Stool transplants

Interesting biology news of the day
So out there in the medical field, people do many interesting things to try and cure things. The bacteria C. difficile infects the intestinal lining, destroying all those lovely proteins that break down food for us. Living up to its name, the bacteria is très difficile to get rid of. Sometimes antibiotics will get rid of it, but usually it just returns. The bacteria causes major diarrhea, which is very unpleasant. But it seems like doctors in Minneapolis have successfully treated patients with this bacteria. Because the bacteria destroys all the helpful bacteria within the colon, the solution appeared to put the bacteria back into the colon. Your own normal bacteria wouldn't work because C. difficile would just destroy it again. But it has been tested that by putting somebody elses stool into the colon, it gets rid of the bacteria. Very bizarre and a tad bit gross.

Changes

So there are many things in life that are unpredictable, things that no matter what you do you will never be prepared for. But indeed it is possible to prepare for most things, although many choose the latter. The freedom of choice is what allows the human mind to be unique. We are able to learn, to teach, and to conquer, but does that make us superior? One of the parameters for natural selection is that it increases the fitness of the organism. I constantly feel that human rights laws stops the process of natural selection, allow the weak to survive. Perhaps everybody has the right to live, but these laws are hindering evolution, not allowing humans to evolve into something better.

Genetic variation does occur within our species, with people born with terminal diseases. Such mutations are known to decrease the fitness of any organism, thus the mutation stops there. But in society, the genes are passed on, not allowing natural selection to properly do its job. So we end with fighting against nature, not allowing changes to occur.

It is already truly amazing the feats that humans can do. Our body has evolved over the million years. Organ systems to do every single thing that we are required to survive. These changes do not occur spontaneously, nor are they coincidences. Millions of years have sculpted our bodys into what they are now. But I do not think evolution is over for us humans. There are still many possibilities for further evolution.

Evolution is part of nature, but in todays society, nature is not allowed to move forward. The genetic mutations are welcomed, and everybody is allowed to survive. No longer is it the survival of the fittest, but rather survival for all. Maybe the abolishment of laws would result in no evolution at all, it is possible that evolution may go in reverse, and thus, humans would end up no better than all the other animals. But there is always the possibility of further evolution. There's always the possibility for something better.

KK

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Its over nine thousand!

So it seems that today the stock market rebounded back from its ghastly drop, with the Dow Jones rising 11% to 9,387.61. Although the economy is based mainly on the stock market, us Canadians have seen our Canadian Dollar dropping. I think that's enough economics for today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an average of about 30 different companies, so by looking at the Dow Jones, it gives you a rough estimate of how the other 30 stocks are doing.

So I have been pondering very deeply about the term 1 project, and I have 2 options so far:
Black Silicon a special type of silicon made when treated with lasers and gases. After the treatment, the silicon turns black, and its surface turns into microscopic spikes. When light strikes these spikes, it bounces back and forth, very rarely does it bounce back out. This new material can be used for solar cells or various things, as almost all technological devices have silicon in them.

Bisphenol A(4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2-diphenylpropane) or BPA is a compound that is found in various plastics. I would hope most of you have already heard about this, as this is the same compound found in nalgene bottles and many other day to day plastic objects. Bisphenol A in the body acts as an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it is both a agonist and antagonist. BPA is able to mimic the bodys own hormones, causing hormone reactions when they are not needed.

So these two are the only things I have thought of, although I do have like 3 days before I need to set my mind.

Everything in moderation

So this morning I woke up thinking about my future, with drool dripping down my face. Where am I going to be 5 years from now? 10 years? These are questions that I think I should not avoid, because what I do today affects what I will become. Today I thought about universities, and what I was want to pursue in my life. Med school seems like a very likely possibility, although I honestly wouldn't mind going to MIT to study anything there. There are so many things that I want to do, but am I capable of doing it all? It seems that much of my time is wasted doing absolutely nothing, and I aim to become more productive. Here are some general guidelines I have set:

1. Learn to play an instrument
2. Read more books
3. Write more
4. Take up a new hobby
5. Stay in shape
   

So far I think these 4 rules shall suffice for now.
Without a goal in mind, I think that aimlessly wandering will get me no where.

Also I've been thinking about other things to take up my time, things that will also require the usage of my brain. I might decide to learn the basics of card counting, and perhaps just play around with it as a hobby. Statistical numbers always seem to amazing me, and math seems to answer a lot of things. Basic math can go a long way, and even then graphs make up a lot in this world that we live in. Every person should be able to understand graphs, and easily extrapolate data from them. Graphs serve as a basis of expressing large sets of data into a easily viewable picture. I think it is our intent to be able to understand the simple things, because from simple things arise the complex ideas.

Just dance

So today I experienced my first time driving, and I must say it was pretty exhilarating. Being able to control that hunk of steel, I maneuvered through the streets of Vancouver, dodging cyclists and crazy pedestrians. But driving to me seems very much like a chore. Today was the first time I have been in a car in about a month or so, which is pretty amazing. I have planned to take my road test in January, which gives me plenty of time to become pro at driving. Even though I don't enjoy driving, it seems to be smarter to get my license just in case I ever do require it.

Also today I ventured back into a part of my past, Chinatown. It seems that Chinatown is imposed as a major tourism place for Vancouver, but if I were a tourist, I would think that Chinatown is the shitpit of Vancouver. You see druggies wandering the streets, various decrepit buildings lying in shambles. Honestly, Chinatown isn't what it used to be. There is no longer even a need to go down there, since you can buy everything there at various shops along fraser and main, or better yet, Richmond. This wandering into the past has allowed me to view the changes that have occurred over the years. Often in life we are too caught up to notice these changes that have taken place, and it is always good to go and revisit the past. I grew up in Chinatown, with my dad withing at a grocery store there. I still remember the Chinatown nightmarket, back when it was actually very interesting. I think that we should never forget where we have come from, and often, we should look back and remember our childhood. It is the memories of childhood that allow us to remember where we have come from.

Adagio

The fast pace world blurs by, everybody too busy to stop and observe. Eyes shift left and right while crossing the street. But I am at ease with myself, taking in everything at my own pace, slowly devouring everything I am given. Yet in this face paced world, you cannot help but be swept along. Economic crises arise erupting, and yet people still live lavishly. AIG execs hold a 3rd retreat, after obtaining bailout of several billion dollars. The world economy is no longer as stable as everybody thinks it is. Thailand begins to feel the pressure of the US economy collapsing, and soon the rest of the world will too. "The universe is 13.73 billion years old. The US national debt is $10.27 trillion." Anybody with any sense of math can calculate that that's around $748 every year since the Big Bang. People are oblivious of the current events and I feel obliged to provide some insight into what is truly happening around the world.

Lucky for me, I live in Canada, the land of universal health care, a budget surplus, and maybe the most financially sound banks in the world. According to Reuters Canada has the top banks in the world, which allows us to be at ease while the rest of the world shakes as the US economy topples. But as sound as our banks can get, it seems that us Vancouverites are at the bottom of the barrel. The gas prices in Vancouver right now are quite low compared to what it has been over the summer, but it turns out that on average, the gas in Vancouver is 10 cents more than the gas in Toronto. Luckily oil prices continue to drop, with the price at $80/barrel, prices are expected to drop some more, and hopefully gas prices will once again be under $1. These events I think are things everybody should know about, as they truly do affect everybody. There is nothing worse than a person who knows nothing about what is going in the world around them.

On a more scientific note, this organism seems to have been discovered to be an ecosystem all by itself. Also, here is an article about the effects of the other CO2 problem, acidity in the oceans.

Highwayman

The sun burning into the mind as he walked down the dark street
Little droplets form on his face while in the eternal heat
The sole of his shoes worn out from the jagged, hard rocks of the road
And he sweated along the road
Curving along the road
At the end of the road, a gift that he was bestowed

She was like a flower, the flush of rose petals in her cheeks
The light of heaven in her eyes, brightly shining as she speaks
The voice of a goddess who wields no weapon except for love
A woman whose heart is to love
Purely and simply to love
And to love in return was all that he wanted of

Into her eyes he gazed, not wanting to whisper his farewell
And then her eyes glistening upon the thoughts his words impel
He slowly turned his back on her deeply sadden as he went
Engulfed in darkness he went
Going alone as he went
The deathly silence, as he went, always in torment

His thoughts are always on her as he walked alone down the road
The emotions storming all through his head, waiting to explode
Trying to forget the past, while tears drip down his empty face
A face that once was happy
The troubles that he had to face
Every night as he sleeps his face always in disgrace

SO what am I interested in... sometimes I really do wonder. I spend hours on the computer reading feeds, and yet when it comes to finding a topic for my term 1 project, I am completely clueless. So lately my head has just been so filled with school stuff, trying to understand everything, that I haven't really had time to stop and think about what I want to do with my life. And now that I have stopped and thought about it, I remembered why I don't think about it, it's because I don't know. This fear of the unknown, reminding me why I should never stop and think. Causing me to always question every single moment of my life. These questions strike deep, un-rooting problems and crawl out and swarm me. Many things interest me, yet I have no passion within me for anything. I am simply a slave to my own self, driving myself to accomplish what I consider is the priority. Mindlessly wandering to try and find myself within this mess, I'd rather ignore all this noise and wander aimlessly on.

man i had stuff written down, but now i cannot find it.