loving art, science and creative kids
12/27/2014 9:30:29 AM
Cosmos - Birth of a Star
Giving Birth to Knowledge
Studies of the brain are spurring a revolution in education for young and old alike. Using a variety of research techniques, scientists are better able to observe how the brain learns, thinks and remembers. Understanding the brains of babies is the first step to developing a concept for a life of learning for they are masters at absorbing new concepts. Babies are starts filled with energy, and we have a great deal to learn from them.
It used to be that scientists thought of infants as defective adults, egocentric, irrational and unable to understand cause and effect. Research is proving these theories wrong. At the forefront is Dr. Alison Gopnick, professor at UC Berkeley, and a leader in the study of children’s learning. She claims that children “possess a great deal of knowledge, literally from birth and grown ups are designed to unconsciously teach the young the very things they need to know.” She also believes that adults would do well to maintain throughout their lives the flexible exploration methods used by infants.
A July 2010 Scientific American article titled How Babies Think discusses the findings of Dr. Gopnick who lectures that children become acquainted with the world much as scientists do, conducting experiments, analyzing the results and forming intuitive theories or hypotheses. She suggests that brains are a kind of computer designed by evolution and programmed by experience.
I will never forget watching my son learn how to maneuver the stairs of my sunken living room. Over and over he crawled up the five carpeted steps. My husband or I would turn our toddler around at the top so he could back down only to start the process over again. He was relentless until he mastered the task, showing his displeasure by crying when we tried to pull him away. Our son was a young experimenter at work.
Babies are engineered to learn. Harried parents may call the mess they make getting into everything, but to the child all that they do is one big experiment. I watched a video of one of Dr. Gopmick’s test subjects and was impressed with how brilliant the pre-school boy appeared to be. When directed to solve a puzzle that would light up a box he develop hypotheses after hypothesis, testing each one before discarding it and going on to the next. In two minutes, five different pathways were taken in quick succession before successfully completing the challenge.
Infants are able to take in and process a great deal of information all at once from a wide variety of sources. Their consciousness appears to be expansive. They are not as good as adults at narrowing attention to a single detail which is also needed to develop careers and master concepts. However, we do have a lot to learn from the wide-ranging approach of infants. As grown ups we often cut off information lines too early and make problem solving more difficult than need be.
An example close to home comes from watching my grandchildren try to correct a computer bug. Even when they do not know what is wrong they feel confident in their poke and try repair method. It always surprises me that their trial and error technique usually works. I, on the other hand, approach computer issues with purpose and timidity. My single minded approach is much less playful and filled with frustration. I recently resolved to change and decided to copy their bravado. Much to my amazement I have been rewarded with occasional successes. Yea! I pat myself on the back.
This brings me to my New Years resolution for 2015 . . . Don’t be afraid of failure. Take in as much information as possible and try . . .try . . . try. I am reminded that babies are the fast learners, so I plan to follow their example and keep on plugging away.
Happy New Year! May your dreams and wishes come playfully true.
For more information go to:
The Scientist in the Crib: What early Learning Tells Us About the Mind by Alison Gopmick, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Patricia K. Kuhl.
The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life by Alison Gopnik
http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik_what_do_babies_think?language=en - Video about What do Babies Think ; Filmed July 2011
12/20/2014 1:43:19 PM
A Grove of Totems
My home is in a grove of totems. Five large poles and many small ones surround me with stories that speak of trickster and bear. Joining eagle, raven and most recently thunderbird I imagine soaring high above our chimney to survey life’s possibilities. At times I watch beaver chopping trees to provide firewood for winter warmth.
In theatrical performances I have been known as fishhawk, and am called to use my keen eyes to spot whales far out at sea. Shouting “caw . . caw” I tell the people waiting patiently on land the location of these graceful behemoths. Great excitement is always displayed when my voice rings true, and those on the beach mimic me with raised shouts mingled with drumming and preparation. When I appear, a magnificent wooden whale glides forth to greet me. His large toothy mouth opens and closes in deep drumming rumble while his tail flaps silently as he moves.
My partner of nineteen years, Ray Losey, is the master carver whose chopping and hammering sounds emanate rhythmically from under the house. Ray grew up surrounded by the art, and as a child helped his father carve and paint the huge poles that now reside in parks and private residences. His dad had been given the right to carve by Chief Joseph in Kake, Alaska ,and he in turn passed the gift on to his son. With mixed native blood lines on both sides of his family, Ray’s DNA tells of ancestors who came from Oceana over 10,000 years ago.
The cedar poles and smaller masks are carved in his studio that overlooks the green lush canopy of our surrounding woods. The smell of the oily wood with its deep brown luster when polished give me a feeling of warmth and contentment. I particularly like looking at the long narrow sisiutls gracing our walls. Originally serving as decorative lintels placed over entrance doorways, sisiutl designs are thought to hark back to 1421 when the Chinese visited America leaving dragon-aced coins behind. Often carved with two outward facing creatures protecting a central humanoid face, the planks are primarily used as fanciful wall art today.
Northwest coastal natives lived comfortable lives. Rivers were stocked with fish, land was abundant with deer and beaver, berries and plants were plentiful, and though wet, the weather was not excessively cold. During long winter months there was time to carve, tell stories, and hold potlatches that drew family and friends together in celebration. The custom of the entire family making blankets, baskets, cooking utensils, and carvings to be given away during these festivities tied the community together. If your clan gave everything away during a potlatch then the recipients were obligated to your future well being, and you were considered wealthy. Just as in our own holiday celebrations food, music an dance add to the liveliness of the gathering.
Totem poles at our home are displayed as non-tribal specific pieces dedicated to myths and legends of a time past. Made of rot-resistant cedar and carved to represent characters in stories, they primarily serve as a functional pieces to welcome visitors to our home. In the old days the carving was limited because of stone tools but once contact was made with white man and metal tools were introduced an thriving trade developed. Some early settlers mistakenly thought that there was religious meaning to the carvings and unfortunately these ignorant missionaries burned hundreds of artifacts in false assumption that they were being worshiped. They primarily had been constructed as a way of identifying lineage.
Some of Ray’s works are memorial pieces that tell stories, as is the case of the Survival Pole recently erected at the Oregon Zoo. It speaks loudly of the ways contemporary man is destroying animal habitat. Owl looks out with a missing an eye, and eagle hesitantly holds up a bent wing. Poor beaver has a broken tooth and bear, quite sadly is missing the lower part of fingers that were caught in a trap. Other poles are carved to celebrate life by becoming a repository for a loved relative’s ashes. Serving as mortuary vessels, a few have cavities large enough for an entire family to mingle in death.
I liken Christmas festivities to those potlatches held by native people. We too give gifts, proclaiming our love and connectedness to family and friends. There is even a sense of obligation that binds us as we weave a web of giving. The pleasure that comes from reaching out is an ancient one that can bring us together and make us feel whole.
With this in mind Ray and I wish you a most wonderful holiday with your family and friends.
To see more of Ray's art go to www. raylosey.com.
12/14/2014 1:07:00 PM
Revisiting Savannah What does this Native woman think as she looks over the Savannah River at a Middle-Eastern styled shopping center adjacent to an aging church?
Savannah Odyssey
This blog is being written because of the plethora of racial issues plastered over the news media. A recent trip to Savannah, Georgia provided me a way to peek under the surface of racial tension. Savannah has approximately 143,000 inhabitants, down from its civil war high of over 200,000. As an outsider it was easier to probe this small eastern city than Portland where I live with a vested interest in the status quo.
I wanted to visit the deep south ever since I read The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, and finally got a chance to do so. Last fall, in shared celebration of our birthdays, my cousin Elaine and I ventured forth. My before image was filled with antebellum mansions, wrought iron gates, cotton plantations, trees laden with sphagnum moss and graceful women with lilting southern accents.
It surprised me when most of those visions were shattered. Trees dripping with moss were certainly amazing. Big gnarly Oak branches made me want to age regress to a more limber childhood when climbing could be done with ease. I conjured images of being gracefully perched on a long-roped swing while my beau gently pushed me to and fro. The city plan established in 1733 by its founder James Oglethorpe is unique in that streets in the central area are organized around 24 squares or parks, each surrounded by eight blocks for living and shopping. Though the parks no longer are used for grazing cattle, they do offer areas for strolling and listening to folk artists under broad-leafed trees. Rows of closely built homes are embellished with fanciful wrought iron banisters and fences, and churches of every denomination are liberally sprinkled throughout. Those walking the streets were for the most part white and came from all parts of the world, so the southern accents I listened for were sparse. People of color lived in poor ghettos on the outskirts of town.
There are no plantations in Savannah, and there never were any. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney made it easy to remove seeds from cotton fiber, and that innovation along with new manufacturing techniques led to a flourishing cotton trade. When steamships became practical in the early 1800s the city blossomed as an export and importing hub.
In 1861 the white ruling class celebrated the state’s decision to secede from the Union. They were determined to maintain their lifestyle by keeping just under half of the population enslaved. Four grueling years ended in 1864 when Sherman captured Savannah. White and black alike welcomed an end to the carnage that wrecked their lives and killed their sons and husbands. The power elite adapted easily to the end of slavery by planning a new economy that maintained the status quo. For over one hundred years the white population managed to keep control and stave off ambitions of black residents who had fought so bitterly for their rights.
Tourism videos describe Savannah as racially integrated, and several museums and historical houses proudly display exhibitions of art produced by black artists. “Great,” I thought, “ a city with an appreciation for color.” Orgelthorpe did not like slavery, and early on Georgia actually banned the trade. But before long there was not enough manpower to clear the land and do the work, so slaves were imported from South Carolina. With the repeal in 1750 of the anti-slavery law the local economy grew. Savannah become a major port for the slave trade, as well as an export site for cotton, rice and lumber. Interestingly, in 1798 the city again banned slavery, though costal Georgian waterways continued to be used for the trade until 1858.
Being curious, I asked people I met about race relations today. Those of color (making up 55% of the city) responded that everyone coexisted extremely well. With a bit more probing I discovered that men who succeeded, like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, were few and far between. Though schools and lunch counters are integrated, the 2010 US census shows a city that ranked 6th in the percentage (26%) of people living in poverty, and most of them are African-American. Our hotel workers and taxi cab drivers had told us what they thought we tourists would want to hear. A more honest assessment was given by a white guide who answered with rancor, “What do you expect? This is the south.”
Though the Food Network distanced itself from Paula Deen because of racial slurs made on national television, she still remains the queen of Southern cuisine and her restaurant flourishes. Political gains have not translated to economic equality, and white faces remain in tourist areas and in the nicer parts of town. Increases in violence, teen-age pregnancy and drug abuse are alarming to local residents. African-American business activity is collapsing and unemployment is twice that of the white population . . . just as it was in the 1960’s.
Change continues to visit the city in unexpected ways. Stores with middle eastern influences were erected on the main shopping street, breaking the historic feel of center city. There are a wide variety of ethnic restaurants to lure a hungry appetite, but fried chicken and macaroni and cheese remain supreme. I admit, they are delicious and a good excuse to stop calorie counting.
When the civil rights movement called for reform, colored and white-only bathrooms were finally eliminated. Yet in reaction to desegregated schools, 10,000 parents pulled their children out of the newly integrated system and sent them to private institutions. Today 18% of the county’s children do not receive a public education, a much higher number than in other Georgian counties. There are a smattering of hopeful signs within the school system, though. With the recent introduction of magnet schools, sections of the city are reversing the outgoing trend. An example is Ardsley Park that boasts a new Montessori magnet program.
Cities throughout the United States are bubbling with fermented hatred, and it takes a great amount of investigation to uncover truths. It is difficult to make sense of political manipulations, and very laborious to develop a plan that works for all. In my home town, I rarely talk to anyone about racial issues, though I would welcome a forum for doing so. Many our city’s racial problems are similar to those found in Savannah. Poverty, poor health, ghetto housing, drugs, lack of education and few employment opportunities rack most urban areas. If newscasters focused on these issues rather than give in to sensationalism, perhaps a more effective dialogue could be started, and we might end the cycle of shootings between police and racially profiled targets.
For more information go to:
http://savannahnow.com/features/reseg/RESEG5/inside5/main5.html - White Flight
http://savannahnow.com/features/reseg/RESEG5/inside5/main5.html - Savannah schools
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/08/us/jim-crow-s-ghost-savannah-civil-rights-special-report-ways-older-south-linger.html - The segregated Savannah.
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/atlantic-slave-trade-savannah - about Slavery in Savannah and Georgia.
http://www.examiner.com/article/4th-of-july-2013-and-notes-on-race-and-racism-savannah-georgia-part-3-of-3 - Race relations in Savannah.
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/deen-still-a-draw-in-savannah/nYYdJ/#__federated=1 - about Paula Dean.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=14 - Statistics
12/5/2014 9:47:19 PM
Startled Bull Elephant chases our Land Rover.
An Elephant Never Forgets
A number of years ago I participated in an Earthwatch research project at Tsavo National Park in Kenya under the tutelage of Dr. Barbara McKnight. For several weeks I lived and breathed elephants, tracking from our rugged Land Rover a portion of the 11,600 behemoths still traveling through the 21,000 km preserve. Since the area also contained baboons, lions, wart hogs, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamus, enormous venomous snakes, and rhinoceros to name a few, we were confined to our vehicle, and even instructed to pee quickly behind the SUV.
Eight hours a day we followed these beautiful creatures as they lumbered in family groups, trailing the matriarch from watering hole to feeding ground. We documented the herds by recording their size, direction of travel, antics, postures, and eating habits. Ear notches and scars told us which animals were returning to various locations. We recorded plants, listed birds and creatures nearby, including goats and cattle illegally encroaching on the parkland.
Most fun was watching playful baby elephants piling one on top of another, rolling off to scamper around their resting site. If they roamed too far away they were firmly nudged back to their mothers by a nearby female. When the herd took their hour nap, calves were placed in the center of a ring of outward facing adult cows. Eventually the matriarch would signal it was time to continue marching over the land to cover as much as 50 miles a day.
During the birthing process the entire herd will surround the laboring cow. Once her calf is born they trumpet with joy, taking turns touching the newborn with their trunks in greeting. The entire herd then becomes responsible for the safety and education of the newborn. While traveling the baby is placed between the protective legs of its mother. In case of death, the cow morns for days by standing over her calf’s body, covering it with twigs and leaves while other members of the herd visit to give comfort. The depressed mother knows it has to leave to find food and water, but as she does so she carries a trail of sadness.
At times we observed young bull elephants, recently ejected from the herd, traveling closely behind their mothers. More often we came across older bulls foraging alone. Once when we accidentally startled a bull, our vehicle was charged, much to the great fear of Dr. McKnight who backed away as fast as she could. Not understanding the danger, I could see fear in her eyes and sweat dripping from her face. When I originally went on this adventure, I had expected to return as a zoo volunteer, but after observing elephants in the wild, I was horrified at their condition in captivity.
And…I learned that elephants never forget. They live up to 60 years in the wild, and their amazing memory is the key to their survival. According to Scientific American, “scientists now have solid evidence that elephants are just as brilliant as they are big: They are adept tool users and cooperative problem solvers; they are highly empathic, comforting one another when upset; and they probably do have a sense of self.” Their 10.5 pound brain is used to encode survival details of alternative routes to use in case of drought. They recognize faces of other elephants they may have come in contact with during periodic multi-herd gatherings. Though their eyesight is fair their sense of smell and touch are strong. By smelling urine they notice unfamiliar elephants who could potentially cause trouble.
An elephant’s memory develops with age and experience, but unfortunately the older animals are the ones poachers are likely to kill, leaving the remaining herd at great disadvantage. Youngsters watch in horror when their families are slaughtered and remember forever the faces of perpetrators. What the herd loses is the matriarch’s memory of survival routes. 35,000 elephants are killed by ivory poachers each year. These mass killings can turn otherwise nonviolent elephants into dangerous animals.
In captivity elephants recognize their trainers and those who care for them. Many zoos involved in protecting the species are starting to see elephants from their own perspective. In Portland, the Oregon Zoo is expanding its elephant area to 6 acres, a pittance for their needs, but far better than before. Food dolled out randomly at multiple sites will compel the elephants to explore in order to find their next meal. I am excited by the new enclosure opening in spring of 2015. It is about time. Perhaps I will volunteer after all.
Rhino Marching
Tsavo Wildlife Reserve had it all
For more information about Elephants:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elephants-never-forget/ - Scientific American article Fact of Fiction?: Elephants Never Forget.
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/16/ivory-poaching-threatens-elephant-memory/ National Geographic - Ivory-poaching-threatens-elephant-memory
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/ Elephants Are Even Smarter Than We Realized.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/52381/it-true-elephants-never-forget - Mental Floss, About memory and Elephants.
http://www.wildize.org/projects/Wildlife-Security/Tsavo-Elephant-Research-TER-Dr-Barbara-McKnight/56 - About Research at Tsavo National Park
