Smoking Gene

Article: “The Economist, Apr 5-11^th

Your genes may control how much you smoke—and how likely you are to get lung cancer as a result

…what causes smoking?

That answer lies in part of human chromosome 15, and depends on what is known as allele T of SNP rs1051730. A SNP, or single-nucleotide polymorphism, to give its full name (the short version is pronounced “snip”), is a place where genomes routinely differ from one another by a single genetic letter. In this case, the variation happens inside a gene for one of the receptor molecules that nicotine attaches itself to when it produces its buzz. Based on a study of 13,945 Icelandic smokers, deCODE's researchers showed that having a T in the appropriate part of the gene correlates very strongly indeed with being a heavy smoker. The team estimates that the chance of their being wrong is less than one in a thousand trillion.

The T variant does not, however, increase the likelihood that someone will take up smoking in the first place. That is either a matter of free will or, if it is genetic, is controlled by genes somewhere else.

It all looks neat and simple—and extremely plausible. Genes promote smoking; smoking promotes cancer. However, it might be wrong. For another paper in Nature, and a third in its sister journal Nature Genetics, report similar studies that have drawn rather different conclusions.

..they have concluded that genetic variation there acts directly on a person's susceptibility to lung cancer, rather than acting indirectly by modifying his smoking behaviour.

…that genetic variants in the nicotine-receptor-rich part of chromosome 15 are changing not smokers' behaviour, but their susceptibility to cancer.

What is not in doubt, however, is that there is some sort of a link between genetics and lung cancer.

What is fascinating for me here, is that it starts with the “What causes cancer? … Genes” and ends with the definitive statement that what is NOT in doubt is “some sort of link” between genetics and lung cancer. So, there is doubt about the previous statement, but there is doubt as to the concluding one as well… for there is “some sort of link” is not a very definite or scientific conclusion at all!

It is all very subtle. Intimating that genes are responsible for our behaviour, not us. It falls into the same category as genes being responsible for our diseases, not our behaviour, or our lifestyle.

It is about our inability to understand what we term “evil”. For instance, how come all those pious Jews were gassed in the Holocaust? It cannot have been anything that they did. So there must be a malevolent force out there, that is out to get us. One that we have to wage war against. An us against them.

The basic principle of spiritual manifest as material. The “fight” of spiritual and real. The need for the submission of the spiritual to make the material manifest.

About Science and the Scientific Method (coming next...)

South African Turmoil reflects Global Turmoil

Just another glimpse into what is happening in SA. Thought you might be interested... Not that there are no troubles anywhere else. But the comaparisons world-wide are interesting.... It sometimes feels like it is the same treadmill, over and over again. Only the names, the faces, the dates, and the places change. Here it is still the uneducated poor black and coloured people that are still the brunt of oppressive wealth, only now it is perpetrated by people of similar skin colour, and there are NO longer any excuses. It is endemic in and to the system...

This is an excerpt from a press release issued by Abahlali baseMjondolo . The full release can be read here http://abahlali.org/node/3582e . Very sobering words from communities that know the pain of removal. We hear that the political analysts are saying that the poor must be educated about xenophobia. Always the solution is to ‘educate the poor’. When we get cholera we must be educated about washing our hands when in fact we need clear water. When we get burnt we must be educated about fire when in fact we need electricity. This is just a way of blaming the poor for our suffering. We want land and housing in the cities, we want to go to university, we want water and electricity – we don’t want to be educated to be good at surviving poverty on our own. The solution is not to educate the poor about xenophobia. The solution is to give the poor what they need to survive so that it becomes easier to be welcoming and generous. The solution is to stop the xenophobia at all levels of our society. Arrest the poor man who has become a murderer. But also arrest the corrupt policeman and the corrupt officials in Home Affairs. Close down Lindela and apologise for the suffering it has caused. Give papers to all the people sheltering in the police stations in Johannesburg. It is time to ask serious questions about why it is that money and rich people can move freely around the world while everywhere the poor must confront razor wire, corrupt and violent police, queues and relocation or deportation. In South Africa some of us are moved out of the cities to rural human dumping grounds called relocation sites while others are moved all the way out of the country. Some of us are taken to transit camps and some of us are taken to Lindela. The destinations might be different but it is the same kind of oppression. Let us all educate ourselves on these questions so that we can all take action. We want, with humility, to suggest that the people in Jo’burg move beyond making statements condemning these attacks. We suggest, with humility, that now that we are in this terrible crisis we need a living solidarity, a solidarity in action. It is time for each community and family to take in the refugees from this violence. They cannot be left in the police stations where they risk deportation. It is time for the church leaders and the political leaders and the trade union leaders to be with and live with the comrades born in other countries every day until this danger passes. Here in Durban our comrades stand with us when the Land Invasions Unit comes to evict us or the police come to beat us. Even the priests are beaten. Now we must all stand with our comrades when their neighbours come to attack them. If this happens in the settlements here in Durban this is what we must do and what we will do.

What can we do?

It is a pity to see the number of people who are eager for peace of mind. Some people take classes to attain peace of mind, some take drugs, some try meditation and other techniques, all of which are a waste of time if the goal is to attain peace of mind. A fundamental principle of Kabbalah is that peace of mind is actually quite unattainable during one's lifetime because the human soul has two aspects:

• Yetzer Ha'Tov (the good urge)
• Yetzer Ha'Ra (the bad urge)

These two aspects of the human soul are in constant battle with each other. However, the evil urge, the Yetzer Ha'Ra is not really evil in and of itself. The great sages tell the story that when some people decided to capture Yetzer Ha'Ra and lock it up in the prison, the result was that the houses were not built and babies were not born. This metaphorical story implies that the Yetzer Ha'Ra isn't actually evil but rather an impulse (Yetzer) that may be used for constructive or destructive purposes.

There is no way to stop the battle between the Yetzer Ha'Tov and the Yetzer Ha'Ra, nor would one want to. The goal of life is to use the battle between the two urges as a source of creativity. The tension between these two urges and the ultimate victory of one of the other (the good over the evil) results in the repairing and the building of the world. The goal isn't to end the battle but rather to raise it to the highest level possible, where the strife that the soul experiences results in purification, ethical living, acts of lovingkindness, and profound connection to God.
-- Kabbalah for Dummies, ArthurKurzweil.

Morning

Realising that the creation of a blog is a new experience for me, I beg your (my audience's) forgiveness. I am just posting for now, and will slowly expand the experience.

I facililate between expressing my conscious thoughts and sharing my deeper thoughts.

Let me give some examples:

I am in the process of seperating from my wife and 2 kids after 17 years. It has been a long process of "divorce". The deeper sides are my desire, which has been with me constantly, to seperate. My inability to express my real feelings, that has brought me to a place in which I doubt my inner truth.

I am living in Gloucester with my love, Lyn, who lives in South Africa and has come to stay and visit for 6 months. She is scheduled to leave in March. So the question is whether I will go back with her then, or stay longer here to cater to my kids and my responsibilities regarding my family.

The hard questions are around my relationship with my daughter, Ariel, 14 years of age and my inability to have a real relationship with her. A relationship in which we deal with the difficult issues facing us.

The other questions are around my inability to sort out my seperation from Moira. Why I have not filed for divorce; why I cannot seem to get to seperating the finances. She does not work, and has not worked for all this period, and seems reticent to begin now. Well, I would too, I suppose.

I have to leave now for my Aquatic Therapy session in Ipswitch where I spend an hour in the water exercising my left leg, due to the knee operation I just had. It is healing well - thank you for asking:-0

Upon my return, I will perhaps include some photos...

Otherwise, enjoy this glorious day here in the NorthEast of the U.S. of A.

Well, this is a new experience for me. I wonder what the difference is between all those livejournal type of sites, and a blogger. Are these not just a way of expressing myself? A way of sharing my thoughts with others?