system was more important. So bizarre were some of his experiments that they created quite a controversy in the Germ Theory adherents. He and his research associates consumed cultures containing millions of cholera bacteria. Yet none of them developed cholera. The reason ? Their immune systems were not compromised. Still, while fascinating, I don't think I'd even go that far. But he made the point, building up the immune system is important and it starts early on in life. That's where the Hygiene Hypothesis kicks in. Allowing kids to be exposed early on to normal healthy outdoor activity is a good thing. Unfortunately in this day and age, forcing may be necessary as kids are addicted to their sterile life altering electronic gadgetry. You know how babies have that yucky habit of putting almost any thing in their mouths ? Maybe there's something natural to that in the immune system building game that continues on as they grow up. Hindering much of this outdoors exploration either intentionally or unintentionally may be the very thing that is compromising that immune system development in the youth. There was a great Canadian study a couple years ago on this very thing. It seems the well educated set have it worse than those from developing countries when it comes to allergies. I'll post it below, but in the mean time, I'd say leave most of those microbes alone and concentrate on spending more time outdoors with your family and/or friends. Once again, there is this incredible earth networking system that needs respecting. So what do you say ?
The downside of a good education: food allergies
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Update April 15th 2014
 Exercising outdoors may help boost its positive health effects in children
 Coventry University: "Health benefits of 'green exercise' for kids shown in new study"

image: Coventry University
The research was conducted on a group of 9- to 10-year-olds who had to complete multiple 15-minute cycling sessions. During one session, the children were shown pictures of a forest path which was synced to their bike; in another session, they were given no visual enhancement at all. After the session in which they were given "green stimulus," the children experienced significantly lower blood pressure than when given no stimulus. The authors of the study noted that lower blood pressure can be attributed to a lower risk of healthy problems such as cardiovascular disease. The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Michael Duncan of Coventry University had this to say regarding the results: 
"Hypertension is a chronic health problem across the world, so given the results we've seen in our study it's crucial that we continue to try to understand the role physical activity and – in particular – green exercise plays in blood pressure."
"If there is indeed a correlation between viewing scenes of nature and a lower blood pressure post exercise, as indicated by our data, it could have very positive implications in encouraging public health practitioners to prescribe outdoor exercise to reduce health risk." 
image: Tech-Addiction
There has been so many scientific research findings are coming out lately which reveal the health benefit virtues of incorporating such  wholesome qualities which influence even the development of one's personality with such attributes as kindness which results in the right type of happiness which effects one's DNA. Human cells respond in healthy, unhealthy ways to different kinds of happiness Here are some great quotes from that article. Basically it's the Hedonistic type of happiness we get from pleasure of the senses, such as going on vacation, having a good meal, enjoying a hobby, sports, other types of personal indulgences or even the common modern day party animal pursuits on the weekends. Or the Eudaimonic type of happiness, which is a contented state of being happy that we get from a noble goal that brings us pleasure. This can be working to relieve the suffering of another living being, spiritual pursuits, or searching for and finding a greater purpose in our lives. But don't believe me, read from the link above what the Scientists are now saying.
"But if all happiness is created equal, and equally opposite to ill-being, then patterns of gene expression should be the same regardless of hedonic or eudaimonic well-being. Not so, found the researchers."
(Source)
Or how about the recent virtue of showing "Gratitude" which goes and and hand with "Patience" and the health benefits received not only personally, but how it effects others within the community. In the past these types of subjects have been a turn off to the modern day intellectual crowd as something religious, and yet how does that modern day expression go ? "Follow the Science ?" 
"In a potentially landmark study, a team of researchers demonstrate that feelings of gratitude automatically reduce financial impatience. The human mind tends to devalue future rewards compared to immediate ones -- a phenomenon that often leads to favoring immediate gratification over long-term wellbeing. As a consequence, patience has long been recognized to be a virtue. And indeed, the inability to resist temptation underlies a host of problems ranging from credit card debt and inadequate savings to unhealthy eating and drug addiction."
(Source) 
Bottom line here is, if wholesome things in life are a matter of choice in which direction you choose can have a positive effect on one's genetic make up which can also be past on to future generations, then what do negative choices have in the form of entertainment have in the same long run and does this explain the increasing violent world born out to us through the News Media ? Hollywood is hardly an example of anything decent or virtuous as this video so beautifully illustrates, although a word of caution here: This video is of the Hollywood Celebs climbing the Gun Control bandwagon, which is fine, but they are the biggest hypocrites regarding this issue. 
Hollywood Hypocrites Demand Gun Control For Citizens As Their Movies Promote Gun Violence
Parent are directly responsible for what goes into their kids minds. You can allow Hollywood and the other entertainment Tech-Venues babysit and mold & shape your kids brains or you can get them outdoors and appreciate Nature which will have a longer lasting positive benefit on them later on in life. I know most won't agree or follow this, but again, if you don't like traditional values, then at least follow some of the interesting science which is backing up that there are benefits after all. Maybe all of us should stop and allow a hygienic over haul of who we are on the inside also.  
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Further Related Reading:
http://hygienehypothesis.com/hygiene_hypothesis.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis
THE ROOT MICROBIOME INFLUENCES SCALES FROM MOLECULES TO ECOSYSTEMS: THE UNSEEN MAJORITY
http://www.californiachaparral.com/
http://www.mycorrhizae.com

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Mountain Beavers & Fish Flinging (it's not what you think)

(Photo from Mountain Beaver Journal.)
After my last Crappy Attempt at a Post , I realized there was so much more to reveal about all manner of Nature's use of nutrient (poop) recyclers that play a part in the environment, and I'm not just referring to those ancient Megafauna guys. As with any ecosystem, for all the larger animals that exist within, there are literally hundreds or thousands of smaller biological recycling machines which break down even further what the big guys leave behind. On the subject though of Mountain Beavers, I had never really known about them until I read a post by the guy who runs the Nature of Man blog with the article Boomer the Bulldozer where he posted a few great videos of the Mountain Beaver movements in it's natural habitat. The behavior looks very much like a large gopher from the video I watched, but clearly there are differences and their appearance does resemble that of a small beaver. But unlike mostly underground dwelling Gophers, these guys climbs trees and accomplish other interesting feats in what is mostly moist habitat. The best info on them I found was from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. On their website, they have a section, "Living with Wildlife". with a page dedicated to the Mountain Beaver story.
Living With Wildlife: "Mountain Beavers"

 (Photo from Mountain Beaver Journal)
Mountain beavers, also called 'boomers', are 12 to 14 inches long and resemble large, overgrown hamsters or tailless muskrats. They have small ears and eyes, short, rudimentary tails, and large curved front claws that are used for digging, grasping, and climbing.  Mountain beavers live in moist forests, on ferny slopes, and are occasionally found in damp ravines in urban areas. Their worldwide range is the coastal lowlands and coastal mountains of southern British Columbia (from the Fraser Valley to the Cascade mountains), western Washington, western Oregon, and south into California. Most people , which includes me, don't know mountain beavers exist. The Mountain beavers are herbivores and eat a wide variety of plants which includes all above and below-ground parts of ferns, salal, nettles, fireweed, bleeding heart, salmonberry, brambles, dogwoods, vine maples, willows, alders, and conifers. Mountain beavers also eat rhododendrons and other ornamental perennials, shrubs, and trees. They eat all of their food at the location found, temporarily stored outside burrow entrances, or placed in caches inside burrow systems like the one below in the illustration.
(Drawing by Jenifer Rees.)
A cross section of a portion of a mountain beaver's burrow. Over time, their old nests, partially filled food pantries, and toilets are buried well below the surface, where the vegetation and droppings become fertilizer. Their burrow systems are most evident during the late spring and summer months when most of the digging and repairing is done. Usually there is newly excavated soil (sometimes called a "kick out") or freshly cut vegetation next to or within the entrance of a 6- to 8-inch diameter hole. The pile of vegetation of sticks also has the appearance of a Beaver Lodge. The presence of a mountain beaver (or other mammals using its tunnel system) can be recognized by the worn appearance of the tunnel floor and a lack or scarcity of spiderwebs at tunnel entrances.
These Mountain beavers also serve an important function in nature owing to the amount of soil they move and the number of vacant burrows they leave behind for other wildlife. Over time, their old nests, partially filled food pantries and toilets, are buried well below the surface, where the vegetation and droppings become fertilizer. Now we come to the subject of Poop. Mountain beaver poop is  seldom seen because they are normally deposited inside the burrow's tunnel system. Looking back up at that illustration, you'll see they have a special room for dropping deposits. If you find droppings, they are probably from another animal using the burrow. This ultimately adds to the underground fertilization of the forests and a healthy balanced Mountain Beaver population provides a measure of forest floor maintenance by weeding out too many tree or shrub seedlings. They themselves are also eaten by bobcats, coyotes, large owls, fishers, and occasionally cougars and bears. Weasels and mink eat young mountain beavers. So they play other roles in the food chain.


Rue Forest Contracting Inc.
Unfortunately, not all is well in Mountain Beaver world. The commercial Timber Industry of the Pacific Northwest absolutely hates them because they tend to go after the young delicate seedlings they just planted after raping the landscape by clear cutting. The Mountain Beavers are considered one of the biggest pests reforestation contractors and land owners have to deal with them by use of poisons which are labeled for use with the mountain beaver. However where poisoning isn't used trapping is the main way they control them. Like any other creature in any ecosystem, Mountain Beavers just do what they do. The major land disruption or disturbance by humans for the Earth's raw materials will also come ahead of most conservation efforts anyway. The average home owner as well has issues with the Mountain Beaver and like the Mtn Beaver's much maligned cousin, the Gopher, their important roles are often overlooked when an imbalance in the system created by Human's who may have dealt a heavy blow to the predatory population. Snakes, Bobcats, Coyotes etc. Even still, what an amazing animal for a healthy forested system maintenance.
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Shifting some gears to another subject within this same area
image: Sound Salmon Solutions

Flingin’ Fish in the Stilly
http://soundsalmonsolutions.org/2011/12/flingin%E2%80%99-fish-in-the-stilly
"Nine volunteers along with four Sound Salmon Solutions AmeriCorps Interns had fun chuckin’ chum in the Pilchuck Creek Basin! The Stillaguamish Tribe Hatchery provided the salmon after they were spawned out to be raised in the hatchery and released in Harvey Creek. Volunteers then got to do the fun and dirty work of flinging 120 chum salmon in the creek and surrounding forest.  These carcasses will provide nutrients to keep the forest and ecosystem healthy, where there is no longer a chum run. Studies have found that not only do trees take in the marine derived nutrients salmon bring back from the ocean, but they are also essential to keeping a healthy forest ecosystem. The event was a lot of fun, and Sound Salmon Solution’s was glad to spend time with volunteers flinging fish. Thank you to our brave volunteers! For more information on the importance of carcass distribution check out our previous post, Flingin’ Fish in the Stilly."
The article above came out from the Sound Salmon Solutions volunteers to fling dead rotted Salmon carcasses up mountainsides and hills on both sides of river banks. The idea was to bring back from the Pacific Oceans nutrients that at one time were hauled up into forests by large Bears who caught and ate the Salmon's choice parts, but left most of the carcasses deep within the forest to break down and provide nutrients for the trees. Of course, along comes that human interference and all such recycling comes to an abrupt halt. Hence the Salmon Flingers volunteers do what the Bears once did. Hauling dead fish carcasses up a hillside in large raincoats is the latest in weekend Eco-Activities. Well, good for them and I'm glad somebody is pointing these ecosystem nutrient deficiency problems out. But seriously, do people really want an artificial world where they are responsible for doing what numerous components of natural organisms once accomplished for maintaining a healthy Earth ? I know the Hollywood gang rolls out a lot of morbid entertainment sci-fi flicks which depict a bunch of post doomsday holocaust survivors in a bizarre environment trying to scratch out a living, but who really wants that ? I don't. But that's where things are heading. It's as crazy as some of the crackpot Climate Change schemes, which demand no real change in the Human behavioral issues that have messed things up in the first place. Rather, they provide a solution for counteracting the bad effects of flawed science-based human technology. 

There is a great documentary called, "The Magic Forest", and it hits hard on this nutrient recycling issue and how our Natural World is more mutualistically tied together as opposed to the old archaic ideologically driven belief of a "Survival of the Fittest" scenario. And yet, more and more findings are revealing otherwise. Especially is this evident as whole entire ecosystems are being gradually stripped down and dismantled of their necessary components one by one in a sort of perverted reverse engineering exercise. Suddenly, things which were held as of little value are found to be extremely important. The only survival of the fittest game I've ever witnessed is the way human beings treat each other. This video documentary is almost an hour long, but well worth the time to view if you can bookmark it for later. 


Here are some research paper references for those more inclined at reading and studying, though I realize this to is a dying trend as well. Nevertheless, here they are.
Preliminary Evaluation of the Use of Nitrogen Stable Isotope Ratios to Establish Escapement Levels for Pacific Salmon
Nutrients in Salmonid Ecosystems: Sustaining Production and Biodiversity
Adding Nutrients to Enhance Salmon Runs: Developing a Coherent Public Policy
Skokomish River Salmon Flinging with 4.H and U.S.F.S.
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Just some concluding comments about where this system is headed 
Well, other than presenting time and again some interesting facts of what the real Science of wonder and discovery [Industrial Corporate Science not included] are revealing to us about our natural world and dismantling of old outdated paradigms, how do you reach the hearts of an otherwise disconnected and out of touch Public on the dire situation facing this planet's ability to continue to function for the benefit of all living things on it ? For me illustrations from familiar situations seem to always be the best method. Most ecosystems around the planet have seriously over time had their various mechanical components disrupted in one way or another. In some cases, major components have been completely obliterated. This has been exceptionally accelerated in the past one hundred years as we approach 2014. I use this date counting backwards as it was also used by Austrian Forester, Viktor Schauberger, who before his death and looking back, made an emphatic statement of how the Earth's environmental ruin beginning with World War I onward. He said it was a turning point in history and he was absolutely correct in more ways than he ever have possibly known back at that time.


So perhaps I can illustrate the extreme severity of the situation by comparing the Earth to a top of the line best engineered Automobile ever designed. At least most people in the Industrial Nations will relate to this. How far and how long would it take such a well put together automobile to come to an abrupt stop after being gradually dismantled bit by bit and piece by piece ? You could start out small with miscellaneous nuts and bolts here and there, nothing major and certainly no noticeable effect on the performance of the vehicle. Removing things that have mostly to do with comfort [seats, windows, etc] and decor [trim, ornamentation, hub caps, etc] would not necessarily hinder engine performance, but it would take away that aesthetic appeal it once originally had that made it so attractive. Gradually you could remove things like mirrors, bumpers, emergency hand parking brake, etc and even though the actual performance of the engine has in no way been hindered, there are now clearly some safety concerns for all occupants. And it's these safety features that are now missing in Nature that have really accelerated more so in the past 100 years. But now that the doors are completely missing, windshield is busted out, no hood nor trunk lids remain, we can now focus attention on the dismantling of the engine compartment itself. How much could you remove from this compartment before all function is compromised ? Well, you could start by removing altogether the climate control apparatus like the Air Conditioner and Heater components, but you've further compromised your comfort zone, especially is this serious since the destination is so long as far as travel goes. This clearing could endanger the health of the driver and passengers since at times the journey does travel through extreme weather events. No matter though, at least the engine still functions. I know, it sounds crazy, but that is where we are today. 


Unfortunately, the unscientific & illogical solutions being presented don't actually offer any reversal of the irresponsible behavior that has brought us thus far. The totally irresponsible incompetence of our automobile's maintenance record on this journey is now almost like us being out in a remote middle of nowhere scenario. We now find we have a few mechanical issues that need taking care of and we are unfortunately at the mercy of the mechanical expertise found only at Ralph's Garage. This fly by night pseudo-mechanic tells us we don't need that inline electrical fuel pump which feeds the engine the needed petrol for continued forwards motion. He bypasses the manufacturer's instruction manual which explains how things should actually function and how to replace those worn out parts with genuine Factory parts. He ignores the chapter on how to rebuild the system as the system was originally designed and tells us he can Jerry-rig a contraption from old bicycle parts and how the person in the passenger seat can run the new pump manually which will also feed fuel into the system and run the car's engine. I know this sounds ludicrous, but that's exactly where we are now with some of the idiocy being presented for reversing climate change and ecological ruin. Some of the solutions being fed to the public by the very leadership that is supposed to be the specialists in their respective fields are just as insane as my automobile scenario. Seriously, look at some of their Eco-Solutions  


Google the Video Clip on your own
One of the best movies scenes of all time that describes the thinking and reasoning of this world's leadership regarding how dire things really are here for the Earth is the movie scene where John Candy tries explaining the melted speedometer to the police officer and why the fact that the Car still moves and barely operates is no problem in the movie - "Plains, Trains and Automobiles" - Seriously, if nothing else, you need to watch just that one entire scene. It's hilarious, unlike the true life situation regarding our planet Earth. I can't find a good link here in Sweden for you as it won't play for me here, so you'll have to Google it for yourself. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about as you watch and compare it to the topic of climate change and  those who find no real sense of urgency as to where the Earth is headed. If you really want to live in a futuristic Sci-Fi world where artificial nutrient recycling like fish flopping in the Woods and genetically modifying organisms to eat CO2s get released into the environment to counteract irresponsible behavior, then follow the present world leadership. If you'd rather be educated through the instruction manual on how Nature actually works and how human behavior needs to change, then the change has to begin with you, then your family, then friends, neighbours, community and so forth. This is not an endorsement to angry violent activism, it's just some common sense wake up call advice. Again, just for added emphasis, the first thing you need to do is get yourself educated. Getting a great education also requires generous amounts of time spent in outdoor experience. Reading books by others and wearing a white coat in an otherwise disconnected Lab won't cut it here. Then from that education and personal hands on experience make the practical applications necessary from what you've learned in rebuilding Nature's various complex mechanical components within your own garden, landscape or Habitat Restoration Project. Help reboot the Earth's natural maintenance mechanisms as opposed to sitting back and accepting the science fictional proposals by Industrial Science and the world's inept though perhaps well meaning political leadership which offer nothing but keep the Earth on Artificial Life Support. How you personally proceed from this point forward of course is your business.
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Great References:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
LIVING WITH WILDLIFE: "Mountain Beavers"
Mountain Beaver Journal