Growth Hormone in Genetically Engineered Fish

Response 3 of 5 regarding Animal/Plant Biotechnology
Written: November 12, 2011

The Concerns Regarding Growth Hormone GE Fish

Due to the current and projected continuation of the world-wide food shortage problem, more attention is being directed at scientific research that has developed fish species that have been genetically engineered with growth hormones. For example, the full mature growth cycle of salmon has been reduced by roughly 30 percent, allowing for significantly faster food production. However, there has been growing concern regarding the safety of production and consumption of GE fish, and many opponents have expressed outcry over the possible dangers to public health and environmental safety (Pollack 2010).

In regards to concerns over food safety, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating the commercial use of all GE animals, such as fish. Recently, the FDA has concluded that after exhaustive testing, genetically engineered salmon with growth hormone are safe for human consumption. They deemed that food from GE salmon is just like any other food from conventional Atlantic Salmon, and that there is no reasonable evidence of harm due to consumption of the fish (Pollack 2010). The FDA's research showed no differences between the two types and salmon, and they have concluded that there are no risks to public health due because growth hormones already exist in all the meats we currently eat. Also, no increases in allergens were found, which adds support to the claim to that salmon that are genetically engineered with growth hormones are safe for human consumption (ScienceDaily 2010).

However, even after the FDA's announcement, opposition groups have raised concerns that genetically engineered fish pose significant risks to the environment. Opponents to GE fish argue that containment of the fish is vital to the safety of the environment because accidental release could have widespread negative effects on local populations of native fish (ScienceDaily 2010). A scientific study was conducted in 2001 in order to determine if growth hormones had any effect on the mortality of GE fish in the wild. The results showed that there was no significant difference in recapture rates between the GE and non-GE fish that were tested in a wild stream. The study then concluded that mortality rates were the same for both types of fish, and that growth-enhanced fish can indeed be competitive in wild ecosystems. The data support the idea that growth-enhanced fish are no more susceptible to predation and starvation-mortality than regular fish. Because they can survive well enough, it is argued that GE fish could have the ability to out-compete the normal fish who have slower growth rates. (Johnsson 2011).

GE opposition groups fear that this could possibly lead to the destruction of local native fish populations, and have argued in favor of strict regulatory controls over GE fish production in order to prevent accidental release. Craig Altier, a member of the FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee has argued that the FDA needs to apply all the same regulatory security measures to the production and transport of these GE fish as they would for potentially dangerous medicines (ScienceDaily 2010). Overall, while GE fish have been deemed safe to eat by the FDA, there are still significant concerns about negative environmental impacts if the fish were to be released in the wild. There are still many obstacles that need to be overcome in order for growth-hormone fish to be utilized as a source of food for human consumers. Only the future holds whether or not GE fish will be used a partial solution to the world-wide food shortage problem.

Resources

Johnsson, J.I., and B.Th. Bjornsson. "Growth-enhanced fish can be competitive in the wild." Functional Ecology. 15.5 (2001): 654-659. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/826692?origin=JSTOR-pdf>.

Pollack, Andrew. "Modified Salmon is Safe to Eat, F.D.A. Says." New York Times 3 Sep 2010, Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/health/policy/04salmon.html>.

"Genetically Engineered Salmon Safe to Eat, but a Threat to Wild Stocks, Expert Says." ScienceDaily, 25 Sep 2010. Web. 13 Nov 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100925105209.htm>.

Public Awareness and Concerns of Biotechnology

Response 2 of 5 regarding Animal/Plant Biotechnology
Written: November 4, 2011

Public Awareness and Concerns of Biotechnology

The awareness and understanding of general the general public are important factors that can limit the advancement of biotechnology research and applications. Within any society, the ultimate choice on whether scientific research and technological applications are employed comes down to the power of the people. The level of public awareness and understanding is very important to the development of new technologies, because they rely on the general public to utilize the new applications. For if the public has trouble understanding the general advances of biotechnology, they will be more likely to be opposed to it, and therefore new biotechnology applications will be prevented from being utilized.

Within the fields of biotechnology, many studies have been conducted to look at the public acceptance of genetically modified food products. For example, the Chinese government has become increasingly more concerned about the potential risks that transgenic crops pose to their nation's food supply. However, in China the “basic consumer understanding of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is very low, mainly because genetic modification is not allowed to become a widely debated issue in the media (AgBio Forum). In September of 2003, a survey regarding public awareness and acceptance was conducted of GM food products was conduced. Out of the almost 1,000 consumers interviewed, roughly 71% has reported they had heard of biotech food products. However, less than 20% of those interviewed reported having an understanding of genes and transgenic food products. Around 60% reported that they were neutral or unwilling to consume GM food products. Within the example survey in China, there are clear distinctions that show that while the majority of the public had heard about transgenic food products in some way or another, only a small percentage truly had a basic understanding of genetics and biotech food products (AgBio Forum).

The public is also constantly bombarded with propaganda that is designed to spread misinformation regarding genetic engineering (GE). Some opponents of transgenic agriculture have been able to spread misinformation because the general public is so little educated about science. Over time, opponents to GE technologies have deliberately spread misinterpreted results of biotech research studies in order to sway public opinion. By targeting very specialized examples of GE research, opponents have been able to manipulate an individual's opinions by feeding their emotions. For example, Paul Billings wrote an op-ed article in the Boston Globe that contended that “dangerous untested foods are being foisted upon an unsuspecting American public, by mad scientists” (Rader). Even though the scientists behind the studies have publicly denounced the misinterpreted results, the damage had already been done once a majority of the public opinion has been swayed.

Members of the public are also affected by propaganda and targeted advertising campaigns from biotechnology companies. These advertising campaigns are directed to the emotional connection of the general public, by supplying information regarding the benefits of new medical tests and procedures. While biotech companies state that their marketing is a benefit to society, many experts argue that these ads are merely creating unnecessary anxiety by preying on societies' already exaggerated fears of illness and disease (DTC Campaigns).

Overall, the public is continually being attacked by parties from both sides of the GE debate. The public's awareness, concerns, and approvals of biotechnology have greatly significant effects on continued research as well as the applied use of biotechnologies.

Resources

Ho, P., & Vermeer, E.B. (2004). Food safety concerns and biotechnology: Consumers' attitudes to genetically modified products in urban China.AgBioForum, 7(4), 158-175. Available: http://www.agbioforum.org.

Brierley, Karina, and Ellen Matloff. "DTC Campaigns Mislead Public."Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. 01 Jan 2008: n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/dtc-campaigns-mislead-public/2315/>.

Rader, Charles. "Misinformation about Food Safety." A Report on Genetically Engineered Crops. Jan 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/gemod.htm#foodsafetymisinformation>.

Ethical Concerns of Xenotransplantation

Response 1 of 5 regarding Animal/Plant Biotechnology
Written: October 30, 2011

Ethical Concerns of Xenotransplantation

Over the past few decades, scientific research efforts have led to numerous substantial medical advances in the realm of Xenotransplantation, which is the utilization of organs from non-human species as transplants for human patients. However, even with advances in medical and transplant technology, there still remain several ethical concerns which must be addressed in order for Xenotransplantation to become a viable solution to the ever growing shortage of human organ donation. Two of the major ethical concerns which threaten to limit or even fully prevent the use of Xenografts are the dangers to the patient, as well as the effects on other humans.

The first major ethical concern regarding the use of Xenotransplantation in grafting organs from non-human species into human patients deals with dangers to the patient. “In any medical decision, the benefits that the patient stands to gain from a treatment must be balanced against its risks” (Hughes 20). Even though there are clear possible health benefits for patients receiving organs from other species, the process could also pose possible dangers to the patient. There is a significant risk of rejection, increased risk of infection that could result from immunosuppression, as well as a risk of acquiring diseases from the donor animal. Therefore, it is vital that the patient receiving the transplants be made aware of all the known possible risks as well as the benefits. Informed consent is very important in maintaining that the decision is adequately made by the patient in a free and educated manner. However, even with informed consent, the choice of the patient can still remain an ethical concern. Some people believe that there are limits to what people should be allowed to giver their consent. It is argued by them that if the results of Xenotransplantation are currently too poor, it would be morally wrong to continue with Xenograft procedures, even if the patient has given their full consent (Hughes).

Another major ethical concern regarding the use of Xenotransplantation deals with dangers to the human population as a whole. An important issue here is the risk that disease transferred between animals and humans may end up being infectious within the human population. With the use of Xenografts carrying possible risks to the human population, the ethical concerns shift from the consent of the individual patient to being centered in the realm of justice. According to Laura Williamson: “There is a risk to public health. Individuals shouldn't be able to consent to procedures which could threaten public health” (Curtis). While it can be argued that the patient receiving the transplant has the right to consent, the risk of transmission of infectious diseases within the human population as a whole is a much more serious concern. However, there are mixed theories on the magnitude of possible cross contamination in humans due to the transmission of disease from animal donors. John Atkinson , who works at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis “researching the effects of pig xenotransplants concluded that 'a new virus is a theoretical possibility, but I can't imagine that with all our contact with pigs over thousands of years, that it would be a major problem” (Ferzli).

Even though opinions on the subject are widely varied, there are still several major ethical concerns regarding the use of Xenotransplantation techniques for human patients. The issues regarding the dangers to the patient as well as the human population as a whole must be addressed along with many other concerns if Xenografts are to become a viable medical solution to numerous health problems that we humans suffer from.

Resources

Hughes, Jonathan. "Xenografting: Ethical Issues." Journal of Medical Ethics. 24.1 (1998): 18- 24. Print.

Ferzli, Pascal. "The Ethics of Xenotransplantation." The Ethical Spectacle. N.p., Feb 2011. Web. 29 Oct 2011.

Curtis, Polly. "Ethicists fear free-for-all in animal-human transplants." Guardian 13 Jan 2007. n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/13/health.genetics>.

The Way of The Sufi

Written: October 25, 2011

The Formation and General Distinction of The Path of Sufism

During the first few generations of the spread of Islam, the specific practice of and dedication to mysticism was too general to have a special name. However, the spread of Islam lead to significant growths in wealth and knowledge, which in turn caused increases in materialism as more people became occupied with new worldly luxuries. It was during this time that “those who dedicated themselves to the worship of God were distinguished from the rest by the title of Sufis” (Lings 45).

During the early growth and evolution of Sufism, many believers congregated together in groups and formed individual orders. While the basic foundation remained the same, the various orders did differentiate themselves apart from each other by forming their own unique paths towards the universal goal of the spiritual illumination of God. Each order had their own specialized prayers and rituals that explored the mysticism of Islam and allowed them to focus their hearts and minds on God. While some groups utilized chanting, song, and dance, others used more solitary and small group teachings to contemplate on God's divine will. “As a result, an incredibly rich diversity of spiritual possibilities came into being in the Islamic world, which enabled men and women of very differing ethnic...types to participate in the teachings of Sufism” (Manifestations 4). However, even though there are many specialized routes that a believer may take in order to achieve complete mystic spirituality, there are four general aspects of the tariqa, or “the path” that together are shared between almost all of the Sufi orders. If a traveler along the Sufi path wishes to seek the full illumination of God's spirit in themselves, they must embody the nature of these four aspects within themselves (Manifestations).

The first general aspect of transformation that the traveller, or salik, must work in is the purification of the self. One must first cleanse themselves of any depravity from animalistic qualities, in order to acquire a tranquil self. The foundation of purification requires the elimination of the animalistic essence of nafs, which are “the carnal or appetitive soul – the seat of passion and lust” (Valiuddin 2). The nafs can be purified; and this is accomplished when the self begins to shun evil, and opens up to the divine teachings of God. Mahmud ibn Ali al-Kashani described five specific appetitive attributes of the nafs; the first is slavery to carnal desires. Our nafs lead us to lust for sensual pleasures and distract us from desiring God, in favor of more worldly pleasures and interests. Second, the nafs induce hypocrisy and severely decrease our sincerity by changing who we are and what we do depending on the situation. The third attribute of the nafs is the motivation to flaunt wealth and to deceive others. Fourth, the nafs also lay claim to Godship, by 

culminating pride and wanting others to praise, follow, and obey them. Finally, the nafs are tied to extreme greed and desire for material wealth. They place great importance on property, while refusing to relinquish possessions that would help others (Valuiddin).

The nafs can only be cleansed of its carnal animalistic attributes by practicing self-remonstrance and austerity. In order to be in union with God, one must express ernest protest of our own lustful desires, as well as work diligently towards eliminating them. The purpose of purification is release ourselves from the hold that our carnal passions have on our souls, allowing for a proper union with God. It is very important to act in exact opposite of the nafs's wishes and desires. “It is incumbent upon every traveler on the Path to purge the nafs of its evil attributes in order to replace these by the opposite, praise worthy qualities (Schimmel 112). The traveler must retrain the selfish and self-centered characteristics of their own nafs, in order to utilize the underlying foundation in efforts to serve God. Constant vigilance and training is required in order to keep up with the daunting task of cleansing. It is very important to not remain idle, for it is during times of laziness where the self is most vulnerable to the carnal desires of the animalistic nafs (Schimmel).

The second aspect of the path of spiritual advancement deals with cleansing of the heart. In referring to the “heart”, Sufism deals not with the physical mass of flesh and blood, but rather it refers to the holding place of God's grace and the spiritual nature of its contents. In order to attain unity with God, Sufism instructs that believers must prepare their hearts by eliminating any preoccupations with material things and worldly dealings. Travelers on this path work towards expelling any un-godly thoughts and beliefs, while maintaining their focus on God. “Cleansing of the heart means erasing from it all the love of the world and worldlings and effacing from it all mundane griefs and sorrows and worry over futile things” (Valiuddin 11). The Sufi path holds that the more time a person spends maintaining outward appearances and being involved in worldly affairs, the more troubles they will be inviting into their life. While Sufis don't believe that the world is worthless, they do contend that love for un-godly things is a hindrance to attaining the divinity of God within ourselves. The path of Sufism declares that there is no room for the love of God in the heart as long as there exists in it a love for the world (Valiuddin).

Sufism contends that in order to attain mystical ecstasy, one must maintain a heart that is open and receptive to the divinity of God. One's heart must be pure in nature and completely devoid of all darkness and decay that are the result of relying on material things and un-godly matters. As part of cleansing the heart, comes the “emptying of the sirr”, which refers to eliminating any thoughts or beliefs that might divert our attention and focus away from God. Many Sufis believe that the sirr is an organ of mystical vision, and just like the heart, is capable of holding divine love and knowledge of the spirit. The sirr should be diligently kept guarded, therefore remaining open only enough so that God alone may be able to enter. Contemplation on God should be the sole occupier of one's sirr in order to maintain spiritual clarity and prevent any muddling of one's mystical vision. The sirr is considered to be the bridge between the finite and the infinite, acting as the gate opening from which the illumination of God's spirit may enter. “The emptying of the sirr is an act of the mind” and is an integral part of cleansing the heart (Valiuddin 95). For if the heart and sirr remain muddled with love for worldly things, then it will be impossible to see the divine clarity of God.

Prayer and the remembrance of God combine to be the third aspect spiritual illumination. This process can be conducted once the heart has been cleansed from all love for the world, and has been opened up to God. The foundation of this aspect centers around the recollection of God, and solidifies the remembrance of God's radiant glory within our hearts. Prayer to God is an important aspect of mystic spiritual advancement because it calls forth to God, requesting guidance and asking for love and grace to transcend and fill the person heart. By bringing God into the heart, all grief and sorrow are eliminated and only the love of God remains. Prayer and remembrance of God is very important because “the heart of one who is forgetful of God is merely the 'wall of a room', and the heart of him who remembers God is the object of Divine Illumination” (Valiuddin 30).

One of the most important forms of worship for the Sufis became ritual prayers. “The mystics laid great stress on the meticulous performance of the ablutions, which became, for them, symbols of the purification of the soul” (Schimmel 148). The early Sufis followed the directions of the law perfectly, and tried their best to relive the model of the prophet Muhammad in even the smallest details. While each Sufi order had their own unique set and style of prayers, all Sufis believed that the act of prayer allowed for the entering into the presence of God. It was considered direct communication, and the highest form of glorification. Sufis also practiced free prayer, that allowed for more personal chosen and directed form of worship. Free prayers were still considered intimate conversations between man and God, but were not however limited in scope and practice as were ritual prayers (Schimmel).

The final general aspect of Islamic mystic advancement centers on the illumination of God's spirit within the self. Sufis believe that the human spirit or soul is an abstract substance that has been created before the creation of the body, yet it is not constrained by time. Through this belief, Sufism contends that once the spirit has attained “pure light and entire purity”, the illumination of God's divinity will radiate from it. While the placement of this stage along the Sufi path has been contended by different orders, most Sufis agree that it should be conducted at the same time as cleansing of the heart. The term “illumination of the spirit implies the filling of the human spirit with the effulgence of the Vision of God, and the fervour of His love” (Valiuddin 137). In order to achieve and maintain perfection of the spirit, it is critical to illuminate it with the divine providence of God, allowing it to become a worthy example of God's being here on Earth. It is said in the Hadith that once a person moves towards God, God will move closer by leaps and bounds, and grace will be abundant. Only then is the self purified and the human spirit illuminated (Valiuddin).

Complete spiritual illumination requires both knowledge and love of God, for love is considered the highest state of spiritual advancement. “One can only love what one knows” and “one can know something only insofar as one loves it” (Schimmel 131). In order to attain mystical ecstasy through knowledge of God, one must first love God fully. Love is an essential part of spiritual illumination, because only loving God, is God accepted into the human spirit (Schimmel). Once God has been accepted into the spirit, it can take the place of the lustful nafs of the soul, and the person will finally be fully aware of the divine will of God. The human spirit then shines radiantly with effulgence of God, as it “has attained such perfection that it has now become worthy of being the perfect bride of the Spirit, thus returning to its Lord” (Self-Awareness 323).

Sufis believe that their spiritual path is like a ladder that leads to the divine. While each Sufi order's path may be different from another, it's important to note that there are four main general aspects of the path that are central to the ideas of Sufism. By committing oneself to these stages, the traveler is able to attain the complete mystical and spiritual illumination of God's radiance within themselves.

Resources

Valiuddin, Dr. Mir. Contemplative Disciplines in Sufism. London: East-West Publications (UK) Ltd., 1980. N. pag. Print.

Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions Of Islam. Univ of North Carolina Pr, 1975. Print.

Lings, Martin. What Is Sufism? Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: Univ of California Press, 1975. Print.

Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. "Self-Awareness and Ultimate Selfhood." Religious Studies. 13.3 (1977): 319-325. Print.

Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic Spirituality, Manifestations. New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997. Print.

The "Seven Sins of Memory"

Part 3 of 4 required essays for my writing class.
Written: November 15, 2011

The “Seven Sins of Memory”

Our memories are great at storing information about meaning and events in our lives, but they also often fail to function properly. The vast majority of people suffer from some sort of forgetfulness or memory failure throughout their everyday lives. We forget simple things all the time, such as where we had parked our car, or the name of someone who we had just met. Even though these sort of memory failures are small in terms of severity, they can be annoying and often leave us wondering about the causes. However, just the mere yearning for better memory won't cause it to happen. In order to develop techniques that will result in better memory performance, it is crucial to first understand the causes of memory failures. Through scientific studies, psychologists have isolated and defined the “Seven Sins” in which our memory systems fail. These seven sins help us to better understand the ways in which our memory can trick us, as well as leading us to appreciate the positive effects in light of the negative ones.

The first sin of memory, transience, is the gradual degradation of memory due to the passage of time. Our stores of general knowledge and memories of past events become increasingly more difficult to accurately recollect the longer it has been since the memories were first originally formed. Through research studies and experiments, psychologists have noted that transience can occur in both our short and long term memories. Our short term memory, or STM, includes things that are going through our minds at this very moment. It can contain information that we have just read, thoughts that we have recently formed, and our experiences of events that are currently happening. Short term memory can be very useful in storing ready to use information for quick access, but it does have a high turn-over rate. Our STM has a limited amount of storage capacity, and thus information quickly leaks out as new information is brought in. Transience experienced in short term memory is one explanation as to why we sometimes have trouble remembering a passage that we had just recently finished reading. Essentially, the information went into one ear and out the other, stopping only for a brief presence within our short term memory (PSYBlog 2008).

While our STM is limited in space, our long term memory, or LTM, essentially has no restrictions on capacity. Transience affects our LTM in a different way than our STM. Many psychologists believe that in our long term memory, the degradation of event memories is most severe shortly after the memories are formed. As time passes on, our memory loss for specific events slows down, and possibly leading to complete forgetting. The notion of transience, in both STM and LTM, is important in helping to understand the nature of why we are often forgetful of significant details from past events (PSYBlog 2008).

The second sin of memory, absent-mindedness, is the result of general lapses of attention and it is the reason why we often forget where we have placed things. Psychologists believe that memory failure due to absent-mindedness most often occurs when we aren't paying attention to the current situation. If our attention is directed elsewhere at the time of encoding, there's a good chance that specific details for that event will be misrepresented. A great example of this type of memory failure is the frantic search for an open space within a crowded parking lot. If our minds are focused on other things and our attention is diverted, we may often find it difficult to remember where we had parked upon returning to the lot. However, absent-mindedness can also be a blessing, since lacking this can result in cognitive overload. Take for example, the case study of Russian journalist Solomon Shereshevskii, who had the amazing propensity to remember anything that ever happened to him. He reported being tortured by simple everyday events, as his mind was constantly bombarded with relevant but mundane memories. So perhaps the next time when we forget where we have placed our keys, we should be thankful that absent-mindedness sets us free from remembering life's extremely dull moments (PSYBlog 2008).

Blocking is the third sin of memory, and it refers to the temporary inaccessibility of stored information within our memory. This memory failure is most often referred to as the “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomenon, because even though we may have a strong feeling of what we want to say, we fail to produce the exact recollection. We might substitute a similar word or phrase in place of what we truly intend (Murray 2003). Surely, we all have experienced this effect in some way or another, possibly when trying to remember the name of a particular track on a music album, or when attempting to describe the sensations of a certain food. Even though we are certain of what we want to say, our memory fails by blocking the correct word or phrase that we wish to express.

The fourth sin of memory, misattribution, is the correct recollection of the meaning of a memory, but attributed to an incorrect source. According to Daniel Schacter, it “occurs when we remember that something happened to us but attribute the memory to an incorrect source” (Schacter 228). We may remember hearing a specific joke from a friend, when in reality we actually read it in a magazine. We might also mistake a dream that we had for being a memory of a real life event. Misattribution is unique in the way that the meaning of the memory is usually fully recollected, but we have trouble correctly identifying when or where it came from. It might lead us to incorrectly remembering that we had seen or heard something that we truly hadn't. This results from the merger of several eventful memories into one. Understanding misattribution is important in recognizing the problems that may occur when we incorrectly identify the source of our memories.

Suggestibility is the fifth sin of memory and is very closely connected to misattribution because it deals with false memories. It refers to the formation of memories that are generated by suggestions and questions that lead us to believing things that never actually occurred. A great example of this effect is when police investigators use leading questions when interviewing witnesses. This type of memory implantation leads to false recollections of events, and it can help explain the formation of false eye-witness testimony (Schacter 2003).

Persistence, the sixth sin of memory, refers to when recollections of information and events constantly remain within our memory. Persistence can be both a blessing and a curse. It is very useful for remembering important information such as dates of birth and identification numbers, but the persistence of negative memories can cause lifelong emotional distress. “For those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, images and recollections of a traumatic event become an intrusive and sometimes unbearable part of everyday experience” (PSYBlog). Memory problems don't always consist of loss, because sometimes having too much memory is worse than none at all.

The seventh and final sin of memory is bias, and it is when our current beliefs and understandings alter our recollections of past events. According to Schacter, egocentric bias is one of the most common forms of memory bias. In egocentric bias, past memories are distorted and changed to more closely resemble current attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs. “Egocentric bias reflects, in part, the strong role played by the self in the encoding and retrieval of episodic memories” (Schacter 233). Whether it's consciously or unconsciously, we often reform past memories in order to make them consistent with our current views and to portray ourselves in a more positive note (Schacter 2003). It is possible that we all have unknowingly done this in our lifetimes. For example, we may try to explain current political beliefs based on beliefs we think we held as teenagers or young adults.

In summary, our memories are extremely adept at storing large amounts of information for long periods of time. However, despite the powerful capacity of our memory systems, they sometimes fail to correctly recollect. We may experience simple forgetfulness, like portions of a grocery list or maybe the specific time a meeting is planned. Even though these sort of memory failures are small in terms of severity, they can significantly impact our lives and leave us wondering why it happened. Despite the benefits that our memory supplies us, what causes it to fail seemingly indiscriminately may supply us the most anguish. It is important to understand the causes of memory failure in order to not only accept the negative consequences, but to become appreciative of the positive effects as well.

Resources

Schacter, Daniel, Joan Chiao, and Jason Mitchell. "The Seven Sins of Memory." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1001.1 (2003): 226-239. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~scanlab/papers/2003_Schacter_SevenSinsSelf.pdf>.

Murray, Bridget. "The Seven Sins of Memory." American Psychological Association: The Monitor. 34.9 (2003): 28. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/sins.aspx>.

"7 Sins of memory: Complete Guide." PSYBlog. N.p., 25 Feb 2008. Web. 7 Nov 2011. <http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/02/7-sins-of-memory-complete-guide.php>.

Adventure: Excitement Through Danger

Part 2 of 4 required essays for my writing class.
Written: October 25th, 2011

Many people have desires for adventure. It's an integral part of the human psyche, and exists as an element of universal interest that is common to a lot of people. Some of us fulfill that desire by writing narrative stories and reports full of action, suspense, and intrigue, while others are content with reading the accounts of others. Alternatively, a select group of individuals actually take hold of those anecdotes of adventure, and make them their own by living them out in their daily lives. They live every day like it is a new adventure, sometimes even risking their own lives while on their journey to experience a part of many of life's interesting endeavors. My grandfather was one such man. Throughout his different jobs and numerous outdoor activities, he never stopped enjoying life for the adventure that he believed it to be.

My grandfather's first step into adventurous endeavors occurred in his late teenage years when he got a job delivering telegrams in the southern Indiana area. His job was to deliver messages to various individuals, and he had the pleasure of meeting new people every day. As part of it, he was often sent to deliver messages to known mobsters. He at least once had to deliver telegrams to the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. It doesn't matter if he was a teenager or young adult, it must have been quite exciting, yet terrifying, to deliver messages to a notorious mobster. If that's not an adventure, I don't know what is.

Throughout his years of life, he valued time spent listening to other people. Sharing intriguing stories about their adventures and endeavors, as well as sharing opinions about the happenings of society, were to him an important part of the human experience. Many people described him as "a man who never met a stranger". As a young adult he held jobs as a bartender, a salesman for Firestone tires, and worked in the real estate business. He was always interacting with people, and enjoyed every minute of it. It was exciting for him to meet new people, and to listen to their stories of life adventures.

He continued his endeavors in the year 1949 when he started racing stock cars around short dirt tracks. For the six years between then and 1955, he drove in many races and traveled to areas in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. He raced in both the AAA and US Auto Clubs, which were organizations that helped initiate the start and early development of the NASCAR auto races. During his early adult years, my grandfather had build many hot-rod cars, and he owned three different cars that he drove in the stock car races: a Hutson Teraplane, a 30's Chevy powered by a GMC truck engine, and a 1936 Ford. Two other drivers, Johnny Tobias and Bud Greyhouse, would pay him to use his cars to drive in the races as well. Even though he never advanced into the “big leagues” of auto racing, he did personally know many of the more famous drivers. He often hung around the INDY 500 track, and shared many stories about races with the other drivers.

My grandfather always continued seeking excitement even when he was off the track. Not only was he a race car driver, he was also a hot-rod mechanic. He was always looking for ways to improve the performance of his cars. He personally worked on all of his cars, spending hours upon hours fine tuning them until they performed just perfectly. He also had a friend named “Rabbit” Barns who owned a blacksmith and metal-working shop. My grandfather often commissioned him to design and fabricate metal pieces for the cars. My grandfather craved adventure, and that led him to experiment with different modifications that would increase the performance of his stock cars. He attempted to increase the horsepower of the car by using aviation gas to fuel the engine because it had a higher octane value than regular gasoline. However, the attempt failed catastrophically, and pieces of the engine blew apart. He also tried injecting sodium chloride into the two tires of the car that would be on the “inside” side of the racetrack, in an attempt to give them more traction control for maneuvering around corners. This didn't work out either, as it caused a failure in the tires. My grandfather did succeed in increasing the car's traction during cornering by experimenting with the car's weight distribution. Simple modifications such as removing a portion of the fender on one side, were enough to make significant change to the weight distribution, leading to a favorable increase in performance. However, experimenting with changes to a race car also brought along with it an increased chance in something going terribly wrong. This risk didn't stop my grandfather from experimenting with his cars. For him, an important part of the adventure of being a race car driver were the dangers that are associated with striving to be the best.

My grandfather faced many dangers as a hot-rod mechanic, but the majority of risk that was associated with stock car racing was due to the nature of the race itself. There is a major rick of collision and injury whenever you have cars moving at high rates of speed, let alone on slippery dirt tracks. Sadly, my grandfather knew that all too well, as one of the drivers who raced his cars died during a race due to a collision with another car. My grandfather was determined to live his life in the best way he could. Even the tremendous dangers weren't able to stop my grandfather from enjoying the adrenaline surge during the race, and the prospect of becoming a famous stock car driver.

My grandfather was always right in the action when he was working as a dispatcher for a power company in Phoenix, Arizona. He spent many stressful days and nights coordinating the emergency repairs of downed power lines and transformers during the strong summer storms. It was his responsibility to ensure the safety of the lineman and transfer electricity across the city . It was a well-orchestrated event often done on very little sleep during very long work shifts.

He also took every chance that he had to go fishing and camping at the various lakes and rivers all throughout Arizona. Fishing might seem boring compared to delivering telegrams to known mobsters and racing stock cars, but to my grandfather, there was nothing more exciting than relaxing with a cold beer while waiting for the fish to bite. For when they started biting, and believe me they always eventually did, he would be quickly out of his chair while working to reel in the fish. I learned from my grandfather that adventure can take many different forms and mean very different things to different people. The adventure and excitement of fishing lies not in the waiting, but rather in the thrill of the catch.

My grandfather loved to hunt, and would take my father and my uncles out on long hunting trips in the ridge mountains in northern Arizona. He enjoyed everything about the trips: camping in the nature and sometimes even sleeping under the stars, spotting and stalking of the prey, and finally taking the animal down with a well-placed shot. Whether he was hunting for javelina (which are a type of wild pig that have razor sharp teeth) or deer, the sense of adventure was always there. No two hunting, camping, or fishing trips were ever the same, and each offered a unique form of excitement.

While many people may be quite satisfied at writing and reading exciting stories filled with action, suspense, and intrigue, my grandfather was different. He preferred to live out his inner desire for adventure through his jobs and his hobbies. He once said that out of all his professions, the one he was most proud of was raising some wonderful children and grandchildren. When he got older, he was very fond of telling his family the action packed stories from his racing days, as well as suspenseful and intriguing fish-stories and hunting tales. I believe that telling us stories from his life allowed him to relive the adventure and excitement that he had lived through the many years prior. My grandfather taught me many things, but the most influential was the idea that nothing should stop me from living my life with excitement and experiencing new things. It's part of human nature to crave adventure, but it's up to us individually to go seek it out.

A Natural History of My 1965 Mustang

Part 1 of 4 Required Essays for my writing class.
Written: October 3rd, 2011

To many people, a car is just a car, solely a mode of transportation to take us from place to place. To me however, my first car is much more than just merely a contraption on wheels, it still remains a physical reminder of who I am. My first car, a 1965 Ford Mustang Coupe which I named nicknamed “Shelby” after the famous Mustang-modifier Carroll Shelby, is a tangible example of my character and personality.

The story of Shelby's restoration starts in early days of January, 2006. I was about to turn 16 in a few months, and I would soon need a car for transportation. I had always had an interest in old classic cars, and had loved the style of the late 60's Mustangs for quite some time. Since my father had a lot of experience in working on older cars, my parents fostered my desire to own an old Mustang, and together we set off on the quest for a car. After a few weeks of searching, we eventually came across “Shelby” and finalized the purchase later that day. We were aware that the car would need a lot of restoration work, and the first thing we decided on was to find a new engine. After what seem like an eternity of searching newspaper and online advertisements, we finally settled upon the perfect engine. It was spotless, had been meticulously taken care of, and was the perfect size and model for my car. After the sale was finalized, Jim, the seller, surprised my dad and I by asking if we would need any help installing the new engine. He then proceeded to offer his time and expertise in classic-car restoration for no additional charge. And thus, the legend of Jim was born.

Now that we had a replacement engine, the process of installation proceeded forward. However, this turned out to be a very difficult process and took a lot more time than we had originally expected and planned for. First, the old engine had to be removed. To accomplish this seemingly simple yet sophisticated task, Jim, my father, and I had set up a plan that involved using a large hydraulic lift to remove the engine. We had started early Saturday morning, and began by removing the bolts from the mounting brackets and disconnecting all the hoses, wires, and belts. When only the engine remained, we proceeded to attempt to lift the engine out. I pulled down on the handle to activate the hydraulic lift, and nothing happens. I tried a second time, but again to no avail. The engine just didn't seem to want to budge. After inspecting the engine mounting brackets, Jim suggested a solution to our problem: lubricant, and plenty of it! After administering a large dose of lubricant to the mounting brackets, we were able lift the engine out. Finally I thought, we were now able to start work on installing the new engine.

Thankfully, the installation of the replacement engine was much easier and went quicker than the process of removing the old one. The new engine fit perfectly into the mounting brackets, the belts lined up to the alternator, all the hoses connected perfectly, and the entire wiring harness just seemed to fit right into place. After having so much trouble earlier in the day, I was greatly relieved that everything was starting to work perfectly, and was overjoyed that we were able to complete the entire installation before sundown that same day. However, my zealous enjoyment would soon come to a close. After the project was complete, Jim asked my dad if we were planning on upgrading the braking system and drivetrain as well. The original engine that the car came with was a V6, but the replacement engine that we had just finished installing was a V8 with significantly more power. My father and I had planned all along on replacing the old engine with a larger one that had more horsepower. However, throughout all of our planning, we had failed to take into account the need for an upgraded braking and drivetrain system. Because of the larger engine, the car now not only had more horsepower, it also weighed significantly more. Jim explained to my father and I that both of those factors lead would lead to an increased strain being put on the brakes, and therefore we needed to upgrade the braking system in order to compensate for it. A larger rear axel was also needed in order to handle the increase in power and torque, and to accommodate the larger drum brakes.

Great, I thought to myself, we had just finished this large daunting project, only to discover that another one awaited us. However, Jim explained to us what parts we needed, and again offered his time and expertise for no charge. It was then that I had learned my first lesson during the restoration process: never give up on your goals even if you encounter minor setbacks. It was during this time that my father impressed upon me an example of a solid work ethic and the importance of finishing any project that you start. He never gave up on our project, and he was always willing to take whichever next step was required.

The installation of the larger rear axel and brake drums went as smoothly as it could have possibly gone. Along with those changes, my dad and I added a few other improvements to the interior of the car, including a new stereo, dash panel, and a center console. During the next couple of months, everything seemed to be great. The engine was purring like a large jungle cat and the new larger brakes were doing their job to slow the car when needed. I loved driving the car around, and every part of the car worked like a charm. That is, until one fateful summer morning when all our hard work went up in flames, literally. On my way to work, a fire broke out in the engine bay and it quickly spread into the area behind the dash panel. Luckily, I was able to escape unharmed and a team of firefighters were quickly on scene. Because of their efforts and rapid response, they were able to contain the fire to just the engine bay and dash panel area. However, almost all of the improvements that my father and I had made to the car during the past few months were ruined. Thankfully, the car was fully insured against all types of damage, and our insurance company paid for all the repair expenses. This time around, the second restoration process would be completed by a professional auto-body shop. Even though the fire and insurance investigators were never able to identify the cause of the fire, my father and I were thankful that this time we weren't the ones doing the work. After 6 more weeks, my Shelby was finally back to working order, and she looked even more beautiful than the day I first bought her.

To this day, my family still owns Shelby the Mustang, even though she is no longer my daily-driving car. I still do occasionally take her for a spin, during the times when I am back home visiting. Even now, every time that I turn that ignition key and hear her engine start to purr, I think back to that long and arduous journey. Throughout the restoration process, my blood, sweat, and tears were shed for the sake of the car. That process of restoration taught me many things, and helped significantly to shape my character and personality. It not only fueled my interest in classic cars, but it also taught me a lot about life. It served as an important series of father/son bonding experiences, in which I developed a good work ethic, as well as the importance in having pride in what you make and accomplish. Jim also taught me the importance of helping others. He consistently went well out of his way to offer his assistance during the restoration process, never asking for anything in return. Unfortunately, Jim passed away in a freak accident in his garage shortly after the restoration process was complete. Even though I was never able to fully thank him for all his hard work and expertise, I know that he passed away doing what he loved: working on classic cars. Of all the things that I had learned as a result of the restoration process, the lesson that I found most important is to always work towards what you are passionate for. For even if you encounter minor setbacks or barriers, if you are doing what you love, then those disturbances just make the successes that much more enjoyable.