Posts Tagged ‘Winter’

About Mystical Number Theory and Pascal’s Triangle

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

The first part of this Blog is about the Triangular numbers, related to the Number 3, the Holy Trinity.

The second part shows that Pascal’s Triangle (called Meru’s Mountain in Mystics), the Binomial Expansion,  contains every Possible Mystical Number Pattern (including the Triangular Numbers) you can Imagine.

Pascal Triangle also shows that our Universe is a combinatorial miracle. It explores every possibility, is always in balance, expands and moves back to the beginning which is and was the Void, the Empty Set, the merge of Every Paradox, that is Possible.

About Mystical Number-Patterns

The Sēpher Yəṣîrâh (Book of Formation or Book of Creation, ספר יצירה) is the oldest book on Jewish Mysticism. The Sefer Yetzirah describes how the universe was created by the “God of Israel” through 32 Wondrous Ways of Wisdom.

The Number 32 is the Sum of the 10 Sephirot and the 22 Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.

The Sephirot is related to the  Tetraktys of Pythagoras. The Tetraktys embodies the Four main Greek Cyclical (PlatonicMusical Harmonies: the Fourth (4:3), the Ffth (3:2), the Octave (2:1) and the Double Octave (1:4).

1+2+3+4 = 10. 10 is the 4th Triangular Number. The Nth triangular number is the Sum of the numbers 1 -> N. This Sum is equal to 1/2N(N+1).

Between the 10 Sephirot run 22 Channels or Paths which connect them.

The Sephirot are the Points of the Tetraktys. The Hebrew Letters are the Lines between the Points. The Lines of the  Sephirot and the Tetraktys create a Cube (6) at the Top and a Tetrahedron (4) at the Bottom.

The Letters of the Hebrew  Alphabet are divided in the 3 Mother Letters (אמש, the Trinity), the Seven Doubles (The Planets) and the Twelve Simples (the Zodiac).

The 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet are a combination of the Trinity, the 7 Planets and 12 Signs of the Zodiac.

When you analyse the Sepher Yeshirah the Cube of Space (the Kaaba) appears out of the Hebrew Alphabet. The Kaaba is related to the Seventh Planet, Saturn.

The 3 Axis of the Cube of Space are the Trinity, the 6 (2×3) Faces of the Cube stand for the Planets with the 7th Saturn, the Son of the Central Sun (3+1 (Center)+3) in the Center and the 12 (4×3) Boundary Lines of the Cube represent the 12 Signs of the Zodiac.

As you can see the Number Three, the Triangle,  plays an important role. It is the First Structure that is Closed in Itself and is therefore Topological related to the Circle. The Circle (and the Triangle) is able to rotate With and Against the Clock. This property is called Spin in Physics.

It is very important to realize that Everything Rotates in our Universe around a Central Object that rotates around another Central Object. The Central Object Gives Time, determinates the Rythm or Harmonics,  of the Rotation Structure.

The Trinity rotates around the Void. The 7 Chakra’s of the Human rotate around the 4th Chakra, the Heart Chakra, ((3+(1)+3)=7).

The Planets rotate around the Sun and the Sun rotates around the Central Black Hole. The arrow of Sagitarius points to this Black Hole.

On a Six Sided Dice the Sum of all the Numbers is Seven (1+6,2+5,3+4). The Sum of the Six Numbers is 3 X 7 = 21. If we add the Center (Saturn) the Number 22 appears.

22/7 is a good approximation of the number π. π relates the Square (and the Cube) to the Circle.

The Cube of Space symbolizes  the Playing Board of the Game of Life. On the Playing Board we have a Free Choice to move into the many Paths that are available. Every Path has its own Probability and this Probability can be calculated. If we don’t know what to do we could throw a Dice.

The Cube of Space contains the same six lines that exist in the I Ching. Four of the lines are of equal length, the other two, the diagonals, are longer. For this reason symmetry cannot be statically produced and the Dance (of Shiva) results.

The Circle represents the Cycles of Time of the Matrix of the Demiurg. Behind all the Probabilities of all the Possible Paths lies a Hidden Order.

A Hexagram, represented by the Star of David,  is a Two-Dimensional (Orthographic) projection of a Cube. A Symmetric Projection of the Cube creates a Cross.

A Hexagram is a Two Dimensional Cube

One of the many meanings of the first word in the Bible “Bereshit“,  is “They (Elohim) created Six” which means that in Six Stages of  the Time Cycle the Cube of Space (or the Hexagram) was populated. On the Seventh Day the Center was filled.

The book of Genesis does not describe the creation of the Trinity (They, Elohim, 1+2+3, 1x2x3) itself. This stage was later covered in the Zohar.

In my blog “About the Sum of Things” it is shown that Six Stages are part of an Expansion Pattern governed by the Powers of Two. After 2**6 (64) Expansions (or Compressions) the Same Fractal Pattern repeats itself on a higher level.

64 is the Number of the I Tjing and the Game of Chess. The number 32 of the Sepher Yeshirah is 64/2 and is a Contraction of the I Tjing.

The I Tjing is a contraction of the oldest Divination System in the Word called FA. FA is still used all over the world by the followers of the oldest wisdom-system created by the YOrubA in Africa. The Yoruba lived at the place where the ancient Paradise was situated.

Star of David in The Israeli Art Genesis-2

The Fourth Day (Sun (4), Moon (5))

About the Triangular Numbers

The Tetraktys contains the Numbers 1, 3, 6 and 10. These numbers are called Triangular Numbers.

The number 21 is also a Triangular Number because it is the Sum of  the Sixth Level of the Tetraktys,  the Numbers 1 to 6.

The Fifth Level of the Tetractys is related to the Number 15 (1+2+3+4+5). This number connects the Tetractys and the Sephirot to the 3×3 Lo Shu Magic Square also called the Seal of Saturn.

The nth Triangle number T(n) is the number of dots in a triangle with n dots on a side; it is the sum of the n natural numbers from 1 to n.  T(n)=n(n+1)/2.

The Triangular Numbers contain the Perfect Numbers. A perfect number is a positive integer that is equal to the sum of its proper positive divisors, that is, the sum of its positive divisors excluding the number itself. Six (1+2+3=1x2x3) is the first Perfect Number and 28 (1+2+4+7+14) is the next.

The Sum of two Triangular Numbers is a Square

The Sum of two adjacent Triangular Numbers T(n) +  T(n+1) is a Square Number because Two Triangels can be combined in a Square. 1+3=2**2 and 3+6=3**2.

There are many relationships between the Triangular Numbers. These relationships were the focus of the research of the Mystical Group of the Mathematikoi of Pythagoras.

6 (Bereshit, the Cube, the Hexagram) + the 22 Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet = 28, the Next Perfect Number (1+2+3+4+5+6+7).

28 is like the numbers 6 and 15 also a Hexagonal Number. As you can see in the picture below 28 is the fourth Hexagonal Number. As we have seen before a Hexagon is a Projection of a Cube so 28 represents a Cube in a Cube in a Cube. A Cube in a Cube is called a Tessarect or a HyperCube.

28 is a Hexagonal Number

The Number 15 is a Cube in a Cube called a Tessarect or a HyperCube

The first sentence in Genesis (“In the beginning Elohim created Heaven and Eearth“) contains 7 words and 28 letters. This indicates that the Creation Process was already in the 7th stage of the Tetraktys and in its 2nd Fractal Expansion,  the Birth of the Material Universe.

The sum of the entire verse is the 73rd Triangular Number. The prime Numbers 37 and 73 are geometrically related. They form the third and the fourth term in the sequence of Star Numbers (1, 13, 37, 73, 121).

Hexagon/Star pairs are closely related to Triangular numbers. Their product is always a Triangle, and they can be symmetrically generated from a Pair of Triangles.

Star Numbers are a Combination of Two Triangular Numbers

The Square is a combination of two Triangels. It is represented by the Of Star of David, the Symbol of the Heart Chakra.

The Symbol of the Heart Chakra contains Two Triangles.

About Pascal’s Triangle

When a number represents a Geometric Structure it is called a Figurative Number.

Every possible figurative number is generated by the Triangle of Pascal.

The Fractal Sierpinsky Triangle is the Triangle of Pascal Modulo 2.

The Triangle of Pascal was known long before Pascal (re)discovered it.

It was known in Ancient India as the Meru Prastara and in China as  the Yang Hui.  Meru Prastara relates the triangel to a Mystical Mountain called Mount Meru. Mount Meru is also implemented in the Sri Yantra.

The Triangle shows the Coefficients of the Function F(X,Y))= (X+Y)**n. If n=0 F(X,Y)=1 and if n=1 F(X,Y)=X+Y so the Coeffcients are (1,1).

Pascals Triangle is a 2-Dimensional System based on the Polynomal (X+Y)**N. It is always possible to generalize this structure to Higher Dimensional Levels. 3 Variables ((X+Y+X)**N) generate The Pascal Pyramid and n variables (X+Y+Z+….)**N  generate The Pascal Simplex.

The rows of the Pascal’s Triangle add up to the power of 2 of the row. So the sum of row 0 is 2**0 and  the sum of row 1 is 2**1 =2.

The Sum of the  rows of the higher n-dimensional versions of the Triangle is n**N where n is the Amount of Variables and N the level of expansion. So the Sum of Pascal’s Pyramid (3 variables X,Y,Z) is 3**N.

Triangle of Pascal

The most interesting property of the Triangle is visible in the Diagonals.

The First Diagonal contains only 1′s. The Ones represent Unique Objects. They are the Points in the Tetraktys.

The Second Diagonal contains the natural numbers. These Numbers are used to Count Objects that are The Same. The Natural Numbers are the Lines that connect the Points. The Natural Numbers are the Sum of the previous Ones.

The Third Diagonal contains the triangular numbers. The Triangular Numbers are the Sum of the previous Natural Numbers.

This pattern repeats itself all the time.

File:Yanghui triangle.gif

The Yang Hui is an ancient Chinese version of the Triangle of Pascal. This Triangle contains Nine (3x3) Levels.

The Fourth Diagonal contains the tetrahedral numbers (Pyramid Numbers) and the Fifth Diagonal, the pentatope numbers.

Fermat stated that Every Positive Integer is a Sum of at most three Triangular numbers, four Square numbers, five Pentagonal numbers, and n n-polygonal numbers.

The Tetrahedron with basic length 4 (summing up to 20) can be looked at as the 3-Dimensional analogue of the Tetraktys.

File:Pyramid of 35 spheres animation.gif

A Tetrahedral Number represents a 3D-version of the Tetraktys.

The Diagonals of the Triangle of Pascal contain every Possible 2-Dimensional Figurative Number (and Structure).

These Numbers are Projections of Higher Dimensional Numbers and Higher Dimensional Structures.

The Higher Dimensional Versions of the Triangle (the Pascal Pyramid, The Pascal Simplex) contain these structures.

The Rows of the Triangle Sum to the Powers of Two (2 Dimensions). These Powers control the Levels of Expansion.

Every 7th step the Fractal Pattern of the Triangle repeats itself on a higher Level.

The Figurative Numbers are the Geometric Shapes that are created by the Lines of the Natural Numbers that are connecting the Points of the One.

Pascal’s Triangle also contains the numbers of the Fibonacci Sequence (“The Golden Spiral“).

When we take the Modulo 9 (the Digital Root of Pythagoras) of the Numbers of Fibonacci a repeating patterns of 24 steps shows itself that can be represented by a Star Tetrahedron or Stella Octangula. The Star Tetrahedron is a Three Dimensional Star of David.

the Fibonacci Numbers as a Cube.

The StarTetrahedron, shows the Pattern behind the Sequence of Fibonacci.

Every Figurative Number N is the Sum of the Figurative Numbers N-1.  Every Geometric Shape is a combination of all the Previous Geometric Shapes.

This means that Every Geometric Shape is in the end The Sum of the Sum of the Sum of  …. Triangels, Trinities (Elohim) or Triangular Numbers and therefore an Extension of the Tetractys of Pythagoras.

The Expansion of the Whole is a (Fractal)  Combination of Combinations.

The Triangle of Pascal is related to the so called Binomial Theorem which is used in Combinatorics and Probability Theory to describe the Amount of Combinations of a Set of  Objects.

The rows of the Triangle of Pascal also shows the Bell Shaped Pattern of the Normal Distribution.

The Probability Distribution of the Triangle of Pascal converges to the Normal Distribution because of the Central Limit Theorem. Every Row has a Mean of N/2 and a Variance of (N**1/2)/2 which means that with every new row the Mean and the Variance become Bigger and Bigger.

The Triangle of Pascal and therefore the Figurative Numbers describe Everything that is Possible but every Expansion of the Triangle is less Likely to Occur.

The Triangle of Pascal Modulo 3

The Triangle of Pascal Mod 3 represents the Tetraktys in the Tetraktys in the .....

Because of the Fractal Expansion/Contraction Pattern The Cube of  Space, related to the Element Earth,  explains Everything there is to Know on Our Level of Existence, Mother Earth.

The interesting part of the Figurative Numbers is that they representent Visual Patterns with which we can Reason.

We don’t need complex formulas because we can See what is Possible.

The interesting part of the Triangle of Pascal is that we can See that the Complex Figurative Structures are created out of a very Simple Structure, the Triangle.

If we want to understand our Reality we have to begin with looking at the Beginning and not start somewhere in the Middle.

If we look at the Fractal Expansion Pattern of the Triangle we See that Every new Stage is an Expansion Out of the Middle.

The Expansion of the Human, the Next Step in our Evolution,  is therefore an Expansion Out of the Heart, the Balance of Father Sky and Mother Earth.

Life is not only about Me and the Other.

Life is also about the Relationship between Me and the Other.

If we don’t Collaborate the Next stage in our Evolution will never happen.

LINKS

The Content of the Sepher Yesirah

About the Sepher Yesirah

About the Cube of Space

About the Tetractys

About the Cube of Space and Psychology

About the Sepher Yesirah and the I Tjing

A correspondence table of the Cube of Space

About Bereshit

About Genesis

About Patterns in the Bible

About Saturn

About the Trinity

About the Sri Yantra and Plato

About the Lo Shu and the I Tjing

All kind of strange relationships between Triangular Numbers

A website about Mystical Number Theory

About the Figurative Numbers

About Combining the Combinations

About the Golden Spiral and Plato

About the Logic of Creation

About Pascal’s Triangle and the Normal Distribution

A complete course in elementary Number Theory

About the Psychology of the Cube of Space

About the Tetraktys and the Zodiac

About the Process Theory of Paul Young

About the Theory of Dewey B. Larsson

Mysteries of the Equilateral Triangle

About Visual Patterns in Number Theory

About Pascal’s Triangle and Cell Division

Many Reasons to Believe that the Economy will not Recover in a Short Time

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

The Unemployement and the Stock Market are rising for some time now. A new Stock Market Bubble is building up and will explode in the near future. The biggest Bubble is certainly the US Deficit Bubble.

The Stock Market Bubble and the Deficit Bubble will explode as soon as the major creditors (China, India, …) of the US will move out of the Dollar. This is happening already.

The Customers are the backbone of the Economy and the Leaders understand very well that the Economy is governed by Psychology. So Bad News is hidden en Good News is exaggerated. The Expectations of Analysts are always beaten and the downfall is falling slower than before.

The Economy is still in a terrible state and this state is getting worse every day. The unemployement is still rising and will rise for a very long time because companies are getting broke or are rationalizing everything that is possible.

They replace their employees by IT-Technology and Cheap Labor. The customers are not buying, they are saving more and more money for a rainy day or are paying back their debts.

Saving money will not stimulate the economy. It stimulates unemployment. The rising unemployement results in more foreclosures and problems with credit card debts. The Economic Downturn is just at its beginning.

Economist John Williams says that– if the unemployment rate was calculated as it was during the Great Depression the unemployment figures for July 2009 rose to 20.6%. According to an article summarizing the projections of former International Monetary Fund Chief Economist and Harvard University Economics Professor Kenneth Rogoff and University of Maryland Economics Professor Carmen Reinhart,… unemployment could rise to 22% within the next 4 years or so.”

The Scenario of the Current Downturn is highly comparable with the Scenario of the Great Depression with one exception. The current Downturn is much deeper than the other. We are approaching the Biggest Global Economic Crisis in Human History.

The current investors base their policy on positive news and ignore the bad news. They believe the economy will rise when the customer-confidence is rising or when the downfall of the economy is “slowing down” or “bottoming”. They don’t see that a slowing down of a downfall is still a downfall.

The investors, the Doves, act just like the behavioral economists predict they will act. They read the headlines, believe the Hawks and are not aware of the (Money) Illusion the Government, the Media and the Banks are creating. The Hawks know better. They buy Silver, Gold and certainly the best investment, Oil.

Nouriel Roubini has a more realistic view on the economy. In his article Ten Risks to Global Growth he analyses the risks that could block the recovery of the economy and his conclusion is highly pessimistic.

According to Roubini the major cause of the crisis is overspending. Overspending is a normal activity when the Kondratiev-Cycle is in the state of Autumn. The debts are always repayed in the next phase, Winter. In the Kondratiev Winter the economy is purged and cleansed. This phase started around 2000 and will be finished around 2013. In the Winter-State you have to stay in cash or invest is Gold and Silver.

At this moment the investors don’t know what currency they have to chose for their cash-reserves. Usually the Dollar was a Save Heaven but the current policy of the FED to expand the amount of Dollars to an almost unbelievable amount is seen as a huge risk.

The Creditors (China, India, ..) of the US are already creating an alternative currency and are secretly and slowly moving out of the Dollar. If the Trust in the Dollar has gone the US Economy will go bankrupt.

The big problem with the current Cycle is that we have moved to the Level of Earth. In the last downfall of the Kondratiev Cycle other parts of the world were decoupled. They moved in a complementary mode. The Down of one part of the Earth was compensated by an Up somewhere else.

At this moment the complementary parts are synchronized and act and react according to the same rhythm. This rhythm is related to a longer term cycle that almost nobody is aware of. This cycle with a periodicity of 250 years is called the Secular Cycle.

The current level of integration of the World Economy is very dangerous. The production-processes of the Earth are highly rationalized and integrated. When one process stops the rest of the processes also has to stop.

The very high level of rationalization causes cascades or avalanches. The fast and slow avalanches generate sudden bursts of unemployment and financial disasters. The Car Industry and the Financial Industry are good examples. At this moment the avalanches start new avalanches in completely different branches of the tree of the World Economy.

The Crisis in the Banking Industry puts a large part of the Corporate Sector under severe financial stress. Firms that in the past would have been able to roll over their loans, bonds and debts now face a liquidity crisis that may lead them into costly debt restructuring.

This will affect the Banking Industry and will also put a high strain on the Bailout capacity of the Governments who are not able to leant money or inflate money until eternity.

The only solution that is left is to Rationalize even more than the Companies were planning to do. Their only solution is to speed up the use of IT (Use the Internet) and fire the employees. It is very clear that the use of IT in Companies is still in its infancy. Many manual activities can be replaced by software. The total effect will be a worsening of the current crisis.

To stop the cascades governments are starting to Protect and Regulate their Economies. The Worldwide Cooperative Institutions are losing their grip and the Free Market Economy is on its return.

Big Companies are splitted according to the old Boundaries of Power. The expansion and integration of the EG is blocked because the member states suddenly have conflicting objectives. The Rich Countries don’t want to help the Poor Countries because the Rich Countries are getting poorer with the minute.

Not only the poor member states of the EG are getting into big trouble. The same applies to the Underdeveloped Countries. The poor Countries of the World are on their own. Everybody is in the Survival mode and The Fittest, The Rich, will as always Survive.

The world is not only hit by a Economic and a Cultural crisis. The world is also hit by a Climate Crisis. Although human activity plays an important (negative) role the Cycle of the Climate related to the activities of our Sun and the Movement of Earth in our System (the Precession Cycle) is much more important.

The current change in Climate is irreversible and will have a major effect on the world economy. Climate change and ecological misuse are the major factor why Societies collapse.

The last factor and perhaps most important factor is the Energy Consumption of the World. This consumption is not only affecting the Climate but it also facilitates a huge highly integrated Transport-System.

This System is the Backbone of the Integrated Value-Chains of the Western World. The Western World is completely dependent on the transport system for its Industrial Production and the Supply of Food.

The Transport System has a devastating effect on the poor countries in the World. To make enough money to survive they have to export their products to the Western Markets ignoring their own needs.

It is certain that the supply of oil and gas is lower than the increasing demand. The resources all over the world are going down. The total effect of this all will be a dramatic rise in price. This will affect the rich countries and in particular the US. They are already the major importer of energy in the World and when you import something you have to export something else to keep the financial balance in order.

As you already know the deficit of the US is spectacular and the only reason the US is not broke is the special role of the Dollar. If the economy recovers the demand and the prices will rise and the US Economy will slow down immediately.

What is Going to Happen?

Every scenario leads to a long term decline of the Economy, our Culture and our Civilization. The theory of the short term and long term cycles is right and it is very stupid to ignore these theories.

According to the Panarchy Model the world is too connected and this leads to an increasing rigidity in its goal to retain its state. The rigidity reduces resilience and the capacity of the system to absorb change, thus increasing the threat of abrupt change. The world is unable to cope with the changes of climate and culture that are happening now. Therefore we will see the collapse of the accumulated connections and the destruction of bound up knowledge and capital.

The highly integrated structures of the Earth (the Cooperative Institutions, the Big Companies, Governments AND the Transport System) are bound to desintegrate. The impact on the local structures is immens. Communities will have to grow their own food, manufacture and repair their own tools, create their own currency etc etc on a local level again.

Most of these structures have outsourced these functions to places far away and don’t have the skills nor the resources to do this. The fittest, the Haws, will survive but it is unclear if the Doves will accept this situation forever. A Rise of the Masses just like the French Revolution in 1789 (almost 250 years ago!) is possible.

The world is moving to a very fast transformation. The only thing that can be said when we use the Panarchy Model is that it will move back to a stable state before the expansion started and start all over again. The Wisdom of the Old Civilizations that survived earlier Collapses is very valuable. These lessons are very easy to comprehend.

Civilizations die because the humans don’t want to Move with the Cycles, don’t Cooperate and don’t Respect Mother Nature. When Civilizations Collaps even the Hawks lose Everything!

LINKS

Peter Schiff, Why the US Economy will Collaps this Year

How the Fed is cheating the citizins. About Deflation.

Why the Labormarket is Much Worse than we Think

Why the Current Crisis is comparable with the Great Depression

About Behavioral Economics, Why Hawks always Win and Doves always Lose

Nouriel Roubini, Ten Risks to Global Growth

About The Kondratiev Winter and the Generations Theory

About the End of the US Dollar

Why the US Defense Budget will Destroy the US Economy

Peter Turchin, About Secular Cycles

The Complete Text of the Book of Turchin

About the Problems the Real Estate Market is Facing

Why Rationalization is the cause of the current Crisis

About Cascades and Avalanches

Jared Diamond, Why Societies Collapse

About the World Food Crisis

Jeff Rubin, Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller

About Peak Oil, The Model that Predicts the End of Oil and Gas

About Very Long Term Cycles

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

How Long Is Too Long to Suffer From Back Pain?

 Nothing makes a long day even longer than having to deal with back pain. If you’re suffering from lower back pain, even simple tasks like picking up a bag of groceries can feel overwhelming.

What’s more, the cause of your lower back pain may be more complicated than the actual twisting or lifting that brought it on in the first place — and preventing future pain means getting to the source of what caused it.

“If you wait to do something about lower back pain until it’s become debilitating, you’ve waited too long,” says Dr. Hosun Hwang, spine specialist at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. “Most people’s back pain dissipates in about a week or two, but if your pain is long-term or chronic, it’s time to see a spine specialist.”

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What causes back pain?

Lower back pain may feel like aching, burning or sharp or dull pain that fluctuates in intensity from mild to severe. It can be due to a sports injury, from twisting or lifting something heavy or from working in your yard.

Dr. Hwang says back pain can happen to anyone, but some factors can increase your risk, including:

  • Age – older adults may be more susceptible to osteoarthritis and disc deterioration
  • Occupation – employees in jobs requiring repetitive bending, heavy lifting or long periods of standing or sitting are more likely to suffer back pain. Prevent this with the Best gaming chairs.
  • Weight – excess weight adds stress to the spine and back muscles
  • Activity level – having a sedentary lifestyle, as well as weak back muscles and lack of core strength, make it easier to injure your back
  • Smoking habits – smoking decreases blood flow, reduces your body’s ability to heal and increases the risk of osteoporosis

 

“Chronic back pain may be caused by a variety of underlying conditions,” explains Dr. Hwang. “From spinal arthritis to sciatica to herniated discs, a spine specialist has the expertise needed to pinpoint the cause of your chronic back pain and develop a treatment plan that may resolve the issue or at least improve your quality of life.”

When to see a spine specialist for chronic back pain

Sometimes back pain comes on quick, and you know exactly what caused it. After some stretching, resting and pain relievers, you’ll remember to bend with your knees next time.

But, other times, people experiencing back pain are often left thinking: I don’t even remember when the pain started or what I did to cause it. The reality is that the source of you back pain may not always be evident — which can also make it hard to know when it’s time to see an expert.

Dr. Hwang says the following five signs likely indicate that it’s time to see a spine specialist for your back pain:

1. Your pain is severe. While some back pain is only mild to moderate, severe back pain is when your pain is constant, intense or gets worse when you’re resting or at night.

2. Your pain is persistent. If your back pain lasts longer than three months, it’s considered chronic and may require a tailored treatment plan.

3. Your pain isn’t isolated to your back. If your pain is traveling down your leg, you have numbness or weakness in your hips or legs, or you’re experiencing tingling in your legs and feet, it may be a sign that there’s pressure on your spine.

4. Everyday activities have become difficult. If your back pain is already affecting routine activities, don’t let it get so debilitating that it keeps you from doing things you enjoy.

5. You have other symptoms that are concerning. While rare, back pain is sometimes a sign of a serious medical condition, such as a spinal infection or spinal tumor. If your back pain is accompanied by fever, unexplained weight loss or bowel or urinary problems, tell your doctor.

If you’re experiencing any of these signs, a spine specialist can investigate the underlying cause of your back pain through imaging tests, such as X-ray, CT, MRI or myelogram. A myelogram uses contrast dye injected into the spinal canal with a CT scan to evaluate the spine. Or, your specialist may recommend an electromyography (EMG) — a test of your muscles and nerves.

“There are several ways to treat chronic back pain, including medications, physical therapy, injections and surgery — with the best treatment option usually depending on the cause and severity of your pain,” says Dr. Hwang. “We always start by using the least invasive, most effective treatment first. However, surgery may be necessary in some cases.”

Regardless of what’s causing your back pain, a spine specialist has the expertise needed to design a targeted treatment plan aimed at resolving your lower back pain and improving your quality of life.

How to get Very Rich during a Depression

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

The Kondratiev Wave predicts the long term behavior of the Economy. If you look at the Kondratiev Wave, the next stage after the Depression (Winter) is called Spring. Spring is the Time of the Seeds (new Ideas). They where harvested in Autumn. During the time of the Winter the seeds are dormant.

When the Harvest was rich, Winter is a time of Contemplation and Rest. Nature hibernates. Plants, Trees and many Animals sleep and are in the state of the Unconsciousness. When the Harvest was poor, Winter is a time of big trouble.

There will be shortages of Food and Fuel. When the Harvest was poor Winter is a time of Social Unrest and even Social Conflict. During the Kondratiev Winter Big Wars are fought and the Dark Side of the Unconscioussness shows itself in the extreme rise of Psychological Problems (Stress, Addictions, Paranoid) and Dark Religious Movements.

During Winter Shares, Paper money and other Imaginary forms of Wealth are worthless. When you want to buy something you have to deliver real value (Cash, Gold, Silver).

It is very clear that You can Make Big Money during a cold winter when you have gathered a huge pile of primary commodities (“raw materials”). During Winter raw materials are exchanged for other raw materials. When you don’t have access to these materials the only thing that is left for you is Charity.

When you are the owner of raw materials and you are making a lot of money you are Making Use of the Situation. During a cold winter you have to give to the poor and the sick. To make it very clear Making Big Money during a Depression is a Crime.

When you are Rich you can accumulate Social Value by giving away your Material Wealth to Others. During a Depression Material Wealth has to be transformed into Social Wealth to prevent a Social Conflict. This investment will pay back with a lot of social interest during Spring and Summer.

Unconditional Giving, Charity,  is a very old fashioned concept. At this moment we “give” a loan for equipment financing or whatever reason, and we “ask”  interest but “giving and asking” are really “demanding”. We want to make sure that what we give will be returned in the same state. More Money for Money, an Two Eyes for an One Eye.

When we don’t want to deepen the down path of the Depression we have to leave behind the Behavior of the Expansion phase of the Cycle, Summer. When the Economy expands it is “easy” to accumulate Wealth. Loans and interest are helpful to bridge a temporary dip in the flow of cash. Summer is a time of fast moving Ups and Downs in the Economy (Recessions).

It is not strange that we are copying the behavior of the Summer. Long Term Cycles just like very fast moving Cycles are not noticed by the Human. They are generational. The pattern repeats every 50 to 60 year so the people that must be Aware of the current situation are Old. They are the grandmothers and the grandfathers, the older people (>75).

Moving through a Depression needs Wisdom and a Long Term View. A Depression is the time to Listen to the Older Generation. Hopefully they have Learned from their Mistakes at that time.

LINK

About the Kondratiev

Why a Depression Takes Thirteen Years

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

The start and the end of the current depression was predicted a very long time (1922) ago by Nikolai Kondratiev. The Kondratiev Cycle is an economic cycle which lasts between 50 to 60 years.

Kondratiev predicted that the current Depression will start in 2000 and end around 13 years later. Kondratiev used the Seasons to name the phases of his Cycle. We are now in the phase of the Kondratiev Winter.

Spring is marked by economic expansion. Savings are at fairly high levels, and interest rates are low. Stocks and real estate are the most successful investments. 

Summer is marked by high inflation, high interest rates and by volatility. Commodities, gold, and real estate do well during the summer. This is the time to sell your Phoenix house fast and make a nice profit.

Autumn is the happiest phase of the Cycle. This phase started about 1982 and ended around 2000. During Autumn paper financial investments like stocks and bonds always do best. It is characterized by speculative bubbles or manias in stocks, bonds, real estate, and collectibles. On the other hand, gold, silver, and commodities collapse. Unfortunately, the Autumn is also marked by a serious decrease in savings, and a dangerous and reckless increase in debt. The imbalances build up to the point where they cannot continue. That’s where we are now.

When Winter arrives the insane excesses of the Autumn are purged and cleansed. The ultimate result is a deflationary recession or depression. Debt is repudiated. There is usually a banking crisis. Bankruptcies and foreclosures increase, as does social discontent. During the Kondratiev Winter, gold and cash are the best investments.

It is very strange that almost nobody believes the Kondratiev Cycle is a tool to predict the Economy. If people would have believed the Cycle it would be very simple to move through the Depression. In the UP-state you have to save money to sustain the DOWN-state. When you don’t do this the DOWN-state will bring you in to big trouble. At this moment the World has used almost all his resources. We have saved almost nothing to move through the deep recession.

In 1931 the US Department of Commerce assigned Edward Dewey the task of discovering the cause and underlying dynamics of the Great Depression. The US Government created a special institute the Foundation for the Study of Economic Cycles. The US Government never took the research of the Institute for granted or used it for another purpose (Financial Warfare?).

The most interesting observation of Dewey is that Cycles restore themselves all the time and Cycles are influenced by other Cycles. They are entrained. We are not talking about a single isolated Economic cycle. The Universe is an Integrated Harmonic System. The Universe is a Wave that generates Waves that generates Waves. At this moment Physicists believe this is the case (String Theory, Plasma Theory).

To me it is unbelievable that Economists like Milton Friedman called the ongoing statistical research of Dewey and many related Cycle theorists “not scientific“. To me it is also unbelievable that almost nobody takes even a look at the enormous amount of data that is gathered. I believe ignoring the scientific facts of the Cycles is not only stupid but also a crime. It is a crime because by constantly ignoring and pushing the cycles the whole harmonic system (including your Body, the Weather, Society, Earth) gets out of balance.

The Cycle of Kondratiev is a “long-term” cycle but there are cycles with a much longer periodicity (The Precession). The “short-term” cycles of the Kondratiev Ride The Wave of the Very long term cycles. If a very long term cycle moves down the Kondratiev also moves down much deeper and much faster.

This is happening and we are totally not prepared to cope with the new phases of the “dominant” long term cycles. The Harmonic System is preparing to Jump to a new State of Balance. This State has been given many names like Time Wave Zero (Terrence McKenna) and Point Omega (Teilhard de Chardin).

In the old age the Scientists who studied the cycles were called Astrologers. They have gathered a lot of data about the Cycles. Just like Milton Friedman we think Astrology is not scientific but many people just ignore that we are now equipped with much better tools and theories to explain what is happening. The old Astrologers did a spectacular job without computers, telescopes and a highly developed mathematics.

If you read the Predictions of the Old Astrologers like The Maya and The Magi you have to understand that they wrote in the language and the metaphors of their time but their message is the same message McKenna and other Cycle-Theorist want to tell.

LINKS

About the Kondratiev Wave

The Case for Cycles, R.Dewey

About the Cycle of the Climate

About the Cycle of History

About  the Cycle of the Seasons

About the Very Long Cycle Theory of Terrence McKenna

About the Transformation Phase of the Cycle

About the Triple Goddess

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

John Dryden famously said, “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

Confucius said, “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”

And Aristotle noticed that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

 

It’s pretty clear that the habits you adopt will shape who you are. What are your habits?
Do you eat the same thing for lunch, go through the same exercise routine, and fall into bed at the same time each night?
Or maybe you’ve made a habit out of eating something sweet before bed, avoiding the gym, and staying up as late as possible.

When it comes to your fitness, the two habits that define you are your eating and exercise habits. In fact, everyone that you know who is in great shape has dialed in these two important habits. Try out protetox, If you aren’t happy with your current state, then simply adjust your eating and exercise habits.

 

Here’s how to adopt a habit:

1) Decide on the ONE habit that you would like to develop. It’s tempting to pick up 3 or 4 healthy habits but choosing just one new habit is realistic and doable. Here are some healthy habit ideas:

• Do not eat after 7pm each night.
• Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
• Exercise 4 times a week before or after work for 45 minutes each time.
• Only eat fruits and veggies as your afternoon snack (mostly veggies).
• Get up early and exercise for an hour each morning.
• Workout with me 3 times a week.

 

2) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you’ll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Here’s an example:

• My new habit is to work with a personal trainer 3 times each week.
• My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my skinny jeans.
• The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse’s support.
• I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.

 

3) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on social media, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you’ll be less likely to give up on your new habit.

 

4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully exercise your new habit. Once your new habit becomes second nature, usually in about 30 days, feel free to add a second habit by going through the same steps. I’d love for my fitness program to become your new healthy habit!

About the Renaissance

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

The Renaissance was a Cultural Movement that spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. It started in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spread to the rest of Western Europe.

 After the Dark Middle Ages, controlled by the Church of Rome, aimed at the Inside (Spirit and Soul), many people wanted to discover the Outside.

The Renaissance is the Age of Discovery. It is the time of Columbus.

T704836_23The printing press, invented in 1450, made it possible to distribute all the new knowledge all over the known world.

The new knowledge is in reality very old knowledge. Renaissance means re-birth and the Renaissance is the re-birth of the knowledge (and wisdom) of the Greek and the Romans.

This knowledge was forbidden and destroyed by the Rulers in Rome. It came back because of renewed contacts with the Arab Culture. At that time Arab Culture was at the top of its cycle.

Art (Leonardo Da Vinci) and Science (Copernicus (1514)) exploded. Both of them were funded by the rich merchants (Medici, Venice).

Scientists started to experiment and used advanced tools (Microscope, Telescope) to study the external world and the internal world (the Body). They looked with their own Eyes and not with the Eyes of the Bible.

renaissanceperIn the Arts the Perspective was invented. Artist used advanced tools (“camera’s) to support their own eyes to project the outside world on a flat surface.

Another Re-Birth was the Reformation (Luther, 1517). The Bible was translated in many languages and distributed by the printing press to many people.

For the first time people outside the Church could read and study Religious documents and compare them with Scientific Evidence  from Greece, Arabia and Rome.

columbus_taking_possessionThe need to convert others to the Christian faith was huge. Many expeditions, Crusades,  were send out to unknown territory to find convertible humans.

The missionaries used the old fashioned trick learned from the Huns to force people to accept  the Faith by violence. Millions of people were tortured and killed.

At the outside of the Christian Empire the Arabs were attacking all the time. They were also very wealthy.

The search for Gold stimulated the weapon-industry of the west.

Not only the weapon industry flourished also the transport industry (Maps, Navigation, Big Ships) made a lot of progress.

The combination of both of them (The Navy, “War-Ships”) helped the West to Rule the Sea.

mercatorProduction in the Renaissance was carried out by the Guilds, a Cooperation of Craftsman. They were almost in total control of every craft in the big cities.

The Renaissance (Creation) is part of the Cycle of Western Culture.

In this Cycle it was preceded by the rule of Roman Church (Control) and followed by the Industrial Revolution (Social).

The rebirth was fuelled by an Expansion Phase (Fire).

In this phase not only Arabic Culture expanded and rose to a high point also the new rulers of the West (Celts, Germans), the descendants of the Huns, created new Kingdoms and build the Cathedrals. The Cathedrals contained all the occult knowledge of that time (Sacred Geometry, The Spiral, The Light, The Four Forces,.).

On a macro level we see an interesting pattern.

The phase of Fire (Expansion, Practice, Summer, Sensory, …) fuels the phase of Creation (Up, Spirit, Idea, Eye, Winter, Mythic,…).

Ideas are put into Practice or Practice generates Ideas. The combination of Sensory and Mythic (A Game) is called Invention or Exploration by Will McWhinney.

The game of Exploration is an Infinite Game. Infinite games are about continuing the Game.

Going Back to Jump to another Level is also a pattern that is visible in the most advanced theory about ecologies promoted by the Resilience Alliance (RA).

The Ecology of the Roman Church dominant in the Dark part of the Middle Ages collapsed. It collapsed because of many factors.

In this time the Plague killed millions of people. The Climate was very instable (An Ice-Age) and the new Kingdoms of the Huns and Celts were heavily expanded. They started to fight for dominance.

According to the theory of RA a collapsing ecology reverts to a previous stage to rise again.

What does this say about Innovation?

Innovation is fuelled by an earlier (expansion) stage in history. It is triggered by a collapse of an Ecology.

If we look at the current state of the world we see a Collapse (a Compression) of the World Wide Ecology. It will certainly generate a stage of Ideas and Creativity.

This is needed to solve the current problems. In contrary to many ideas about Innovation the only way to solve the problems is to Look Back and Learn from History.

We can learn from the Control Stage of the Middle Ages where one paradigm was enforced. At this moment Science is enforcing again one paradigm, the paradigm of Control, Abstraction, Technology, the Computer, Statistics and the Factory.

They were created during the Industrial Revolution that was aimed at creating Unity (Every Thing is the Same).

At this moment we are moving into the stage of the Center, Balance and Harmony.  In this stage we always jump to a new level of Conscioussness. In the last Center-Stage the Religion of the Islam was born so the chances are high that a new World Religion will appear or re-appear.

People that explore contradicting paradigms are excluded from the scientific community. This community controls the world of Inspiration just like the Guilds were controlling the crafts in the Renaissance. To innovate we need Freedom of Paradigm.

We can learn from the Idea stage of the Renaissance. It teaches us that a Union of Art, Science and Spirituality is needed to support real innovation.

We can also learn from a comparable phase in the Cycle, the phase of Harmony. In this phase the old is completely destroyed by an invasion of people outside its territory (The Huns).

The West is trying with all its force to block a huge part of the Earth (the “Under-Developed” countries) to take part in its innovation. It creates (Economic and Legal) Walls just like the Roman Empire and the Chinese Empire created Walls to protect their territory from the Huns and The Celts when they were in their end-stage.

The Under-Developed countries are of a Lower Culture. Perhaps these cultures carry something the West desperately needs. In these cultures the collective is more important than the individual. In these cultures the sick, the poor and the old are still taken care of.

Funny.

I believe this was the message Christianity wanted to bring to the World.

Something went wrong in the West don’t you think?

LINKS

About the Perspective

Lectures about the Renaissance part 1

Lectures about the Renaissance part 2

Lectures about the Renaissance part 3

About The Rose

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

What is defensive driving and how it helps fleet managers

Defensive driving is the key mindset that will keep your fleet safe, vehicles in order and drivers in check. And it will save you and all fleet drivers the embarrassment of a typical dressing down by the interstate and highway police.

Being a mindset, defensive driving incorporates a set of driving behaviors that enables drivers achieve a daily routine that is as uneventful as possible. And that is preponderantly important in the life of a fleet manager.

 

What is defensive driving?

Defensive driving is a mindset that enables a motorist to identify and anticipate driving hazards. That said, it requires certain driving skills that enable the motorist to control their speed, expect the unexpected and always remain alert. It also requires respecting all drivers, as well as weather and road conditions, leveraging adjustability.

According to Wikipedia, there is a standardized way to look at it. To that end, the “Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations” standard, defines it as a set of defensive driving skills, where you —the driver — are aiming to “save lives, time, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others”.

The basic principles of defensive driving

In 1937, Mark Everard Pepys introduced the roadcraft system of car or motorcycle control. Interestingly, it’s purpose was to educate motorists on how to operate their vehicles safely. A lot has changed since this first attempt at safe driving; all for the better. Especially since the number of vehicles increased from a few thousand in the 1900s to around 1.32 billion in 2016. Without a doubt, driving safely is all the more important in 2020. To that end, certain principles were developed, to describe and support the efforts in fostering defensive driving. Get the most professional assistance from the best ny defensive driving course.

  • Always respecting the minimum and maximum speed limits
  • Being alert and distraction free at all times, so that if faced with a difficult situation you can anticipate an odd predicament and avoid the danger
  • Being respectful and pay attention to other drivers
  • Maintaining a safe distance from the preceding vehicle
  • Looking ahead, expecting the unexpected, as other motorists might not behave as you ordinarily would. This includes both motorists and pedestrians.
  • Always keeping weather and road conditions in mind, adjusting driving behavior accordingly
  • Adjusting speed before entering a bend, avoiding the need to hit the brakes in the middle of a bend.
  • Observing all driving regulations

Defensive driving: Pros and Cons

The obvious advantage of defensive driving is, of course, road safety. Today, modern fleets tend to incorporate defensive driving programs as one of the core aspects of their business. Not only is it beneficial on the road, but it brings a few business advantages, as well.

Pros

  • It’s easy to learn and adopt
  • It’s a very good way to prevent accidents
  • Leverages fuel economy and savings
  • Keeps maintenance costs as low as possible
  • Keeps insurance costs as low as possible

We have covered this subject more extensively, with 5 key defensive driving behaviors your fleet drivers need to adopt.

And, of course, there is always a flip side to the coin. Sure enough, there are a couple of cons in trying to adopt the defensive driving mindset. Undoubtedly, they’re hard to countermand, as they’re mostly related to some kind of involuntary behavior. But, it’s certainly worth the effort.