What comes with stem cell

According to “Stem Cells from Reprogrammed Adult Cells Found to Bring Along Genetic Defects of Their Donors”, Scientific America, Zelladt suggests that getting stem cell form donors, who have a disease, The symptoms of disease may occur in receivers because, in the study, the researchers found that, they took the skin sample of liver disease patients and grew it in lab, the skin sample it characterizes just like the disease cell. Therefore, this can be said that taking stem cell of people who have inherited disorder might bring a disease to receivers.

Personally, I’m a sort of medical science nerd; this one is one of my favorite topics. By the time that I read this, I have a thought that if you get the disease from getting stem cell, what will you do? Blame donor? Stay with it quietly? These things came up in my mind. In order to answer my own questions, if you decide to get a stem cell from donor, you must think critically first before you decide to sign in the form. The donors donate their cell to help you; therefore, in this case, you should not blame them that they don’t give you only stem cell but a disease. How do they suppose to know that they’re giving you a cell, which is able to grow to be a cause of serious problem. Before giving you a stem cell, doctor must check the cell and grow them in lab first before give that to the receivers. Therefore, it is just a small chance to get the abnormal cell, in case that you got it, it is just not thing you can do, but avoid stimulating factors that increase the risk of being disorder. This does not mean that every stem cell that you get it into your body will always develop to be a disease cell.

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References

Zelladt, n. (2010, August 27). ust 27, 2010 | 2 comments

Stem Cells from Reprogrammed Adult Cells Found to Bring Along Genetic Defects of Their Donors

. Scientific America. Retrieved August 30, 2010 fromhttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stem-cells-bring-along-defects-of-donors#comments

Hope we can deal with Alzheimer's disease

Most people know that Alzheimer's disease is one of incurable disease. Although it was discovered long time ago and our technology was developed a lot, we still cannot deal with it. It usually occurs in the elders and causes them memories loss.

According to Gina Kolata in "Years Later, No Magic Bullet Against Alzheimer’s Disease", in last spring, Many scientists presented their studies about prevention of Alzheimer's disease in science court which is sponsored by National Institutes of Health. This issue is interesting after a recently research found the method which can be used to find the signs of this disease. However, The result is unfavorable. There are no evidence to support the ways to prevent or delay this hazardous disease.

When I saw one of my relative who suffer from this disease many year ago, I thought that there are some advantages of that's symptoms. For example, patients who lost their memories will not have stress because there is nothing to worry. However, it causes the stress to their relatives who have to take care them. Others always felt annoyed when they was ask the same questions many time and worry because they lost and got danger easily. As a result, the one who actually want the treatment of this disease is the carers. We still hope that we can treat Alzheimer's disease in soon.

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References

Kolata, G. (2010, August 28). Year later, no magic bullet against Alzheimer's disease. The new York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/health/research/29prevent.html?_r=1&hp

Past lives and therapy

Have you ever wonder what happened in your past lives? There are many movies and literatures use reincarnation as a plot. According to “Remembrances of Lives Past” by Lisa Miller in The New York times (2010, August 27), reports that Dr. Paul Debell, a psychiatrist specialize in hypnotizing, believes in reincarnation as his states that “allows you to experience history as yours. It gives you a different sense of what it means to be human.” Another psychiatrist, Dr. Brian Weiss, one of America’s pre-eminent proselytizers on the subject of reincarnation, bring up one case in his book “Many Lives, Many Masters” about his patient “Catherine” that her paralyzing phobias was relieved by hypnosis to recall her part lives. A Past-Lives therapist is a person who uses hypnosis to recall patients’ past-lives as a treatment. According to data released last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a quarter of Americans now believe in reincarnation. However, reincarnation is broadly believed in eastern culture. In Asia, like Buddhism and Hindu believe in reincarnation is common. They believe that we have a one eternal soul that born and die again and again until we reach for the perfection and was released from cycle of reincarnation. It is an old believe without scientific research proof its truth. Nevertheless it shows me that the world consists of physical things and there is something important that called “soul”. In addition, there are interesting films The Thai film about reincarnation, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” won the highest prize in Cannes film festival. Another Movie from Warner bros. picture, The Fountain, is also about death and rebirth. Those films represent view of reincarnation from both sides of the world.

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References

Miller, L. (2010, August 27). Remembrances of Lives Past. The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/fashion/29PastLives.html?ref=fashion&pagewanted=all#

Kepler progress.

Welcome back to Math’s news of the day. First, last night, Man Utd comfortably wins 3-0 against West Ham Utd, Dimitra Berbatov scores a very terrific goal, I just want to share my happiness. Then, from what I wrote in my latest news blog, today my news is not about sport, accident, nor health. Because the New York Times is much harder than the BBC News, I have to start with the easiest remaining topic, science. Thus, I will write about “Telescope Detects Possible Earth-Size Planet”.

According to the New York Time, Kenneth Chang reports about the Kepler mission (2010), which search for planets that can be a new home for humans. This first announcement is inform that the scientist in this mission found something that may be a planet which has 1.5 times bigger than the world in the system that similar to the solar system 2000 light-years away from earth. This report also tells us about there are more than 500 sun-like stars found since the scientist found the first 15 years ago; and, some of the 700 candidate planets which orbit around a sun-like star which is vary in their properties. Finally, this is just a seven months data report of the Kepler mission that is scheduled to operate 3.5 years

I always like this kind of news. The first sci-fi book I read is Asimov’s the End of Eternity, translated in Thai. It suggests that this world is the gravity jail, and humans have to find the way to blast out of this jail before the proper planet is colonized by another alien species. I think the dream that humans can go out of this world, have new colonies on other planets, and conquer this universe is the common dream for every era humans. Therefore, we spend very much of our resource and manpower for this goal despite that give a few outcome back. I can’t say I ‘m not support the space mission, but I think we must concentrate on develop our earth before thinking of leaving to another planets that is far from reality now.

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References

Chang, K. (2010, August 26). Telescope Detects Possible Earth-Size Planet. The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/science/space/27planet.html?hpw.

The End of Eternity. (2010, August 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:40, August 29, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_End_of_Eternity&oldid=378979331.

60 mile long traffic jam on China's highway

Yesterday, I was looking for the easiest news in The New York Times's to blog then I kept a lot the interested news in my favorite. Today, I'm reading every news topics and I found several of interested news. Although a news which catch my eyes most is the one which I've never paid attention with before, actually it totally reflecting to Thailand's transportation. The news is "Refusing to Detour".

As reported in the news, even though China have many highway construction but they still have traffic problem. On the China's Beijing-to-Mongolia highway, there is a gridlock of 60 miles long because the root of the traffic problem is the government and transportation didn't give a cooperate to each other. The highway network operation were managed by the authorities from each city and the tolls in each city is different, some city base on distance, some base on truck's weight but some city base on kind of truck. Although there is a big problem in this highway but the drivers still using this route because in alternate routes is longer than this highway, and the drivers have to pay more tolls because the tolls depend on the distance; moreover, they might be lose their licenses for over the maximum load.

In my opinion, this news have a reflection in Thailand's transportation particularly in trucks . They are almost always over weight containing the product which you can see easily on the road and our government try to be silent. The accident can happen in everyday life by this kind of truck. For example, wheels can not hold over weight so its can explode everyday. Therefore, in order to get the solution, the government should be serious to this kind of truck more than ever.

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References

Zhan Guo. (2010, August 27). Refusing to Detour. The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/8/26/redefining-bumper-to-bumper/refusing-to-detour-on-chinas-jammed-up-highway

it's so cold!

"so cold!"

Do you know what is the meaning of cold in Korea? we have 3 different defenition of cold.

The first meaning is Having a less than usual tamperature. Second, the relieved feeling e.g. after exam. In addition, refreshed feeling e.g. I felt refreshed by having soup which is very hot or spicy.And today, i want to say about the 3rd of meaning.

Before i start to write, I'd like to ask that When you go into spa? how do you feel?

Hot? or Cold? Strangely, most of korean people say, it's so cold!

If you want to know the reason, you can read more my words.

Relatively cold midnight, the workers who are working in Seo Seok-ku's kiln saunas, South korea's largest kinl in hongseong, Korea, drag out the coal powder which was inserted a week before, then shove new coal into kiln. The tempetature reach up to 1,400 degree then, the kiln are cool down dawn. The owner Mr. seo said that customers come from all round the contry to crawl into his kiln. And one of his customer, Ja said that she comes here whenever she got a cold or feel tird. She also said, villegers came with sick parents for healing and Buddhist monk come to read their scriptures or for meditation. But thesedays the kiln heat bath changed as a jjimjilbang in urban area which is heated by clay in common room. But this is quiet different with the kiln sauna as the heat is by electriccity. People could take a rest with their family, friend or alone. But real difference is they could not have meditation in jjimjilbang. Kiln sauna could give a good profit for charcoal's seller and could maintain korean tradition.

Many korean people believe that kiln sauna could give good effect for health. As usual, the heat could give feel so cold to korean people. Thesedays convenient way of life changes tradition. But as the owner Mr. Seo said I hope we don't remember who we are, who usually say "it's so cold."

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ReferencesKiln saunas make a comeback in South korea (2010, August 26), The New York Times

Retrieved August 28, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/world/asia/27iht-kiln.html

Electric power from pee

Today, we have a problem about lack of world’s energy because a main energy that we use today is fossil energy that needs few million years to make it. Yoday many of researcher is find a new source of energy for solve this problem, but it has not a complete answer at now. This article is showing other source of energy that we may be can use it.

In “Pee is for power: Your electrifying excretions”, Hazel Muir point out that we can use urine from pee to make hydrogen for use in fuel cells (issue 2774). This idea is begin by Gerardine Botte, a chemical engineer at Ohio University in Athens. She thinks urine is good choice for make hydrogen for use in fuel cells because it wants less energy to break down urea than energy that needed to split the water to make hydrogen and hydrogen that take from fossil fuels is difficult to store and distribute. Botte calculates that if she develop her electrodes be more effective, hydrogen will be produced from urine at a cost of less than $1 per kilogram. She says "An office building where 200 or 300 people work could produce about 2 kilowatts of power". Making hydrogen from pee idea being taken by Tao and his colleague Rong Lan, along with John Irvine from the University of St Andrews, also in the UK. Since 2007, this team is develop a fuel cell that can produce electricity directly from urine with no need voltage to break down urea but the details of the electrode are still secret.

I feel very excite when I read this article because people are urination every day so if we can use this idea in pubic, we will solve energy problem and environment problem because after we brake down urea and eliminate other contamination before make hydrogen, waste product from this procedure is water that we can use it again, so it is a way of recycle too. And a problem of heavy metal that leads from old battery will be decrease too.

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References

Muir,H.(2010, August 24). Pee is for power: Your electrifying excretions. New Scientist. Retrieved August 28, 2010 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727741.400-pee-is-for-power-your-electrifying-excretions.html

of War and the Fish

The experiments on fishery are hard to conduct. One of them is the study on how protected area from fisheries relevant to the fish population. The fisheries biologists have conducted kinds of this research in tropics area, in Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but to have a solid evident, they need to conduct a research in the temperate-zone, in the area of North Atlantic.

One day the opportunity was come, 71 years ago, the Second World War was happen and it made the North Sea area close unintentionally, and the group of biologists led by Doug Beare, at the European Commission’s Office of Maritime Affairs, grabbed this golden event to study its effect on the population of cod, haddock, and whitting.

Provided information by Britain’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries from Buchan, Beare knows that during the WWII, from 1928 to 1958, the fishing in North Sea was eventually decrease, thereafter, there was no such activity in 1939; Accordingly, Beare have a questions on how much the decreasing in fishing affect to number of the fish.

In Naturwissenschaften, Dr Beare tells us that the population of the fish has decrease steadily before 1939, but after the fishermen have stop fishing in the area, the number of older haddock is increase, although, the number of younger haddock is decrease. His teams propose the theory that because the older haddock fed with the younger, as a result, the younger population decline.

In 1945, there was hostilities ceased, then the population of the fish continue to decline as it were before the WWII; however, the population of the fish was boom in 1955, which is remain an unknown reason. Nevertheless, Beare has his question answered, the decrease in fisheries really have an effect to the number of the fish as same as the result in the Great Barrier Reef.
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References

War dividend: The second world war led to a boom in North Sea fish numbers (2010 August 19). The Economist. Retrieved August 27,2010 from https://www.economist.com/node/16843807

There are many wealthy people from the gulf oil states. They like to go around the world and spend their money as if it would never being used up. What would happen to them after that? I’ve known it from “Super Cars Inspire Mixed Feelings in London,” John F. Burn in The New York Times.

As reported in the news, at the present time, wealthy arabs like to go to Britain and they enjoy driving their super cars which sometimes are brought from their countries. In addition, they often rest in luxury hotels ,buy jewelry or cloths in boutiques on the other hand their lifestyles contradict local people who encounter economic crisis so local people think the wealthy arabs like to show off their wealth. Furthermore, a new problem is increasing since the car owners disobey the traffic law. For example, the owner challenged parking regulation to leave his exotic car until it is was clamped by parking wardens or they joined illegal racing in the deserted streets after midnight. These problems cause residents to complain about the visitors’ behaviors not suitable for this country.

If I saw super car’s owners, I would praise them that they have an ability to pay for expensive cars if they are good persons who legally deserved the money, but I rarely know them. I am usually interested in their cars more than the owners whom I don’t care what their purposes to have these cars are.

Although nothing is wrong with super cars’ owners wanting to show their luxury life to other people, it’s not appropriate to do this during the period in which many people are living in the tough life. Moreover, because they have succeeded in their life, they should behave as good examples for other people especially respecting the law. Money cannot provide them with any privileges to do illegal things but in some countries such as Thailand, it can be used to buy everything even the law.

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References

Burn, J.(2010, August 26). Super cars inspire mixed feelings in London. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/world/europe/27london.html?_r=1&hp

The Newest Strongest?

I regularly read The New York Times's column "The Stone", which features articles by leading philosophers; this week, the guest author was Susan Blackmore, whose work I've been following for some years now. I wanted to blog on "The Third Replicator" (Blackmore, 2010) for several reasons: it's by Blackmore, which attracted me in the first place; it's an unashamedly academic piece of writing for you to enjoy, with sources cited throughout, a list of references at the end, which is not usual for articles in The New York Times, and with a consistently academic writing style, which is not surprising given the author; finally, I think it also ties in neatly with the argument that Math has put forward to oppose Stephen Law's thesis that eating meat it immoral.

In her article, Blackmore presents a further development of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins's meme theory, which, as she notes, Dawkins first suggested in his 1976 classic The Selfish Gene, and which has since had a pretty rough life, as Blackmore explains. Blackmore has long supported the meme theory evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution, and in "The Third Replicator", she extends this by arguing that the rise of the internet and our interconnected and increasingly independent machines has given rise to a whole new class of things that can be replicated just as genes have been for billions of years, followed by memes once our ancestors' brains became complex enough to enable such replication. Blackmore argues that genes and memes have now been joined, are now being joined, by temes and teme machines, which are the machine equivalents of genes and  the bodies, animal, plant or bacterial, that are the tools that genes build to copy themselves.

One thing I liked in Blackmore's discussion is that she very forcefully restates Dawkin's point that it is not animals and plants that are in control of and driving evolution on this planet, but the genes that build every living thing, including us, in order to ensure the gene's accurate copying and continued existence. Blackmore also manages to work in the ideas of Daniel Dennett, whose 1995 book Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which she also cites, is perhaps the clearest and most thorough account of how deeply evolutionary theory explains every thing connected  with life on this planet, from carrots to Mozart symphonies, from the AIDs virus to religion. But what I really wanted to comment on was the idea that there is something special about the survival of the fittest. First, the things that survive are never particular living things, such as a carrot or a person, but always and only the genes within. It's the genes that are competing with each other that drive evolution: the genes that build the best bodies, plant or animal, are the ones that win the reproduction race, and that does not necessarily require having the "strongest" body, unless the word strongest is defined to mean "best suited to allowing genes to reproduce", which is a bit circular.

Over millions of years, genes built ever more varied and complex bodies to further their reproduction, all perfectly mindlessly. Along the way, they created multi-celled organisms, then sex (first in plants), then eyes and other senses, and then large brains, which eventually became capable of the sort of abstract reasoning that characterizes humans, and that no other animal is nearly as good at, although our machines (those temes, as Blackmore labels them) may be catching up fast. Those brains made possible knowledge, the recording of knowledge, and critical reasoning. Those same brains made possible emotions, which, like everything else, served an evolutionary survival purpose, and our brains are also capable of moral reflection, assessment and decision making, as much as they are of pursuing knowledge and power. Indeed, the ever increasing evidence is that we are programmed to be moral machines as much as we are programmed to think, learn languages and feel love in the mindless efforts of genes to create ever fitter (stronger) bodies to reproduce themselves, which is where I think Blackmore's article connects us with Math's opposing argument to Stephen Law, so I'll leave off here, and leave you carry on these related discussions.

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References

Blackmore, S. (2010, August 22). The third replicator. The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2010 from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/the-third-replicator/?emc=eta1

Toyota Recalls 1.1 Million Cars for Engine Problem

According to the statistics of Transport Statistics Sub-Division, Planning Division, there are around 40,000 new passenger cars registered in Thailand on July 2010 and around 40 % are Toyota car. After I read the news article by Nick Bunkley, “Toyota Recall 1.1 Million Cars for Engine Problem” in The New York Time’s website, I think there is high probability of the same situation in Thailand.

As mentioned in the news article, Toyota plan to recall 1.13 million compact cars covering two models: Corolla sedan model 2005 – 2008 and Matrix hatchback due to the complaint about the sudden loss of power in car engine. Since November 2009, Toyota has recalled around 11 million cars in the United Stated, and over 8 million of them were returned because of the acceleration paddle problem. The Toyota’s problems trigger the reliability crisis for not only the company itself but also the entire U.S automobile industry with the total car recall of 23.5 million from the end of last year.

Although I have heard about the Toyota’s car recall in the States for a while, I am quite surprised that there were only a few reports mentioned the concern of Thai people over this issue. In my opinion, this situation is really serious because the engine and acceleration inefficiency may cause severe accident. Even though, the models sold in Thailand are produced in the factories located in the country or the neighbor and they are not the same lots as that of US, I am still worried about the production standard of Toyota applied worldwide. Definitely, it makes me think more carefully when buying Toyota’s car. For this reason, I think that Toyota Motor Thailand should take more action in this issue whether it will get worse.

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References

Toyota Recalls 1.1 Million Cars for Engine Problem. (2010, August 26). The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2010. From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/business/27toyota.html?_r=1&ref=business

Carving the Roast Beast, II

Now that we have read Stephen Law's short essay and seen how he supports his thesis that eating meat is immoral (2003), has he convinced you?

If he has not convinced you, why is Law wrong? 
Which of his arguments fail, or what other opposing argument has be overlooked?

If he has persuaded you, which argument did you find the strongest?
And how will you respond to your still unconvinced classmates' arguments?

When you add your responses as comments, it's useful to turn on "Subscribe by email".

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References

Law, S. (2003). Carving the roast beast, in The Xmas Files (pp.124 - 140). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Carving the Roast Beast

Every year in the UK, more than 25 million turkeys are killed for our Christmas dinner. Is this mass slaughter justifiable merely to satisfy our preference for a certain kind of meat? Shouldn't we be carving nut cutlets instead?

The Wilson family are sat around the Christmas dinner table. Dad is carving the turkey when he glances a little apprehensively at his eldest daughter, Gemma.

MR WILSON: Some turkey, Gemma?

GEMMA: Of course not. You know I'm a vegetarian.

MRS WILSON: Only since last week. And it's Christmas. Can't you join in just this once?

GEMMA: No. It's morally wrong to eat meat. I'm not going to do something morally wrong just to make you happy.

Much the same conversation will be familiar to parents around the world. Teenagers are increasingly becoming vegetarians, often on moral grounds. It can be irksome for the parents: special meals have to be cooked and time and effort put into making sure that their offspring get a balanced diet.

Still, while Gemma's views might be inconvenient, that doesn't make them mistaken. And in fact Gemma does have some rather good arguments up her sleeve (Law, 2003). 

 ______________________ 

The above excerpt is the introduction to our next class reading, which is a 16 page essay by philosopher Stephen Law, written largely as a dialogue between the members of the Wilson family. 

1. What is the topic of the 16 page essay? 
2. What is the writer’s main idea about that topic? 
   Now, in a comment, respond to the following two questions. 
3. Do you agree with Law? Why or why not?
4. What do you think he will do in the next 15 pages?

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References

Law, S. (2003). Carving the roast beast, in The Xmas Files (pp.124 - 140). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Depression Make You Lose Your Smell!

As I forgot to post new blog report on 12 August, 2010. Today I would like to present an affect of depression that state in “Depression dulls sense of smell” in New Scientist news.

The research of forty-two volunteers, a half is depression and the others are non-depression, by researcher at the University of Dresden Medical School in Germany show that depressive people have the sense of smell smaller than normal about 15 per cent.

Depression and stress might be major cause of mental illness such as schizophrenia. I do not think so with the new, I think that only 42 volunteers can not conclude that lose of smell cause from depress because my own experience when I depress or stress with a work or a final examination, but I still feel good smell sense.

Reference

Depression dulls sense of smell (2010, August 12). New Scientist News. Retrieved August 16, 2010 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19305-depression-dulls-sense-of-smell.html

US warning over 'Lady Gaga' contact lenses

Contact lenses are very popular in Thailand right now and alot of teenagers are wearing them because they think it will make them look more attractive. But the below recent news article from the BBC is a warning that all Thai teenagers should be aware of.

The article states that US opticians are concerned that teenagers could be putting their eyesight at risk by using contact lenses styled on a Lady Gaga video. The lenses can bought online from overseas websites but.are illegal in the US as they haven't been approved by federal health officials.

US Doctors declare that contact lenses should only be purchased after an optician has approved a prescription and that the non-approved lenses could lead to problems like eye infections, damage to vision, and even loss of vision. One Asian distibution company, which sells the lenses online, believes the product is safe and has been approved by officials in Asia. However, I wonder if this company's claim is correct?

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References

US warning over 'Lady Gaga' contact lenses. (2010, August, 16) BBC news.Retrieved August,16,2010 From http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10962767

May

Quest 2

Reading and writing

The question number 2 from page 176. What are you afraid of? Can you think of when you first had this fear, and why? How do you deal with this fear?

.

.

The fear of snakes is very common and I also fear them. I will never forget that when I first experienced this fear. When I was 10 years old, I saw a big long snake crawl into my house. It came straight towards me. I froze at the sight of the snake and didn't know what to do. My mother walked in and grabed a broom and chased it out of the house. To this day, even if I see a snake on TV I become temporarily frozen with fear. It is something I can never get over.

Kaem talks about Karen Carpenter's illness.

From the question number four from page 176 of Quest 2 (Hartmann, 2007), I know a famous person who suffered from a psychological disorder. I think most of you know The Carpenters, a very famous american artists duo in the music history. Karen Carpenter is the vocal of the band with his brother who is an instrumental. Karen had suffered from anorexia nervosa. She didn't have any idea that her eating habit could kill her. She had a treatment with her psychologist but her heart was weak before that. Therefore she died from heartbeat irregularities at age 32. Due to her death, it gave people a scare of anorexia nervosa, and many of celebrities decided to go public about their eating disorders; such as Olsen twins and Nicole Richie.

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References

Karen Carpenter. (2010, August 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:08, August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karen_Carpenter&oldid=378700091

Ked and Lizard Phobia

I think fear can happen to anyone but it might be different type up to person. And I interest to share my experiences of phobia from the second questions on page 176 of Quest (Hartmann, 2007). Actually, when I was young, I afraid of many animals if I saw it was killed in front of me. The biggest fear of me is lizard, only one kind that stay in a house. I could not remember when this fear start but I remember that it happened from my aunt house. On her ceiling, so many lizards were fighting each other till their tails drop by my side. Because of I was very young, I could not understand why that tail still move without their body!! Nowadays, I sill cannot recover this fear and it effect me a lot because I have to face it every where in my country. Only one thing I can do is to avoid it as possible.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Aon's discussion on the difference between a normal fear and a phobia

After reading the article, “What is abnormal?”, in Quest (Hartman, 2007), the question No.1, “how is a phobia different from a normal fear? What might be some ‘healthy fear?’ is so interesting me that I discuss on these two topics. Concerning the difference between a normal fear and a phobia, I think that I can differentiate two kinds of fear with two criteria: level of severity and the effect on everyday life. Although a normal fear and a phobia are one’s strong feelings such as worry, scare, fear, or apprehension, toward some objects, activities, or situations, the later tends to be expressed more extremely and its effects significantly influence on normal life. For example, if someone is afraid of cockroach, they may run away, scream, or try to kill it. Then they can live their life normally. While if the other suffer from acrophobia (a fear of high place), they may sweat and feel dizzy, their heart rate will be increased, or even they maybe shock whenever they have to go to the high place. Consequently, these suffers will try every way to avoid their fear place. They may refuse the lucrative job if the office is located on the skyscraper. As mentioned above, the level of severity and the effect on everyday life of phobic disorder make it different from a normal fear.

Referring to the healthy fear, there was the great healthy fear occurring during 2-3 years ago called swine flu. All over the world was obsessed with fear because of the rapidly widespread infection and the lack of medical treatment. However, the fatality rate was not as high as expectation because of the application of effective vaccines. As a result, the global healthy fear at the end of 2009 is now treated as only a type of influenza which can be prevented and protected.

These are all of my discussion concerning the difference between a normal fear and a phobia and the example of the healthy fear.

Golf's classic fear of snake

When I was five, I was standing and enjoying the rain outside and then I saw a slim-long-shiny-green snake in front of my opened door. It was crawling slowly from side to side  then suddenly stop and our eye’s met. I couldn’t do anything but froze and I couldn’t move any single muscle and not even scream my lungs out or any single tear drop. I was shocked. It was my first time that I’ve seen a snake this close. It was so ugly and disgusting which made me hate snake since then. To make matters worse, once I tried to cope with this fear by touched the-most-creepy-creatures-on-earth’s skin at the zoo and my fear got the best of me. I froze for a second, shivered and ran away.

Although, I tried to cope this fear by avoiding an encounter with snake but I can’t really get rid of off my life. I sometime saw a snake crawling pass in front of my car while I was speeding and avoid hitting it. At that time, I couldn’t see anything or what is going on?, I only saw a snake. Beside, I felt like time has stopped for like 5 minutes and my whole body just froze until my friends shouting on me “Golf!! Car!!!” because i didn’t see that my car was going to hit another car in a sec. Even I think about how creepy it was now, it just gave me the chills.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Nan and friend with phobia

Many of my friends have phobia of difference kind of animal some are afraid of snake some are afraid of insects, but the phobia that we have in common is phobia of cockroaches. For my experience with cockroaches phobia, it happen when I was in primarily school. My cousin picked up a died cockroach and ran after me that why I afraid of it. I hate its leg as in several kind of insect I also hate too. I have many accident with cockaches; for example,One of my friend and I are in the restroom. While we are looking in a mirror, I see something flying past behind our back. A few seconds we are run as fast as we can to the nearest room, and wait for help. Now it not affect much on my life, I just walk away if I see it in distance, and avoid going to dirty or dark place.

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References
Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Disorder in novel by MATH

From Quest page 176 (Hartmann, 2007), the fourth question is interested me most.
In my opinion, characters in novels are famous people, if I write about them, it will not deviate from this question purpose much.
There are many novel that have disorder character in them, in my opinion, the most famous novel is Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by Robert Louise Stevenson, first public in 1886 (so old!!!). The main character Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a multiple-personality disorder character, that is absolute separated. When he is Dr Jekyll, he is a good man, and when he is Hyde, he become an evil. This novel was made to films many times and the phase "Jekyll and Hyde" also means a person who is different in moral.
If you prefer more up-to-date novel, there are 2 characters from my favorite novel that have disorder, Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley from Harry Potter series, who is arachnophobia (spider-phobia) because of his unpleasant experience, and Thalia Grace from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, daughter of Zeus, lord of the sky, is acrophobia (fear of heights).

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. (2010, August 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:45, August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.or/w/index.php?title=Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde.

Thalia Grace. (2010, August 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:58, August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thalia_Grace&oldid=378984927.

Ron Weasley. (2010, August 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:58, August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_Weasley&oldid=378882929.

Yu nil on phobia of strange traveler

"Don't ever show your weakness to others"

I believe that most of people in this world have simple phobias as i have some of them, either. Sometimes i'd like to show one of my simple phobia to someone even if they have no close relationship with me. Though one of my classmate have told me "Don't ever show your weakness to others", if i tell something about my weakness, i feel i'm safety.

Once, i have met a girl who suddenly told me that she has a very serious social phobia. At that time i was sitting on the beachfront of resautant and lookingover the sea. I met her just 1 minute ago which means she is just stranger. What i knew about her was she is from my country and she has been working as a teacher for alomost 8 years. Followed by the fact, she is a teacher was threw me in confussion. If she got a social phobia, how she could teach students for 8 years? Then she pointed her sunglasses which i couldn't even noticefied she wore it. she said "i can't go anywhere without sunglasses."

But how could she teach with wearing sunglasses in the class? Of course she could not.

She said it's completely different. she could teach in the class but she couldn't talk in outside without sunglasses.

During the year as a teacher in Thailand, i surely understood what she told me.

Yes. I also have a simple social phobia. But i could teach very well in the class. But if i'm a just student, it's too hard. Specailly when i have to present my view. I could hear my heartbeat, i'm getting sweat, i couldn't hear what other people say. Sometimes i just want to leave from there. (But i believe that this weakness of mine is getting better now.) Then how could she and could i teach without any difficulty? It was because of the confidence that there was nobody who knows better than her about the subject. I think that she might have thought she have to be perfect all the time. She might could not bear what people say to her. she probably got a shame if she couldn't answer of question or more. Sometimes i think, if we show our weakness to other, it might be helpful. So, of this reason, i'd like to show my weakness to others. Specially where i could not visit again, whom i'm not supposed to meet again

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

A strange motorbike taxi

When i saw a motorbike taxi in Goa is located in south of India, i could't believe motorbike could be a taxi as i was a naive to travel around India. It was almost a cultural shock. i just passed away the motorbike taxi drivers who was keeping ask me to get in. After that, i've seen a lot of motorbike taxi in other several country,then motorbike taxi is not unfamiliar to me at all now and i like to take a motorbike specailly when i'm in a busy.
Finally, today, i found tha this motorbike taxi which was so strange to me, could be someone's hope, specially in the Dirt Island, Kenya.
The person who came up the idea of motorbike taxi service is Mucina, youngman of ex-convict, might have menaced thier passengers. But the reason his passengers get in his motorbike taxi is security, now. And he still hires onec offenders as a his company's driver. Even though his idea
is still looked hopeful, there is some problem. First problrm is money. They could not get big revenue to take care of their famaily or dreams. In addition, they're still interfered with their business by police. But their attempt brings a lot of thing. It is prevented them to go back to jail again and again.
I admired their attitude that trying to do something themselves, not only waiting for help. If we give a little attention and some help, it could be give them a happly life.

Shall we?
Start now?

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References

Nairobi's motorbike boys improve their own slum (2010, August 14), BBC NEWS Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8913543.stm

M, Phobia, my friend's experience

I don’t like any kinds of snake. Its skin surface is shinny and slippery with elongated body. It is disgusting for me especially when It creeps on the ground or in the water.I have a friend who hates and fears of snake more than anything in the world. When he first told me about his fright to snake. We both have got the same reasons and I think it’s normal to have feeling like this. I was wrong when we went on a trip together and he showed something to me.

While I was driving on the road, there was a big black snake quickly creeping across on road in front of our car. Suddenly, I heard my friend screamed out loud and covered his eyes with his hands. He had cold sweat andhis face and skin turned to pale. He seemed to lose control of himself. His reaction was remained for about five minutes till he was able to calm down, but he felt as if it was everlasting. . I’ve never seen him like this before and this is just one time that I has experienced

Even though, my friend is a surgeon who can see and touch everything in the human body such as blood, brain, heart, soft tissue and intestine, but for snake He cannot totally cope.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

"Nash's Psychological Disorder," Pong

Today, I will blog about psychological disorder that affected to the life of a famous scientist named "Nash".

John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician who work on the mathematics of game theory, shared the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel, 1994, with two other scientists, was suffered from paranoid Schizophrenia. His symptoms were too far beyond my imagination, "he attempted to establish a world government and resign his United States citizenship because he was convinced he was a political prisoner. He also declared himself the emperor of Antarctica and tried to establish a defense fund for what he believed was an impending extra-terrestrial attack." (John Forbes Nash, Jr., Biography, Battled Mental Illness, ¶ 3).

His illness rendered him like a madman. He was forced to seperate from his beloved wife, Alicia. But he was not surrender. He fought with it and his illness eventually remission. Although it is not completely dissappear, he and Alicia has remarried, looked after on each other, and raised they beloved sons. I wish you successfully cope with it, Nash.

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References
Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

"John F. Nash, Jr. - Autobiography", Nobelprize.org, Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio.html

John Forbes Nash, Jr., Answers.com, Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.answers.com/topic/john-forbes-nash

Schizophrenia. (2010, August 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:03, August 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schizophrenia&oldid=378576095

the status of psychological disorder patient in Golf(s) opinion

From Quest on page 176 (Hartmann, 2007),after I read all questions, I think last question look interesting to discussion. I have an aunt that be schizophrenia but she is already die now.Before she is schizophrenia, she is a successful business woman ,but when she is schizophrenia, most of member of my family have afraid feeling to her because we can not predict her next action or thinking. My opinion about status of psychologic patient in present time is have fewer stigmas against than in the past , but it is decrease a little because a knowledge of psychological disorder in most Thai people is increase a little than the past time.In present time, most of Thai people is still understand psychologic patient is only schizophrenia that can be aggressive behavior and make problem to anyone who around him because of that people who have labeled is have psychological disorder will have low reliable and to be avoided.that will be one of the reason that psychologic patient is alway refuse to seen psychologic doctor in the beginning of disease. In my opinion if we compare stigmas between present and the past, It will be fewer stigmas in present time but it still be large for this patient that can change his whole social life.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Net on phobia of my friend

From Quest on page 176 (Hartmann, 2007), after I read the article and the question, the first idea occuring in my mind is my friend's phobia. He's frightened by insect specially for flying insect because he said "you have no idea what exactly do they want or go" it means sometime they flying toward to you, sometime zigzag so you can't predict the way that they desire. Once, about 3 years ago, we traveled in the east of Thailand together, the place located in the forest with a lot of insect. In evening, the sky covered with dark blue color so we surrounded by several kinds of insect. His face went pale with fear. His body wrapped by shirt and sweater, scarf around his neck and ears, hat on his head, legs with long pant so one thing we could see on his body were his eyes. His cloths looked like a Newyorker. He was always avoiding to insect but finally one bug flied to him and standed on his shoulder. Suddenly, he was in panic mode so he jumped out from the bamboo table, and jumped around and tried to push it out. He yell out, some kind of slang words litter on the air. We just laughed at him because we thought it just a small one and It's not harmful; however, we totally understand him so when this situation happen again we try to help him. He can't open the door if there is a small insect stand on the doorknob so he have to use a stick or something long to push it out. In my opinion, If it don't fly to him, he would live happily.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Peter on Phobias and Frogs

This is my response to the discussion questions on page 176 of Quest (Hartmann, 2007). Initially, I was just going to write about frogs, but then I decided I wanted to respond to two of the questions. I think that frogs make a good example of a phobia, so I added the word phobias to my title and started writing.
My own phobia, and the only one I can think of, is of frogs. I've had this phobia for as long as I can remember, and I have no idea how or why it might have started. These days, it isn't a problem because I don't encounter many frogs living in the centre of a large city, and over time it has become weaker. When I was young, in school, it was very strong. I was terrified of frogs. When confronted with a frog, my heart would beat faster, my skin would sweat, and I felt real fear. At the same time, I knew that frogs were perfectly harmless. I knew that they could not hurt me at all, but that didn't stop me being scared of them. It was a real problem because there were a lot of frogs around the country area where I grew up, and I was very embarrassed about what seemed to me a very irrational fear. It really was irrational, and I couldn't do anything about it.
I think that is what makes the difference between a normal fear and a phobia. Normal fears are of something that is dangerous, like speeding cars, poisonous snakes, and mad bulls. Those things can hurt us, and it makes sense to fear them because the fear makes us careful and perhaps avoid the danger. But frogs? Frogs do not hurt people, except for a few poisonous types; we don't have poisonous frogs in Australia, and I feared tehm all. In fact, I feared the harmless frogs more than the speeding cars, the poisonous snakes and the mad bulls. There were also poisonous snakes around our home, and although I was very careful around them, I didn't have the same fear reaction that frogs produced. And if I knew the snake was a non-poisonous one, I could happily pick it up and play with it, which meant I occasionally got bitten, but that didn't worry me a lot, although it did seem to upset my mother a bit.
Since the age of about 30, my frog phobia has subsided, and now I can push them out of the way when I meet them, but I still prefer not to, and I still have a fear reaction that is completely irrational.

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References

Hartmann, P. (2007). Quest 2 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.