ARCHIVE - Lucia's Seminar Group

ARCHIVE - Day of Awareness

cohcod02 — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:37:23 -0700

We should probably start organizing the day of awareness that we have been discussing the last few weeks (in Lucia's Seminar). The date and time will be a lot esier to decide upon once we figure out exactly what we should do. Bands were mentions so if you or a friend would like to play, it would be encouraged. Also any information you have on ecological matters or would like to spread awareness about should be present. Any crafts or skill you would like to teach would also make this day of awareness much more fun. Potluck was discussed to. If you have any ideas or would like to help, just post.

ARCHIVE - Monday, March 12

prisha22 — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:21:17 -0700

Is there a movie planned this week?

ARCHIVE - Cody Cohan

cohcod02 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:04:35 -0800

"Education, I fear, is learning to see one thing by going blind to another" Leopold Pg158

This is one of the best examples of how the reading for our class expands into other aspects of our live. These statement in particular just demands for the mind to think and question and explore other realms that it might not normally delve into. Teaching is something that has made our species so much more adaptable and ambitious. It is no wonder that we are now the dominant species on the planet. If any one species could build up their thoughts to a language and from a language create a system where all the members of a community work together for the greater good, which is the community. The ability to learn is our species greatest trait. Without it, the Neolithic farmers of Mesopotamia would have had no way to teach their children about raising domesticating animals and farming the domesticated plants. Even the older layers of our society depend on the ability to teach. We must provide for those who can no longer provide for themselves. All teaching really should be is asking people the right questions to bring the answers out from themselves. It is quite impossible to actually teach anyone anything because the only thing that any of us could truly know is that we know nothing. Especially because our ability of mind of matter and the determination and passion that comes from inside ones core can mold and bend the very framework that our reality rests on. Its no wonder the world is such a confusing and mixed up place. Not to mention that our teachers have not always been right in their teaching. It wasn’t long ago that people were taught that the world is actually flat and it wasn’t long before that when unicorns were in 9-10 bestiaries you could find as a real animal.

ARCHIVE - Ari Sigglin

sigari25 — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:24:44 -0800

“It took hundreds of million of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth -- eons of time in which that developing and evolving and diversifying life reached a state of adjustment and balance with it surroundings.”
- Rachel Carson, p. 6

Perhaps it is man’s justification and hypothesis that if it took such an immense amount of time to create and establish life and all the living things’ behaviors, that it will take just as long for life to deplete itself. Perhaps we have spent too little time -- or rather, no time at all -- in accessing the potential dangers and outcomes in our actions. Perhaps this is all a part of our evolution as an especially unique species on this planet -- a sort of trial and error process that decides the general stasis of our ecosystem judged upon the way we behave amongst it. It seems as though the latter is most plausible. Through out our existence, we have duly acknowledged our superiority with much pride -- a pride so arrogant that most often than not, the human race has then had to learn the hardship of their actions. It is expressed through years of war, especially. We wage with war with ourselves, and unknowingly, with the environment around us. Only so few have recognized the strong bond we have in our place in the ecosystem. In the human mind, it is possible that these “eons of time” also reflect, again, the time it take for life, or more specifically, a species, to disappear. From observation, the general consensus believes that this is logical because things must operate symmetrically -- if you traced the growth of a species until its climax, it then has to reflect the same pace in the decrease. Unfortunately, considering the rapid rate at which we have grown, that is not the case since our creations have seemed to begat more bad than good. Carson mentions the “rapidity of change and the speed with which new situations are created” and how they “follow the impetuous and heedless pace of man rather than the deliberate pace of nature.” (Carson 7) Humans have distanced the gap between ourselves and nature, and the more we expand the gap, the more me make our connection with nature more obvious by the amount of harm we are inflicting upon it.

ARCHIVE - Mitch Gines

ginmel01 — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:14:41 -0800

"Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death..."-Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Wow, that paints a pretty bleak picture of the apocalypses. This "evil", this "mysterious madness". It's pesticide! It affects both prey and bystander alike, and we created it! I really feel sorry for the poor flocks of chickens. Even though they were going to be eaten, most of them were bred for eggs or show (and hopefully not for cockfighting), life is stilll life, right?

ARCHIVE - Mitchel Gines

ginmel01 — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:32:26 -0800

"I wonder whether the process ordinarily referred to as growing up is not actually a process of growing down"- Sand County Alminac, pg 127

Hmm... that's a good point. I've been wondering about that myself. It seems that growing up, we have way more possibilities open to us until "reality" comes crashing down on us. And that sucks. Also, I've been reinforced that the baby mind is capable of absorbing so much in the learning process! Heck, we could probably learn a bunch of different languages at this stage! But, if this opportunity is wasted, our brain supposedly "assigns" or "designates" its abilities to do away with "useless" knowledge. I owe all of this factoral stuff to my Psychology Class, and Clark-Hahn-Sensei for doing double-duty (She also did Japanese 1 Thorugh 3; although she claimed she stopped Psychology since this school year onward.)

ARCHIVE - Action

cohcod02 — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 10:25:50 -0800

This form was created so that the students in our program would have a place to discuss and create ideas for ecological progression. I don't see why this forum would be limited to any one topic so if you something on your mind that just wont let you sit still, heres another chance to do something about it.

ARCHIVE - Ari Sigglin

sigari25 — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:39:56 -0800

“Grass farming done well depends almost entirely on a wealth of nuanced local knowledge at a time when most of the rest of agriculture has come to rely precisely the opposite: on the off-farm brain, and the one-size-fits-all universal intelligence represented by agro-chemicals and machines.”

- 191

Once again, industrial agriculture remains the important role as the obstruction which prevents us from achieving a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Not only ecosystem, but in some circumstances, a healthy agriculture because of its widespread appeal due to cheapness and abundance. In developing nations, it is understood that healthy agricultural practices are being encouraged by non-profit organizations, but what if the cheapness and abundance of an industrial product allures other developing countries into the trap? It may seem plausible that it is the best way to fight their nation's hunger, but how do we [the U.S.] try to export our ideas when they're a mix of “good” and “bad”? Other countries may find priority in feeding a population, which from their perspective, may be considered “good,” and in regards to an agriculture that is sustainable, they may find themselves indifferent. Is the American government stepping up to the plate in becoming a role model that offers the most environmentally-safe image for other nations to adopt? While organic foods are becoming popularized, this sort of widespread trend is encouraging industrial organics, which consume their own hefty amount of fossil fuels in the transportation and what not involved with distribution. Another thing to consider is the nation's political impression on other countries. It is well known that because of the current administration, we are not thought too highly of, and how many other countries would allow our exporting of agricultural practices to their own lands? How do we address issues elsewhere in the world when we seem to struggle with getting the message across to our own nation? Do we start at home, while the rest of the world seems to do themselves in just as we did? Or are all eyes on us, and we are naturally the automatic example that other nations must follow?

ARCHIVE - Cody Cohan

cohcod02 — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:40:14 -0800

“Meanwhile as we pour our millions into research and invest all our hopes in vast programs to find cures for established cases of cancer, we are neglecting the golden opportunity to prevent, even while we seek the cure.” -Rachel Carson, Page 208-

This quote sums up the entire book pretty well. I feel that Silent Spring was written with the intent to spread awareness of the ignorance our species currently chooses to operate under. Our current society is full of distractions for every walk of life and it can be quite hard to hold on to, or even find, yourself. It’s almost terrifying to think about where all the funding and entertainment for the things we enjoy in our daily lives really comes from. Supporting huge monopolies that only seek to expand their cliental instead of help them. How does it make any sense to pour money into meds for cancer and not the actually cure? I won’t just how much of the general population known just how much harm they have on their environment. A follow up question to the first would be how many would care about their effects on the environment? Our species tends to focus more on our own survival and in certain area’s, such as this country, the standard for survival is more then a modest one.
I can only hope that the author succeeded in her attempt to push our society into a new way of living. Why does sacrificing a few of the many comforts we have seem to be such a life threatening prospect to most of our culture? Our children are glued to television screens that hypnotize them with new toys and gadgets that only worth comes in the blissful moments of childhood that occur anyways. Our capitalistic culture is breeding our children without care, our at least our consent. I just do not feel that any child should be raised in such a subjective environment that could mold their reality around false idols and polished ideals. I suppose it could be a lot worse though and we should be grateful for what we have.

ARCHIVE - Week 8 film

prisha22 — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:45:41 -0800

i'm curious if anyone's picked out or organized the film for monday? not sure what it entails but if you need any help with making it happen let me know, i know some folks are out of town but there are lots of films on that list to be seen. =)

-shannon