221 posts
Latest Posts by disscog - Page 7
Sticks Together - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Lisa is hosting the Quadrille (44 words) inviting us to write a poem using the word With. dVerse Poets – Quadrille – With a little help Photo: http://www.vox.com “Where have you been? They ask. And what has taken you so long? That night after eating, singing, and dancing we lay together under the stars. We know ourselves to be part of mystery.” Joy Harjo Sticks TogetherWreathednot…
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Not Missing Anything - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: waterandnature.org “And puddles glimmering in my mind” John Masefield Not Missing AnythingMotes gathercataractically in thecorners of your eyes,time fritters your wallsof brittle doubt,yesterday you knewtoday you don't needthat obsession,now, you just enjoypuddle-jumping angstriddled pavements,waving the tour busgoodbye and breathingwith ease, not holdingeverything, not…
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Also called biocrust, cryptobiotic soil is a community of tiny, dirt-dwelling organisms that form a distinct crust on the top of soil in arid landscapes. These crusts are vital across Earth’s dryland ecosystems, helping to hold loose soil together and prevent erosion. They retain water, provide nooks for other microbes to live in and add nitrogen to the soil.
Cryptobiotic soil often looks like a discolored patch of ground. Upon closer inspection, the stain becomes a mosaic of small, dark lumps, dotted with tiny beds of moss and inconspicuous patches of lichen. But it can also look very similar to regular, crusty soil. Although the crunchy earth might be tempting to trek over, like stomping through a pile of crisp autumn leaves, that’s a major faux pas: Biocrust can take decades to regenerate.
Biocrusts cover around 12 percent of Earth’s land surfaces and inhabit every continent in the world. A major component of these crusts is often photosynthesizing bacteria called cyanobacteria. The cyanobacteria form sticky filaments that act like glue in sandy desert soil, creating a clumpy, crusty surface where fungi and other bacteria take hold.
Depending on what environment a biocrust is in, it can also house itty-bitty mosses, lichens and microscopic algae. For example, in desert areas with more moisture, like Moab, Utah, biocrusts tend to feature mosses. In gypsum-rich soils, such as near Lake Mead, Nevada, lichens take center stage. Some crusts feature all components, and in other crusts, multiple components are missing. But regardless of their community lineup, the crusts all serve as a living skin for desert land.
“They provide this suit of armor to the soil,” says Ferran Garcia-Pichel, a microbiologist at Arizona State University in Tempe. When he first started working with biocrusts around two decades ago, very little was known about them. In the 2023 Annual Review of Microbiology, Garcia-Pichel outlines what researchers have learned about cryptobiotic soil over the last couple decades and what remains unknown.
(via They No Longer Shine - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)
They No Longer Shine - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: aljazeera.com (G20 puppets 2018) “The puppets are in love and so are the puppeteers” David Tait They No Longer ShineThe puppetsdespite their expenseare lacklustre now,their movements stiffby rusted joints seized,suspension wires benttormented, twistedfaces peeling,eyes dimmedears broken,heads bowed with weightthey no longer shinefor restless audienceswho come withdesperate expectationfor…
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Are These My Legs? - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: clipstock.com via Bing “I got out of bed on two strong legs. It might have been otherwise.” Jane Kenyon Are These My Legs?I marvel at the smallest of things,the unseen, indescribable acts Itake for granted where cause and effect are seemingly absent likethe moment I get out of bed,what is the event that precedes the movement that makes it so,can it be reduced to cause and effectlike the…
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The Eye Of Memory - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Mish is hosting Open Link Night – the night we choose a poem to post. dVerse Poets – OLN Photo: The Indian Ocean at Skippy Rocks (close to where it meets the Southern Ocean) “Something here about the memory” Robin Walter The Eye Of MemoryThe sky in the cafe was a big skyframing the ocean blue with spumemusing over slice and coffee views,my eyes linger over a sneaky cornerretro…
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Laughs As It Stabs - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: pexels.com “Denial – – is the only fact perceived by the denied – -” Emily Dickinson Laughs As It StabsPaint the house garishdig a new gardenrearrange the interiorwash the dogstyle my hairfind a new jobnew partnernew clothesmore new clothesnew car,anything butfacing the real,as if denial is avirtue and will winthe day,let's go to marsnow that we havestuffed up earth,as if that will…
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The Fire Drake a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Kim is hosting poetics with an invitation to write a poem about a dragon. dVerse Poets – Poetics – Legendary Creatures Photo: wallpaperaccess.com “For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it a chance” Christopher Smart The Fire DrakeMaybe, maybe not, thegryphon brings good luckbut I pat him every nightbefore I take the 240 wornsteps up the ancient toweras if a talisman of…
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Absorbing Possibility - Haibun by Paul Vincent Cannon
At dVerse Frank is hosting the Haibun with an invitation to write a sci-fi haibun – for more detail follow the link below: dVerse Poets – Haibun – Scifi Haibun Image by ImaArtist from Pixabay “Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare” David Bowie Absorbing Possibility Borg-like I shape to ascend the pod. I smile at the robots now reduced to menial tasks, this is the new age beyond…
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Ignorance Is Not An Ethical Stance - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo: majorcadailybulletin.com cleaning up in Valencia. “If ignorance is bliss, why isn’t the world happier?” Mark Twain Ignorance Is Not An Ethical StanceMy, do you look completely silly in your denial,keep telling me all about your belief that theenvironment is doing fine and that all these turbulent, unprecedented, wild natural events are those one hundred year turns that yoursuperstitious,…
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Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged. Israel's Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, Human Rights Watch, New York, NY, November 14, 2024 (pdf here)
I Wonder - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image by JayMantri from Pixabay “Did you tackle that trouble that came your way …” Edmund Vance Cooke I WonderThe unplanned dayexpansive before me,as creased and informal as my wrangled sheetsand just as sneaky as what lay imaginatively under the bed plottingagainst my lack of showering,ironing or complete plan of doing zero,subverted by any numberof impromptu zoomsa lack of milkvisitors…
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All That Remains - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Image by Matias Piedrabuena from Pixabay “Love is apart from all things” Jack Gilbert All That RemainsHer shadow playshis memory,her voice approachingwith those old shoesthe worn patchhidden to the worldas much as herreaction to his touch,though subtleher lips give her away,eyes alightthrough her stoic glancesignals a firecatching at first flare,all that remainsis the placing ofmore kindlingto…
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The Nightmare - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon
Photo by Duane Mendes on Unsplash “what is stronger than the human heart which shatters over and over and still lives” Rupi Kaur The NightmareThe unexpectedspeaking in subtle shiftschewing on thorns,a pebble in the shoethe wisdom of ageslike a trainwe muston occasion railagainst the sourceeven if in vain,the hand of chalkwalled in to wordsthat are mere dustwiped free beforemeaning evolvesin…
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"In a landmark move towards ending statelessness, Thailand’s cabinet has approved an accelerated pathway to permanent residency and nationality for nearly half a million stateless people, marking one of the region’s most significant citizenship initiatives.
The decision announced on Friday [November 1, 2024] will benefit 335,000 longtime residents and members of officially recognized minority ethnic groups, along with approximately 142,000 of their children born in Thailand.
“This is a historic development,” said Ms. Hai Kyung Jun, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Bureau Director for Asia and the Pacific. The measure is expected to dramatically reduce statelessness, addressing the situation of the majority of nearly 600,000 people currently registered as stateless in the country.
Thailand’s commitment to eradicating statelessness has positioned the Government as a leader in addressing this humanitarian challenge, the agency said.
The country recently pledged at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 to resolve statelessness and was among the founding members of the Global Alliance to End Stateless, an initiative launched by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Geneva last month...
UNHCR has expressed its commitment to continue working closely with the Royal Thai Government on the implementation of this groundbreaking decision and to ending statelessness overall."
-via United Nations News, November 1, 2024
(via What Is This Moment? - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)
(via Lesser Champions - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)
(via Mind Junk - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)
"A 25-year-old woman in China is the first person worldwide to have type 1 diabetes reversed through stem cell therapy.
The therapy used the patient’s own cells to create personalized stem cells, which were then used to grow fresh insulin-producing islets.
This breakthrough offers hope for millions with diabetes, potentially eliminating the need for daily insulin injections and reducing complications.
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, a 25-year-old woman in Tianjin, China, has had her type 1 diabetes reversed through a novel stem cell therapy. This marks the first time such a feat has been accomplished globally, offering new hope for millions living with the chronic condition.
The patient, who had been struggling with type 1 diabetes, underwent a pioneering treatment that involved converting her own cells into personalized stem cells. These stem cells were then used to grow fresh clusters of ‘islets,’ the hormone-producing cells in the pancreas responsible for regulating blood sugar levels.
As Nature reports, this therapy’s unique approach of transplanting the newly created islets into the patient’s upper abdomen near her pancreas sets it apart from previous islet transplant methods. This strategic placement allows for easier monitoring via MRI, a significant advantage over traditional liver transplants.
“I can eat sugar now,” the woman said on a call with Nature. After over a year since the transplant, she says, “I enjoy eating everything — especially hotpot.” The woman asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.
Experts are astonished at the results, according to Timesnownews. “They’ve completely reversed diabetes in the patient, who was requiring substantial amounts of insulin beforehand,” said Dr. James Shapiro, a transplant surgeon and researcher at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
The implications of this breakthrough are far-reaching, as it could potentially revolutionize the way we treat diabetes. By using a patient’s own cells to create personalized stem cells, this therapy bypasses the limitations of donor islet shortages and the need for immunosuppressive drugs, which have hindered the success of conventional transplant methods.
‘If this is applicable to other patients, it’s going to be wonderful,’ diabetes researcher Daisuke Yabe of Japan’s Kyoto University told reporters via Daily Mail.
As the world watches closely, the success of this case sparks hope for the millions of individuals living with type 1 diabetes. It represents a significant step forward in regenerative medicine and paves the way for further research and development in the field."
-via Gadget Review, September 30, 2024
Djane Ki, Allow me to Insist, from Vagari E.P., LBA-KI-CD7, La Bande Adhésive, (Digital album), 2023
Written, produced and mixed by Vanessa Jeantrelle aka Dj Ki Artwork & mastering by Nicolaiev Boutovitch at LBA studio
@dj-ki
(via Ever Increasing - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)
My latest cartoon for New Scientist
(via Partial To Turquoise - a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon)