logo Ming the Mechanic - Category: Nature
An old rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open, free and exciting is waking up.


Friday, December 20, 2002day link 

 Living Systems, Holons in Holarchies
picture Evolutionary biologist Elisabet Sahtouris is one of the most inspiring people I know, and she holds an important key - the understanding of living systems, and how that understanding applies in many places we might not expect.
"A biology that sees all nature as co-evolving holons (living entities) in holarchies (interdependent embeddedness) will quickly reveal much about humanity itself as one such holon - containing its own holarchy of individuals, families, organizations, communities, nations and world. Through this understanding of ourselves, we will gain profound insights on where we succeed and where we fail as a living system." --Biology Revisioned

"We are learning that there is more than one way to organize functional systems, to produce order and balance; that the imperfect and flexible principles of nature lead to greater stability and resilience in natural systems than we have produced in ours-both technological and social-by following the mechanical laws we assumed were natural...On the whole, there seems to be good reason to believe our species' recklessly egotistical and destructive phase is coming to an end with new knowledge that leads us back to ancient wisdom. We are capable of regaining our reverence for life, of replacing the drive to conquer with the will to cooperate, of remaking our engineered institutions, including our corporations, into living systems." --Earthdance

[ | 2002-12-20 06:03 | 1 comment | PermaLink ]  More >


Sunday, December 15, 2002day link 

 Becoming a sexually healthy culture
picture The article Cannibal Culture at Kuro5hin, provides an excellent and detailed overview of the world of sexual fetishes, and what the causes might or might not be for perversions and sexual violence in our culture. What is consensual and what is not? What is healthy and what is not? He reaches conclusions I agree with. This is hardcore stuff, not for the faint of heart, but important. See, the inevitable conclusions are the opposite of what the most moralizing anti-pornography advocates would have us believe. In short, the real perverts are those who are trying to suppress and control sexual expression, and particularly those who administer institutionalized violence and mental torture against little children. I.e. strict, moralizing, usually religious, parents who beat their children and try to hammer into them that sex is evil. And the perverted preachers who reinforce such behavior, having the audacity to invoke God in condemning joyful sexuality. Notice that here in the U.S. more than 60% of newborn boy babies have their sex organs violently mutilated right after they're born, just because some puritan doctors in the 1850s thought it would be a great way of stopping them from masturbating. No great wonder that this is such a violent and sexually repressed country.
[ | 2002-12-15 23:59 | 1 comment | PermaLink ]  More >


Wednesday, November 27, 2002day link 

 Environmentally Friendly Sex
And now for the Greenpeace Guide to Environmentally-Friendly Sex. They're only half kidding. In brief, do it during the day to save electricity. Don't involve any genetically engineered fruit. If you're gonna do it in the yard, make sure there are no pesticides in the grass. Don't wear anything PVC or vinyl, but rubber or leather is good. And take a shower together to conserve water.
[ | 2002-11-27 17:51 | 4 comments | PermaLink ]  More >


Monday, November 18, 2002day link 

 Living Machines
picture "'Living Machines' are whole systems approaches to treating wastewater. They are solar-powered, accelerated versions of the water treatment facilities found in mature natural systems. Incorporating helpful microbes, plants, snails and fish into diverse, self-organizing and responsive communities, Living Machines are site-specific, biological solutions that re-route waste streams into resources." That is from this introduction. See companies like Ocean Arks or Living Machines that create ecologically sound ways of dealing with waste water, often better than any purely technological solution could accomplish. A lot of good stuff seems to be going on in the State of Vermont, with companies such as Ben & Jerry's leading the way.
[ | 2002-11-18 22:24 | 1 comment | PermaLink ]  More >


Wednesday, November 13, 2002day link 

 Bateria neutralize hazardous chemical
pictureResearchers have found that a microbe found in the mud of the Hudson River is capable of neutralizing the hazardous industrial chemical TCA (trichloroethane), which pollutes groundwater in many places. The microbe lives without oxygen and actually requires TCA in order to thrive.
[ | 2002-11-13 23:36 | 1 comment | PermaLink ]  More >



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