New Drug Found Nearly Everywhere

Hey, this is surprising news!

Scientists have discovered a new chemical drug compound being used across the globe. Why haven't you heard of it yet? Sources say that some people don't even know they are taking it... This is quite disturbing, if you ask me.

People who have used the drug have claimed that when you take it, you have no idea you are on it, yet it changes how you act and perceive things. A high amount of the drug has been linked to causing everything from schizophrenia to psychosis to euphoria and depression. Immediate concerns with high amounts are correlated with Serotonin Syndrome - a rare form of chemical overload on the brain. Sometimes irreversible, sometimes deadly.

Whats the drug? Well, here's the chemical structure:

Notice how similar it is to Psilocin, one of the active chemicals in "Magic Mushrooms":

There is almost no difference here, except those two lines coming off the "N" - which is two carbons attached to the nitrogen.

So where does it come from?
People are pretty sure its being manufactured by a large group of people, globally, but Authorities say there is no definitive evidence that there is a conspiracy at play. Although, other sources have stated that even some police and federal agents have been found with the drug.

So what can you do?
Well, we don't know if it is in the tap water yet. It is definitely not volatile, so its not in the air. It has been found is some meats, but nobody can claim that it was put there intentionally, or at what level (employees, distributors, perhaps the farms themselves). The easiest thing is to just act normal, and go on with daily life. If you start acting abnormal, but don't know that you are acting abnormal - this may be a warning sign. If this happens, lock yourself in your house as Hospitals and Doctors have been known to be well aware (and in coherts with GIVING OUT the drug).

Stay calm, carry on, AND PANIC!
Singing off,
Paranoid ignoramus.

Edit 12:05 pm
BREAKING - THIS JUST IN
Sources say the drug is called Sayruhtonin. Please be wary.

New update -
It is named Sarah Tonen after Norse god of conspiracy. BE VIGILANT MY FRIENDS!

The Empath

Hello, This is part III of the three part series on Empathy.
Part I:

Part II:


  This is a bit late for a number of reasons - time contrained - but also because I couldn't quite think of how I wanted to present this. My original plan was to give you a detailed analysis of how people can be read, examples of how simple we truly are, and basically a summary that implies we create the illusion of complexity in humans... that we are actually quite simple animals. But I found this to be unsettling, and I didn't want to place it on someone elses shoulders to think this way, as it is inherently... well it would have been negatively written. I'd rather like to take you on another path, and once again, show myself the duality of nature - that is, all things have positive and negative perspectives.

So let me begin by stating there is no way to tell if your ability to read people is perfect because of one reason; people don't always tell you the truth. For example, if you look at someone and you believe they are feeling bad and you ask "How are you doing?" more often then not, you will hear the terribly unoriginal word "Fine." So, to practice mastering empathy, and becoming an "Empath" you really have to analyze deeply your assumptions. Bad assumptions can be a very bad thing. Let me reiterate that - if you think you are good at empathy and reading people, but you actually are incorrect, this can be very bad! So use with caution - OK? :)

Like earlier, I want to say there are three things in humans that allow us to communicate our feelings, and an extra to communicate our perspectives.
The three feelings come from:
1. Tone
2. Body language
3. Facial expression

These three things can give away how you feel very easily. I will give some examples later on, but mostly these aren't things you can describe, you just pick up on them, and most of the time subconsciously.

The subject that dicatates your perspectives is vocabulary. Vocabulary is very tricky, and you need to be clever to understand it with anything beyond what is actually being said. Lets look at some examples, both positive, and negative from these communications.

Tone
Tone is not always as simple as you think, but it is handled by the subconscious very efficiently. You can tell, for example, if your mother is having a good or bad morning when she calls for you from the other room. When we are irritated we tend to shorten our sentences, use minimal vocabulary and get straight to the point, or if the point is difficult to get across, we stop short. Our tone will be very flat and "normal". Conveying excitement or interest will cause changes in pitch, we sing when we are very happy because we are using the energy to create dynamic sounds. Stories and jokes are better told with dynamic voice, and so when a dynamic voice is encountered it means the person wants to "invite you in" to their thoughts, so to speak. They trust you or want to get to know you. The tone of love is very subtle, but easily spotted. It contains warm tones, strong but soft words. Comforting.

Body Language
Body language is the difficult to quantify, but again dynamic body language shows interest, passion, or excitement. The more energy we exert the more passionate we have to be about a subject. An interesting study was done on body language: When people were asked to walk on a treadmill so their vitals could be monitored with no one else in the room, not much happened. However, when the researchers told the people on the treadmill that they would be viewed by an audience who would look at how they walked - (their bone structure / muscle movement) the people were found to "Swagger" or show off their body more. The people of course, had no idea they were doing this! We are inherently showing off our body language and it's very subtle as well. To be aware of one's own body language will open the door of understanding other's. For example, a quick look at the feet no matter where or when shows insecurity - you are actually looking at your body quickly to see how you appear to others... Catch yourself next time - "Why did I just look at my feet?"

Facial Expressions
By far the hardest to quantify - there are an incredible amount of combinations of facial muscles, giving way to innumerable amounts of expressions. Heightened eyebrows show trust and friendship. They, too, are signs of "letting someone in" to their thoughts and feelings. A fake smile is easily picked out as most people won't move much more than the cheeks - when the inner eye muscles, towards the nose, move, its more apt to be a genuine smile. But, most telling is the eyes. I cannot tell what it is about them that give away so much, but a person's eyes are really the gateways to the soul. I haven't been able to tell if it is your peripheral vision picking up ques, or literally staring into the pupils of another that gives away so much. . . There are experts of facial expressions, and as in part II they can deduce a divorce in marriage within a years time with a great deal of accuracy based on facial expressions alone (or so they say).

Vocabulary

This... will be discussed later. :) The ability to shape your entire perspective of reality is found in our vocabulary. It is such a strong indication of what and who we are it really needs its own post. My vocabulary has been molded to be very unbiased, I hope. As some words give away a lot. Using the word "Gigantic" instead of "Enormous" tell me a lot about how you were raised... but it gets complicated.

So, I hope you can see, that we are simple. Our expressions branch and overlap across friends, cities, even countries. We are able to easily relate to people, whether or not they speak our language, but it isn't until they talk that we can tell whether they are a republican or a democrat or an anarchist (unless they dress to tell!). We can however, tell if someone is in love, if someone is shallow, if they are lying, if they are excited, all by what we see, and hear.

Use empathy for good. Know we are simple and easily helped. Let others in, and try to let others let you in. Empathy is a beautiful thing - it binds us as a race, even as animals, even as life. Without empathy we are all strangers. With empathy all goodness is possible. So learn, help, and pass it on.

SEE YOU NEXT TUESDDDAAAYYY (or whenever).

Empathy of Simplicity

This will be part II (of a three part series), here is part I:
http://learningasart.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-simple-human-mind.html

I hope I've convinced you that most people are generally similar. We have three main traits that often overlap, sometimes for odd or completely random reasons. They are:

• Inherent similarities are basically our instincts
• Cultural similarities are what we learn from our culture.
• Deeply rooted are similarities that arise with experiences that aren't necessarily human-created.

These three overlapping characteristics are in all of us, and they are the very reason empathy exists. The farther the geographical and cultural differences become, the more people must rely on inherent or deeply-rooted experiences. When someone empathizes with a starving child in Africa, it is not because they know what it is like to starve in a tribal village in Africa - they know what hunger feels like, and hopelessness (which are inherent, and arguably deeply-rooted experiences, respectively).

When you are able to empathize with a friend who has gotten into a fight in a relationship, or has lost a loved one, this is usually due to similar experiences - those that are deeply rooted. When you are able to empathize with strangers, simply by how they dress or how they look - this is most often the case of cultural overlap. Some people will claim this is "judging" other people by how they look, but really we can say judging is just seeing empathy in a negative way.

Empathy is so powerful. It is what binds us as friends, companions, and even the human race. Our ability to form solid communities and families is based on empathy. If we could not feel what the other is feeling, it would become very difficult to form bonds of any kind. We would feel very alienated and cold towards each other. A smile TELLS us what the other is thinking - a frown, the same. 

Empathy is so powerful, in fact, when one becomes consciously aware of it, as well as trained enough to master it - it can become a predictor of many things, entire life outcomes can be easily seen. 

But how does empathy work exactly?

Empathy works on our subconscious. Remember, our race didn't always have a solid language, so how would we have communicated in our tribes we are hungry, sick, or happy? Obviously monkeys can get these across, and I'm willing to bet you could tell when a monkey was hungry if you watched it for long enough. Empathy is completely driven on body language and tone. These two things compromise our inner secrets, desires, and feelings. The muscles in the face can tell hundreds of stories from the same paragraph, if the reader expresses them. A lie cannot be hidden completely - there are always ways to see past it. 

Your tone when you speak will always give away more than you think, and when you try to control your tone, even more can be seen! Our consciousness does not work the exact same as the subconscious, and thus attempting to control bodily functions gives away that we are trying to change.

Your use of hand gestures can give away nervousness, uncertainty, passion, and true feeling. Attempting to control these is easier than tone or facial expression, but is still powerful for communicating effectively.

Your face gives away so much information it is incredible. Small, tiny changes in facial muscles can be the difference between sincerity and a fabricated lie. A heightened cheek can be the difference between happiness and a covering up of negativity.

Finally, the most hard to control is the vocabulary - how we string our words together (and what words we have available). This is impossible to control, and is the largest give away of someone. It tells us cultural experiences, emotional background, truth and falsity and everything in between. The dynamics are so large, here, however, that it can be a grey area unless you become really trained. Word selections between such words as "poor" and "lower-class" give away entire paradigms. In fact, the less amount of vocabulary we know, the less defined (or complex) our opinions can be! Realize what I just said there - your perceptions of things can change based on your vocabulary! 

These four factors, in relation to their origin (inherent, cultural, or deeply-rooted) can paint a picture of the internal you so vivid and complex, you may get embarrassed! In fact, there are some psychologists who have studied facial muscles and tonal structure for so long they can predict divorce between two partners within the next 5 years with greater than 70% accuracy, just by watching them in a room for one hour. This isn't empathy as you know it - this isn't feeling "bad" for someone who is less fortunate - this is putting yourself in someone else's shoes and predicting the future, and understanding their past.


Part 3 Coming soon...
Here's a video on Mirror Neurons, hopefully it will keep you busy until next time;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g

The "Simple" Human Mind

The title may sound a bit odd to you, at least I would expect it to you. After all, we're told the human mind is the most complex thing in the universe (I have been - many times). But is it really that complicated? Would it be totally incorrect to say the mind is simple?

Well - yes and no. It's a complicated question (oh the irony).

The mind is extradoinarily complex in a few different ways;
1. It's very much blank when we are born - yet we are able to learn so much about our world very quickly. All technology and science has been created or discovered by human minds.
2. We still don't know how consciousness is tied in, nor do we fully understand many of the ailments that tend to plague our minds (or less often the enhancements, such as savants).
3. The number of synapses possible greatly outnumbers the total protons in the universe.

So - the possibilities for the human brain to become unique and incredibly diverse is basically innumerable. The combinations of what we learn and how we use them out number any other known constructs in the universe! So what am I on about when I say the mind is simple. Well - I am, more or less, talking about our cultures' minds. That is - the vast majority of people are generally very similar. 

This not to say that we are all the same, but we have very core, or root, tendencies that are very conserved (that is, the same from person to person) between us. I'll use the analogy of dogs; all dogs are unique. Anyone who's owned more than two dogs knows this is true, but generally, when we get a new dog, we don't need to read a new book on every new breed we obtain. This is because, generally speaking, dogs are similar.

The same applies for humans, and generally, all animals. We as humans are very unique - each of us - but we of course have very similar characteristics, personalities, and most importantly - learned traits. The following sections and following blog posts will be entailing empathy but I find it very important to first outline how emapthy is possible (the purpose of this post!)

These similarities between people are sometimes inherent, sometimes cultural, and sometimes (most interestingly) deeply rooted in experiences. Let me give some examples;

• Inherent similarities are basically our instincts - everyone is going to pull their hand away from a hot fire (unless something is different in pain sensory)
• Cultural similarities are what we learn from the TV, our family, our friends, the media, books, etc. These cultural fragments create the largest part of who we are - and usually our "uniqueness" is actually a huge conglomerate of other people's personalities, beliefs, etc.
• Deeply rooted are similarities that arise between people when they have experienced something similar such as a traumatic event (loss of a loved one, car accident), a religious experience (near-death-experience, fasting / meditating, use of entheogens), or perhaps even similarities between two people who have studied/worked in a certain subject their entire life.

These similarities allow us to empathize with people, on varying levels, and with varying intensity. Most of these similarities are very deeply engrained, and we do not pick up on them consciously - more often than not, a lot of our empathy is done subconsciously. We sometimes meet someone and "know" they will be nice to talk to - but we don't know why, they just seem inviting.

The next post will more in depth about empathy, and how these similarities can help us, hurt us, and sometimes control us. Following that post will hopefully be a post on maximizing your ability to empathize, and do reverse empathy (the ability to see yourself through others)

Duality of Nature

The Duality of Nature is the end-all of philosophy. It encompasses all our biggest questions, our morals, our ethics, how we live our lives. It can completely define the person. So lets take a peak.

What exactly is Duality? Ask 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers. For me, duality of nature, or duality of reality (nice ring to it) is the composition of all we know, divided into two parts;
1. The laws of the physical universe - those omnipotent equations that rule our matter and energy
2. The spiritual - the conscious experience we have, and the connection between life we can [sometimes] feel.

These two subjects are grand, and are quickly becoming some of the most important of our culture. Do we believe in life after death, do we believe that Science can prove all? Do morals matter? Heaven, God, Incarnation?

On the other hand, sometimes more relevant, is the duality of consciousness. It seems all things can be viewed as negative or positive (and different magnitudes thereof). On any given day you can wake up and feel absolutely ecstatic and a cup of coffee or the morning news will seem perfect, given the same circumstances your coffee could be difficult to put down and the news something so grim as to be shut off. The physical reality is the same, the experience is not. We can experience the positive or the negative. Here are the dualities of nature as far as I'm concerned.

So let me reiterate; I believe there are two types of duality, which are very closely related;
That between physical and spiritual, and that between negative and positive.

For the prior, my current belief is that no matter how much you believe in something, physical laws cannot be overcome - think about it. Imagine if someone believed so much that they could fly or that gravity didn't exist. The universe would break down - energy would come from no where, and things would become chaos - even from one person. The simple of act of creating a minuscule amount of energy from nothing would have disastrous implications. Related to this, I don't believe that science can ever deduce the spiritual - that is no matter how much we examine near-death experiences, no  matter how hard we look for an after life or other spiritual beliefs we will never find them. In short; the physical and the spiritual don't mix - they are like oil and water. They both can exist, but they do not interact substantially.

For the latter - the duality of negative & positive - I believe you have complete control. It is a very well trained person that can take a bad event and create good, but I believe it is always possible. Some events, of course, are more healthy to view in a negative light, but I won't go there...

So how can one explain that spirituality and physical universe both exist without interacting? Well I believe that consciousness is tied to the spiritual, and the brain is absolutely physical. Somewhere in the brain is the answer, but again, deducing it would be impossible. It could be the simple fact that when electrons change energies or even orbit around the atom's nucleus they must "pop out" of existence - they literally aren't here anymore for periods of time and space. Maybe this disappearance is some sort of communication / information transfer to the spiritual? Who is to say?

I hope I have stirred some brain cells. Keep thinking, keep pondering, never forget curiosity.

There are no Atheists.

Get ready, I have a crap load of caffeine in me and am ready to spew some passion.

Religion is the final frontier for philosophy. It usually governs the end of life, the meaning of life, the morals and ethics that we should adopt. Spirituality, in my opinion, is also religion, but of course, of a different nature. These are massive paradigms - the decide how we view our entire life, how we accept and tolerate things, what we strive to be. It literally shapes us, and we cannot escape experiencing some kind of religion in our daily lives. Churches adorn streets, necklaces and clothing reflect beliefs, even some conversations are steered (or avoided) by religion.

Then, there is the absence of religion - the Atheist. Atheist is a growing (actually the fastest growing) philosophical belief. I really want to examine this in full, as I once believed myself to be an Atheist. These are my ideas, they are my opinions, and they are (most likely) unique to me. I've warned you.

My honest opinion; There are NO atheists. I make the assumption that many Atheists have found faults in organized religion (usually Christianity) and have sworn off The Bible of fictitious and flawed. Although I do agree that the Bible is not perfect, nor is any organized religion, this does not make on an Atheist, this makes one an A-Christian. For whatever reason, it seems to be the logic that since Christianity is incorrect, all religion is incorrect, and there is no god. This assumption is taking leaps and bounds to reach its conclusion - Christianity is not the only religion, nor does the possibility of Christianity being incorrect (in whatever way possible) make the idea of a god impossible. 

To label yourself as an atheist (and not agnostic) is claiming that you believe there is no god – the universe is without any omnipotent presence. I find this idea totally preposterous. To base your entire religious / philosophical after-life paradigms on the absence of a God (which is IMPOSSIBLE to prove either way) is doing yourself a great misfortune. If it is impossible to prove either way (Scientifically) whether a God exists, or there is heaven, then why would you chose to believe in something less fulfilling? I have to make the argument that believing in an after life must feel better than simply losing consciousness and returning to the Earth.

My personal belief is that your perception is the universe. When your paradigm of the universe changes, the universe does as well. The consensus reality is entwined in all conscious beings (nearly everything in the universe). Our total consciousness creates the universe we see, and as we change, so does our perceptions, our experiences, and reality itself. There is nothing telling us that time isn't an illusion. It is totally possible that our memories didn't really happen - that they are just holograms. There is nothing proving that the universe isn't some incredibly dynamic construct of consciousness, constantly shifting and changing.

And then, here are these folk who say “There is no god.”

How the ? Get the hell outta here! I’ll kick you out the door get outta here!

If you don't believe in anything, believe in something. It is a belief. It could be so much as you construct your own after life. We cannot know, and we will never know on this Earth. So find what makes you happy, find what makes you comfortable and accept that as you. Create your life. Don't hinder your abilities, or your happiness on something that cannot be assured. Believe whatever feels right to you.

As for me, nothing feels right. I will continue to ponder this forever. The quote that is applicable to me;

"Once I can stop thinking about matters of great importance, will I then know I have become stupid."

That is my perspective, and it has no bearing on anyone else. Just make yourself happy.

Organic or GMO food?

HELLO WONDERFUL INTERNETS.

I'll be examining the difference between, and definitions of GMO and Organic foods.

What is a genetically modified organism (GMO)?

The definition is kind of odd. Most horticulturalist and people who try and develop crops "The old way" use mutagens and look for (Screen for) mutations that are helpful in some way or another, but these aren't considered GMOs. When we hear GMO on the news or are told a certain food is a GMO, it is a very specific type of modification, usually an insertion of foreign DNA into a plant (or animal). This inserted DNA isn't completely synthetic or new to Earth - rather it is a clever arrangement of genes from other organisms that have useful properties. 

An example of a GMO that is currently being used in crops is one that takes place in corn. It's very clever, but the implications are, well, less than safe it seems. The corn plant usually is susceptible to worms eating a portion of the plant, thus suffering yield loss. However, scientists noticed that there is a certain bacteria that kills these worms, and on further analysis they realized a very specific protein within the bacteria was responsible for the death of the worms. Since DNA in all life encodes strictly for proteins, it seemed like a great idea to snip out the DNA that 'encoded' this protein, and stick it into the DNA of the plant. Voila, you have a plant, now, that produces a protein that kills these insects! 

So we see that this GMO corn is nearly 100% corn DNA, but there is a small snippit of DNA from a bacteria, in order to produce this anti-worm protein. Clever, right? Good thing we don't have to eat this protein when we eat corn..... oh wait, we do.

What is Organic food?

Unlike "natural" organic actually has a definition. When you read 100% organic - that absolutely has to mean all the ingredients are organic. When you read 100% natural, well... They usually are pretty good about it, but 'natural' has no legal definition.

Organic produce and food must not use synthetic or artificial pesticides or herbicides and cannot be genetically modified. There are other legal definitions but they aren't as important. 

So whats better, or what should you buy?

Both foods have the same nutrients. There are some exceptions, but they aren't worth going into. The majority of produce maintains the same nutrients from either method.

Pesticides and herbicides are incredibly destructive to the planet. Some of these chemicals used now have been linked to very serious damage to the body, and the people who apply these chemicals are required to use full Haz-Mat (Hazerdous Materials) suits. This fact alone should put you off a bit. 

The plants that produce these chemicals (and fertilizers) are some of the biggest polluters and energy-consumers in the entire world. An enormous amount of energy is required to produce fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The by products can be toxic, as well as the products themselves! Many rivers near farm lands have been completely destroyed of fish habitat due to pollution.

Apparently (and I'm sure this is very controversial!) the GMO corn that has that protein in it - remember? - that has been linked to organ failure. This would be due, if true, to the proteins mechanism of killing worms; it basically destroys the stomach of the worms. This protein is touted safe by it's creators due to the fact worms and humans have very different stomachs... but I'll let you decide. 

The same GMO corn has been linked to creating "super worms" that have evolved (by chance) the ability to eat the corn, regardless of the protein! Now we have a real problem, worm populations are going to boom!

Other GMO plants are invasive, and can spread their pollen for miles of their original site, infecting all the local flora of the same species (and the organic farmer's land). This can cause diversity loss, and unknown consequences. It has been noted that in Oregon, where they test for turf grass, nearly all the grass within 1 mile of a stream near the test sites are GMO turf grass. 

The legal implications of infecting an organic farmer's land with GMO crops? Take a guess - do you think the organic farmer can sue the GMO farmer? No, the company that produces the GMO crops can sue the organic farmer. Pretty sketchy if you ask me.

Some have praised GMOs for their possibility of saving the world hunger problem. Technically we have enough food to save the world from hunger, there just isn't enough money in transporting it. Also it has been proven multiple times, in multiple places that intensive land-care can produce more fruit per acre than the traditional farming of today. It takes more work, but with the same amount of land you can get much better yield (and without any chemicals)!

The actual list of problems due to chemicals being dumped into agriculture is very long, and I've only touched on it here. 

Lastly, the companies in control of GMO foods have some secrets up their sleeve. The former head of Monsanto is now the head of the FDA (conflict of interest, much?). Monsanto has political power; when Europe was deciding whether or not to ban GMO's from supermarkets, Monsanto was deciding whether or not to completely withdraw all of it's exports to Europe, with the aid of the US government. They have also tried multiple times to take over the Indian farmer's economy with mixed results, due to India's more holistic approach and ideals. The last frontier is Africa, in which drought-resistant plants would become the norm, and, unfortunately, entire nations would be dependent on one company for their food supply. Due to the ties between the US government and Monsanto, this could easily result in some dissatisfying control of governmental structure (i.e. democracy & capitalism or you don't get any food, type of thing). This has already been seen in Ethiopia, where the government (which is a political minority) is described as a terroristic body, and therefore the entire country has, at times, been denied food relief - causing literally millions of deaths. Whether we want this kind of control to advance to other countries is pretty easy to understand.

But ! Be aware, not all organic is what it seems. Many organic farms are owned by Kellogg and other multinataional corporations. Not technically a bad thing, but something one should know when researching further. My advice is eat organic. There is less baggage.

Thanks for you time! Have a good day :)

The Chemistry of Cancer

This is my take on cancer. It may or may not be accurate, but it is all of my knowledge on the 'disease'. Further research may conclude with diminishing returns due to certain propaganda on the ailment.

What I believe to be the most powerful cause of cancer is the exhaust from tail pipes. It is really the only thing that all people are subjected to, with varying degrees, across the country (USA is the only place I will be examining). Other things like diets have changed and I find it very convincing that those too play a huge role in cancer.

1 in 2 people are at risk of cancer in our life time.

This should floor you. This number is so incredibly large for any disease, and here we are, looking at one of the most scary on earth. 

First - what causes cancer in exhaust?

Every process that uses fire proceeds chemically via a 'radical' process. Radical doesn't mean far-out here, it is a specific type of chemical reaction which involves radicals. Radicals are incredibly reactive species, with most of them reacting nearly instantaneously. The interesting thing is, when a radical reacts there are only two possibilities;

1. If it reacts with a non-radical, a new radical is formed.

2. The only way to get rid of radicals is if two radicals meet and react with each other.

Since they react so quickly, you may be able to imagine this "radical" jumping from molecule to molecule - forever, or until it meets another radical. Technically, a radical has an unpaired electron, but the molecule is uncharged. This unpaired electron is very reactive. The most important thing about radical chemistry as far as cancer is concerned, is every molecule that reacts with a radical becomes changed, with very little keeping their original structure. Perhaps you are beginning to see the connection.

When we combust fossil fuels, we create radicals, most of these radicals meet other radicals and 'cancel each other out' so to speak, and are no longer radicals. But, some persist, never finding another radical to pair with, continually reacting in the air, and unfortunately, once in a while, in our lungs. These radicals cause chain reactions, whether in the air or in our bodies, and can only be stopped by encountering another radical.

There is one saving grace, though. Anti-oxidants. The chemistry behind 'bad' radicals and 'good' radicals is very interesting. Anti-oxidants in their normal state are radicals, but their ability to react with radicals and become radicals themselves is important. When a radical encounters an antioxidant, the antioxidant takes on a radical form. The nature of the antioxidants, though, is that this radical form is very stable, due to the chemistry of the molecule. In a way, the antioxidants can act as shuttles, harboring this radical, and preventing it from further chain reactions. 

I want to show you a picture of the most powerful carcinogen know to man;

And here is two of the most powerful anti-oxidants:

These probably won't mean much to you. But what is important is double bonds. It is interesting that the very thing that makes diesel fuel so powerful as a carcinogen, also creates anti-oxidants powerful anti-cancer agents. A double bond oxygen, adjacent to a double bond anywhere else allows free-radicals to be very stabilized. Notice that in the bottom two, there are many double bonds adjacent to a double bonded oxygen (don't worry if this is jibberish).

There is a controversy whether these vitamins and anti-oxidants actually do decrease cancer probabilities any more so than any other diet. I think it is farse because by eating these compounds you are eating healthy anyways.

Artificial food colorings and dyes are also harmful, but not as harmful as anything that gets created in a fire process. 

Tips to avoid radicals:

1. Avoid heavy traffic areas if possible, especially near highways (just to consider in your next house).

2. Avoid grilling and eating freshly-charred food. The longer food sits after being charred, the less carcinogens will be present.

3. Eat many dark-colored fruits and vegetables (or colored at all). The coloring in fruits and vegetables ARE the antioxidants! The diversity of colors is also important. Try and get a rainbow of colors in your diet.

4. Ride a bike (for everyone else's sake).

5. When you cook, don't allow smoke to form. This is radical chemistry!

Smile! Woo!!

My next post will be about some other things, such as the Burzynski Clinic (anti-cancer clinic), chemotherapy, and pharmaceutical industry (probably not going to be a happy post...).