1. Wholism, 1.1 Russian Lab Accident, 2. Magic, War and Disease, 2.1. Placebo Magic, 2.2. Ebola Magic, 3. Trapped During a Pandemic, 3.1. Cross Border Public Health, 4. Climate Dissonance, 4.1. Climate Conversations, <ADDED >1. Musical Biology
Other Topics: BioPolitics, Vaccine, Biosphere, Disaster, Humor, Climate Change, Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Communication, One Health, Environmental Change, Human Factors, Social Dimensions, Narratives, Infectious Disease, Polemic, Vaccination, Kubler-Ross, Mass Evacuation, Framing, Schismosgenesis, Frame, Shakespeare, Bioweapons, Novel Pathogen, Perception and Interpretation Manipulation, Magical Thinking, Biosafety, Swine Fever, Greta Thunberg, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Logical Fallacies
-1. One of the foundations of ecology, one health, and parademic is that life is interconnected in webs [Chart]. These webs are entangled, meaning that changes in one systems affects the other systems. Each of these connected systems are made up of several interconnected subsystems. Changes in any of these subsystems cascades through the whole system, which in turn causes changes in other systems. In social science this concept is framed as Wholism*: The idea that to understand a social event – events can be a brief encounter between individuals, to the complete history of civilizations – one needs to explore the larger contexts that these are embedded in. This involves identifying links that may be long chains or otherwise not be readily apparent among subsystems and between systems. These connections can provide surprising insights that inform (change) the perception and interpretation of an event.
-*. The accepted spelling is holism. PDWN frequently encounters magical thinking and practices to include pseudo medicine. In those behavioral contexts =2= the term holistic is likely to be encountered -2.2↓, but in those contexts that term has a different meaning. Adding the W is a notice to watch for overlook of paired homographs, that the context may not signal. [Cartoon].
-A. One of the implications of wholism is that the linear logics of deduction (certainty) and induction (probability), are not efficacious in interconnected living systems. Linear logic may appear to initially provide absolutely infallible results, but are likely to have unanticipated consequences that completely negate the expected enduring answer. Wholism tends to result in multiple confirmed conclusions as opposed to a single answer, and this range of solutions can contradict each other [Chart]. For those who believe that there is only one possible answer this is a hard situation to comprehend. People who tend toward absolute certainty have the tendency to prefer faith of what they -B*↓ believe should be, over accepting evidence of what is. [Cartoon].
-B. The logic of wholism involves panduction (all deducing), not leading toward or away toward a certainty, but immersion in constant change. However, panduction is cognitively difficult to maintain as a worldview, and tends reach ineffable and untestable conclusions. Synduction – deducing from multiple parts to create a heuristic of a whole – an elephant being described by the blind – is the method used by PDWN [Chart]. Synduction is likely to develop applicable models [Cartoon], with the unfortunate drawbacks that sharing the model directly may not necessarily be understood by those who are unfamiliar with the process, the inner templates and interactions of parts that make a model useful*, with the potential of misinterpretations that are wildly wrong. It takes time to develop an original, perhaps seminal, heuristic by synduction, and even longer to frame in a way that is accepted [Cartoon]. This can take so much time that the situation that necessitated the heuristic may become dormant or morphed into something different, preventing its use and confirmation in situ (real world situation) [Cartoon**↓, Meme].
-*. The current state of parademic has taken the PDWN curator about 10 years so far, not counting previous backgrounds and experiences in disaster, medical, analysis, ethnography, planning, education. Just developing a terminology has taken years to code the observations and concepts. It may take more years for others to understand the refine the terms, developing better terminology, meaning and concepts. There is also a resistence (if not outright resentment) to having new definitions and learning new words -A↑, and the curator of PDWN is hardly a Shakespeare -4↓. At this time there is critical need, but there is no education or career path available for this set of knowledge, skills and abilities, nor job descriptions to assist in selecting personnel. Part of the intent of PDWN is to develop something useable before a biocalamity acceleration, because waiting until the full crisis is usually too late to start.
-**. [Cartoon] Until the fire that nearly destroyed it, funding the restoration of Notre Dame was very slow. The Sackler’s were a major philanthropic donor until the taint of the money being profits from the opioid crisis$.
-C. A common misinterpretation of wholism is that it implies a smoothly working unified system. This is absolutely not the case. There is always schismogenesis =2= in any open system, trends that break patterns, introductions and deductions that change the whole, parts that don’t fit well with other components, continuous frictions and adjustments. One could argue that the relationships and workings between systems are only obvious when it is breaking. Constant change is the defining characteristic of a living system. Counter intuitively these divisions and diversity, even when acrimonious and culturally conflicting, have the overall effect of binding communities, groups and society together, thus making the whole more adaptable to changing circumstances. Parademic examples of this range from health insurance, abortion, environmental protection, climate change -crisis -warming, sea level rise, magic and medicine, biopolitics, etc. These can become very violent, even destructive to sub systems, but systems that work smoothly implies a static system, i.e. something that is dead and therefore does not need to change.
-1.1. A recent biolab accident at location with smallpox and other deadly diseases, Russian Virology Research Center Hit By Blast =2= =3= =4= =5= =6=, is an example of the need to use synduction for get the full context for interpretation. It is not possible to understand the significance of this incident without the lager context: This is not the first Russian lab accident involving a pathogen. Furthermore it is not isolated from other events, Russian Lab Explosion Raises Question: Should Smallpox Virus Be Kept or Destroyed, which is part of a larger global context of previous biolab incidents, pervious nuclear weapon accident 190901-Polemic-3-Russia, and previous nuclear accidents (Chernobyl ##↓↓). It does not help that Russian has a centuries long reputation for subterfuge, a quest for international power despite consequences, cheating, Red Scares. Then there are the war crimes in Syria with attacks on medical facilities and use of chemical weapons =2= =3= =4= on civil populations, with accompanying deception =2=. All of these taking place at the same as several concurrent biocalamities that may accelerate into global mass extinction. This larger context tends to influence how the accident is perceived and interpreted, with questions if there really is no danger, and if other incidents have happened before and were covered up. There is also concern if Russia will use a bioweapon, and how Russia manipulates the other countries now. [Poem].
-2. Witchcraft, Sorcery, Magic, and Other Psychological Phenomena and Their Implications on Military and Paramilitary Operations in the Congo* 1964. This report has been prepared in response to a query regarding the purported use of witchcraft, sorcery, and magic by insurgent elements in the Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville). Magical practices are said to be effective in conditioning dissident elements and their followers to do battle with Government troops. Rebel tribesmen seen to have been persuaded that they can be made magically impervious to Congolese army firepower. Their fear of Government forces was diminished and, conversely, fear of the rebels grew within army ranks. A review of available literature indicates that in Africa, uprisings embodying supernatural practices have tended to occur generally whenever the continued physical safety or internal power structure of a tribe or tribes has been seriously threatened. Manifestations of witchcraft and sorcery in these instances can be said to reflect, in part, a return to traditionalism. A tribe unites more readily when a threat is explainable and solutions are propounded in terms of tribal common denominators of belief. To determine the degree to which such a generalization is applicable to the current situation in the Congo, a brief recapitulation of certain aspects of recent Congolese history serves as a useful point of departure. #Document. Supernatural Subversives in the Congo. It has been observed that supernatural and other magical beliefs tend to manifest during biocalamity, and that armed conflict exacerbates health and environmental harm. How much of this is applicable to the current situation of syndemic and polemic in the same geographic area 55 years later.
-*. On page 1: Magical practices are said to be effective in conditioning dissident elements and their followers to do battle with Government troops. Tribesmen seen to have been persuaded that they can be made magically impervious. If Ebola is believed to be a weapon, possibly a magical one, it would be logical that the rebels can likewise be protected. This may even justify attacks of medical resources that are spreading Ebola as a means to protect those without magical protection.
-2.1. As noted before magical beliefs are not limited to the past, undeveloped countries, and can be framed as science. In many ways some modern beliefs and phobias take of the role that superstitions, incomplete knowledge =2=, supernatural fears used to fill: Antivax*, germaphobia =2=, anti (and pro) GMO =2=, conspiracy theory =2=, anti immigration =2= and gubergenic policies are examples of these social contagions. Supernatural roles can be applied to some beliefs about bioweapons and bioterrorism [CGI =2=]. The fear of a threat that is only dimly understood can demonstrably be observed in policies, technologies =2=, information manipulation, over and (initial) under reactions, public panics$, and political marketing =2=. The Ebola Experience 2014-15. Signs DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Finally On the Retreat but Risk of International Spread, Still High. [Tweet]. ¶ The Occult Remedy the Puritans Embraced, a medical treatment that looked suspiciously like black magic.
-*. Revelation that the cordyceps infestation was caused entirely by Americans’ foolhardy decision to get flu vaccinations for their children without at least listening to opposing voices on the issue. This may actually be satire and a provax statement.
-2.2. A World Renowned Placebo Researcher Asks, Does Placebo Research Boost Pseudoscience fueling quackery, as quacks coopt its results. The answer to that question is certainly yes. A better question is: How do supporters of science counter the placebo narrative promoted by quacks, in which placebos represent the power of the mind to heal the body. 190804-Vaccine-1, 190616-3, 190217-VCP-Research, 181118-5.1, 180805-VCP-Research, 180715-7.2. This misinterpretation of placebos is a reification fallacy (false inference). The Fallacy of the Placebo Controlled Clinical Trials: Are Positive Outcomes the Result of ‘Indirect’ Treatment Effects which is from the Institute for Holistic Health Studies Department of Health Education -1*↑. A fun way to test your knowledge about logical fallacies is Using Fallacy Cartoons in a Quiz =2=.
-3. ∩ Thomas Cook Airline Collapse Triggers Largest Peacetime Repatriation In U.K. History. A what if that PDWN has not explored in depth since 2010 for the H1N1 Flu -190922-1B↓. Part of planning was on how to retrieve US citizens that their dependents who are in a foreign county during a large, fast and lethal pandemic acceleration. This included: Medical screening; Verification of eligibility, Locating citizens; Security; Retrieval that may be opposed; What are the responsibilities for those who are incarcerated; Paying fees to foreign country for the care of US citizens and gaining access, Transportation; Feeding, Interagency coordination; Care of elderly and those with medical needs; Unaccompanied children; Evacuation and quarantine centers that may have to operate for long periods; Access through ports and borders; Legal issues; Forced entry if a foreign country makes unreasonable demands in exchange for the defacto hostages; Providing care for those who are too sick to travel, not necessarily from the pandemic pathogen; Retrieval and storage of remains; Delivery of vaccine or treatment to a foreign country for the exclusive use of citizens; Erosion of response capabilities due to political agendas, analysis of gaps not being done, unexamined assumptions, economic and the attrition of successive large scale bioevents.
-A. This planning included doing the antipode where a foreign country wants to get its citizens out of the US during a pandemic; if a jurisdiction within that US self isolated or otherwise interfered with operations; Arranging for notification of family in the US when their relatives arrive back and what the release process is. It is doubtful that taking the position that citizens outside the country are on their own would be accepted$, though legal action may not be possible until after the biocalamity. It may be more acceptable within a country to conduct mass deportations of non citizens, but it is unlikely neighboring countries will disapprove, with the consequences of less cooperation that is likely to put more people at risk.
-B. Much of this planning was interagency coordination. DoD Pandemic Planners needed to know what other agencies were doing to be able to figure out how to support. Unfortunately this became highly unpopular as it pointed out flaws and gaps in planning and shortfalls of resources. The solution was to declare the pandemic over and planning no longer needed. The reasoning was that a pandemic would never happen that existing infrastructure could not handle. It was also assumed that pandemic planners could become mission capable in a short time. Both of those unexamined assumptions have been definitively disproved, but the capability has yet to be created, though there are some uncoordinated efforts and related legislation.
-3.1. Another issue that was identified for planning was coordination of public health efforts across the international border. For the H1N1 pandemic the coordination between the US and Canada was good, but due to the drugs wars coordination between US and Mexico’s Public Health was degraded, a situation which has become worse with current anti foreign policies. South Korean Troops Chase Wild Boar on DMZ in War on Swine Fever =2=, 190908-5.3.
-4. Infographic: Where Most Climate Change Deniers Live. No surprises but a few points. This is not particularly informative. What positions these people hold in a society is what is important, i.e. do they influence policy and action =2=, or do they have no influence. Then there are those who believe in climate change* but not that people are responsible. Not sure what that means in terms of parademic. The reasoning to acknowledges environmental changes, but justifies taking no action to slow the process. Possibly there is a premise that everything will work out naturally, and that mitigating the impact will not involve changes in anthropogenic activities. If this speculation is accurate, then the stance denying human responsibility =2$= =3= and ability concerning the impacts on the geospheres that will cascade into the biosphere and the anthroposphere is more of a concern. This belief is more persistent and able to withstand contrary evidence, accepting whatever happens as inevitable, same attitude is the hallmark of the last stage of Kubler-Ross. [Strip]. Are We Finally at a Tipping Point on Climate Action.
-*. PDWN preference would be to not use the term climate change at all. Besides being charged with distracting baggage, the term is very misleading, especially in conveying how critical and existential the threat is. Global environmental change is more accurate. Saying climate change tends to imply only the climate (some still conflate climate and weather) is changing. The changes in the atmosphere system of ratios of gases and particulates has a range of impact on its subsystems (weather being one), which then cascade into the other systems of the geosphere and biosphere, which will crash into the anthroposphere. Warming average air water and ground temperatures, glacial melt, global eustasy 190915-1.2, enlarging the range of disease vectors =2= EEE, famine, confusion of animal and plant reproduction cycles, increasing economic disparity =2=, disruption of migration patterns, loss of basic resources such as food and potable water, encouragement of invasive and deleterious species, lower cognitive ability, infrastructure damage, increased probability of pandemic of a novel pathogen, more extreme range of temperatures, mass die offs and extinctions, higher precipitation, drought, biodiversity loss, stress and environmental related health problems shifting jet streams, faster internal speeds of cyclones with slower forward speeds and more likely to stall, erosion, floods, population declines, desertfication, megafire, political polarization, and exacerbation of social ills. Earth is literally going through a sea change =2= -1B*↑ that will change the biosphere. [Chart]. Global Climate in 2015-2019 Shows Climate Change Accelerating. Nation Perplexed By 16 Year Old Who Doesn’t Want World To End =2= =2A= =2B= =3=, =4= =5=.
-4.1. Respect, Connection and Hope: A Climate Change Conversation. Advice from experts who talk about climate change every day for the rest of us as we try to talk to people in our lives. The elements are respect, find a point of mutual agreement, and always remember that humans respond most effectively when there is hope for the future. Climate Change Is Really about Prosperity, Peace, Public Health and Posterity – Not Saving the Environment. Could Climate Change Fuel the Rise of Right Wing Nationalism.
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-190922-1B>. Ethnobiology through Song. Music is recognized as an essential constituent of the diversity of life on Earth and is enshrined in the concept of biocultural diversity. While research shows that song is an untapped library of biocultural memory, ethnobiologists have not yet explored the many areas in which studying songs and music through an ethnobiological lens could bring into focus the multi dimensional relationships among humans and their biological worlds. The research articles in this special issue illustrate the importance of songs as both a repository of ethnobiological knowledge and as a means to construct, maintain, and mobilize peoples' intimate relations with their local ecologies. Although many traditional music-making systems are under risk of attrition, the extent to which traditional songs continue to be performed and celebrated in many Indigenous and local communities attests not just to the endurance and resilience of their cultures, but also to their deep cultural attachment to their lands as manifested through song. This special issue constitutes one significant step towards the recognition of music both as a timeless prism for looking at human-nature inter-relations, in all their complexities and magnificence, and as an essential form of biocultural heritage, worthy of documentation, conservation, and revitalization. XY Cell Llif3 (Video). The Handwashing Song (Video). The Right Way to Sneeze (Video). Swine Flu Song (Video) -3↑.
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