Lee Love on sat 31 jul 10
On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 2:08 PM, Kathy Forer wrote:
> 4) In lieu of said redesign, a plain old dishwasher has much to offer the=
=3D
modern >
>contemporary chef and food provider. It helps keep the sink clean for new =
=3D
projects.
(I like how people turn arguments on their head, but since you
asked) Ours just takes up space that could be better used. We
never wash dishes in it.
But I believe the point was, that not all functional pots should
conform to the dishwasher. You don't put silk or wool is the washing
machine. Does that me things that don't go in the cloths washer have
no right to exist? Notice how being handicapped by our "convinces"
often wastes our precious time?
>
> I didn't hear anything from you against Clothes washers...
You don't listen very well. I always use the cloths
washer example.
How about dryers? They wear your cloths out more quickly
(ever wonder where that lint came from?) and waste energy. The good
old sun and wind not only dry your cloths without shrinking them, they
make your cloths and sheets feel and smell better. We even hang
stuff out when it is below freezing. We use the dryer on rainy days
only, when we have to.
>
> Zap asparagus wrapped in a damp towel inside a box emitting shorter than =
=3D
normal >electromagnetic waves. Steam them over the electric or gas stove in=
=3D
some kind of
Can you image if we limited ourselves to only microwavable food?
Agribusiness would love sucking the money out of our pockets.
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Kathy Forer on sun 1 aug 10
On Jul 31, 2010, at 4:52 PM, Lee Love wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 2:08 PM, Kathy Forer wrote:
>=3D20
>> 4) In lieu of said redesign, a plain old dishwasher has much to offer =
=3D
the modern >
>> contemporary chef and food provider. It helps keep the sink clean for =
=3D
new projects.
>=3D20
> (I like how people turn arguments on their head, but since you
> asked) Ours just takes up space that could be better used. We
> never wash dishes in it.
I'm very happy to do the dishwasher routine despite its design flaws. =3D
I'd rather spend quality time bent over my studio utility sink.=3D20
> But I believe the point was, that not all functional pots should
> conform to the dishwasher. You don't put silk or wool is the washing
> machine. Does that me things that don't go in the cloths washer have
> no right to exist? Notice how being handicapped by our "convinces"
> often wastes our precious time?
That may have been your point. My point was that the dishwasher is a =3D
product of technology. Single purpose, it does one simple function well, =
=3D
repeatedly. You follow its route and it performs an enhanced service. =3D
However there is no functional reason for its design to require loading, =
=3D
unloading, shelving, setting table, when it could be someday pre-Jetsons =
=3D
simply reloading and later resetting table.=3D20
If you like the regular soothing act of doing the dishes, then even the =3D
best designed and most sophisticated, energy efficient technology won't =3D
stop you now.=3D20
>>=3D20
>> I didn't hear anything from you against Clothes washers...
>=3D20
> You don't listen very well. I always use the cloths
> washer example.
I was responding to Phil, not you, Lee.=3D20
>=3D20
> How about dryers? They wear your cloths out more quickly
> (ever wonder where that lint came from?) and waste energy. The good
> old sun and wind not only dry your cloths without shrinking them, they
> make your cloths and sheets feel and smell better. We even hang
> stuff out when it is below freezing. We use the dryer on rainy days
> only, when we have to.
New clothes washers are said to clean clothes ultrasonically. (Is there =3D
a corresponding infared/microwaves dryer system or is forced hot air =3D
better?) Fresh air drying is best. But not always an option.=3D20
Why don't we have hot water heaters and cisterns outside our houses? =3D
[Northern climates maybe not, unless someone has a solar chip that can =3D
read and amplify a distant signal from the sun.]
>>=3D20
>> Zap asparagus wrapped in a damp towel inside a box emitting shorter =3D
than normal >electromagnetic waves. Steam them over the electric or gas =3D
stove in some kind of
>=3D20
> Can you image if we limited ourselves to only microwavable food?
> Agribusiness would love sucking the money out of our pockets.
There's really no reason for that. Unless Idiocracy came to the white =3D
house and whole food was declared contraband. We don't have to lay down =3D
and die.=3D20
Microwave is a useful tool in the kitchen. Not everyone wants to use it =3D
but it works for others.=3D20
Lee Love on sun 1 aug 10
Our problem is that we have become mouths and a$$holes of consumption.
Throwaway, shoddy and stuff with built in obsolescent is made, not
to make our lives better, but simply as a way for corporations to make
more profit doing less.
Many of our "convenience" purchases are really not
conveniences for us, but rather for the folks pushing them.
This isn't a new idea. William Morris addressed the
problem and so did Yanagi, Hamada and Leach. They not only looked at
the citizen, but what the system did to the people making the consumer
goods.
This awareness is central to the motivation of many people
who have come to clay. It is something folks are waking up to and
you can see evidence in the popularity of books by Michael Pollan and
books like Shop Class as Soulcraft. It is an opportunity for us who
are making and teaching functional ware.
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Janet Price on sun 1 aug 10
> How about dryers? They wear your cloths out more quickly
> (ever wonder where that lint came from?) and waste energy. The good
> old sun and wind not only dry your cloths without shrinking them, they
> make your cloths and sheets feel and smell better. We even hang
> stuff out when it is below freezing. We use the dryer on rainy days
> only, when we have to.
When I was in my teens I had to wash all our family's clothes, sheets,
and towels in an old maytag machine, run them thru the wringer, and hang
them out on a line either outside or inside, depending on the weather.
I had to put up the line, stringing it from tree to post to other tree,
etc. using a special knot. Afterwards, of course, I had to sprinkle
most of the clothes and iron them.
I am delighted to have a new-fangled washer and dryer now, and even more
delighted that because of other technological advances, I seldom need to
iron anything. I'd much rather spend my time doing something else.
Janet
--
Janet Price
jmkprice26@comcast.net
http://idabbles.blogspot.com/
Lee Love on sun 1 aug 10
On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 12:11 PM, Janet Price wrote=
=3D
:
> I am delighted to have a new-fangled washer and dryer now, and even more
> delighted that because of other technological advances, I seldom need to
> iron anything. =3DA0I'd much rather spend my time doing something else.
I don't iron line dried cloths either. We have a Fisher and Paykel
low water/low energy washer.
And even though I pay extra for wind generated power, I don't use any
on the line. And it helps cut down on the obesity problem in American
to boot. Imagine that!
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/08/01/historic-report-solar-energy-costs-now-=
=3D
lower-than-nuclear-energy/
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Janet Price on mon 2 aug 10
Well, my grandmother, who line dried everything, was obese, but I'm
not. If you enjoy line drying your clothes, that's your choice, and I
do not thing there should be laws against it as there are in some gated
communities.
I enjoy baking my own bread, making my own jam, cooking most stuff from
scratch, gardening, starting my grill with old newspaper and sticks from
the yard, and I prefer a kick wheel to an electric. That's my
preference. Doesn't have to be everyone's preference. And I don't have
TV--again, just my preference.
But this is not about clay, so my last word on it.
Janet
Lee Love wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 12:11 PM, Janet Price wro=
te:
>
>
>> I am delighted to have a new-fangled washer and dryer now, and even more
>> delighted that because of other technological advances, I seldom need to
>> iron anything. I'd much rather spend my time doing something else.
>>
>
> I don't iron line dried cloths either. We have a Fisher and Paykel
> low water/low energy washer.
>
> And even though I pay extra for wind generated power, I don't use any
> on the line. And it helps cut down on the obesity problem in American
> to boot. Imagine that!
>
> http://cleantechnica.com/2010/08/01/historic-report-solar-energy-costs-no=
w-lower-than-nuclear-energy/
>
> --
> Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
> http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
>
> =93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
> the artistry moving through and be silent.=94 --Rumi
>
>
--
Janet Price
jmkprice26@comcast.net
http://idabbles.blogspot.com/
Bonnie Staffel on mon 2 aug 10
I remember the a two burner gas stove down low so she could work with
stirring the clothes at a convenient height. Later on she acquired a =3D
washer
with wringer between the two tubs. Also we had a big drain in the floor =3D
so
she could dump the used water. My father hated that she had to use a
wringer, and when the new spin dryer came on the market, we acquired one =
=3D
of
those. I remember that I actually used to enjoy hanging the clothes on =3D
the
line as well as stretching the line from post to post. We had a huge =3D
back
yard so strung the rope between about six posts. Then as a kid, I used =3D
to
love running between the once folded sheets hung on the line. Sure did =3D
get
away with that activity as well. But the clothes smelled so great.=3D20
We also had two cisterns in the back yard to catch the rain water from =3D
the
roof of our big house. The pump was in the basement with its big belt
turning the wheel to pump the water to the attic into big open vats. As
kids, we played in our floored attic, never minding the fact that water =3D
was
there to tempt adventurous kids. That water was only used for bathing,
washing and cleaning. Our drinking water came from the city with a =3D
separate
pipe and spigot. However, my father would drive out to his nearby home =3D
town
birthplace where they had a town pump and bring home five gallons every =3D
time
we had need of it for drinking or cooking. Sure tasted good to me. Later =
=3D
on
we bought drinking water from the Collingwood Water Company and they =3D
carried
the big bottles into the kitchen and placed it into a tipping type =3D
wooden
server.=3D20
My father often washed the dishes by hand in the kitchen sink as my =3D
mother
had to cook for the family with four kids and some relatives during the
depression who boarded with us. I also remember he used to peel the
vegetables and fruit. We ate whole wheat kernels cooked overnight for =3D
our
breakfast. A treat was whole wheat pancakes made from the kernels that =3D
my
mother ground into flour. Life was basic in spite of the fact that we =3D
were
considered "wealthy" at that time as my father was a dentist. We all had =
=3D
to
pick up the apples from the apple tree so mother made the greatest
applesauce and pies. Our house was on a corner double lot near downtown
where my father used the old push lawnmower to cut the grass. My mother =3D
was
also a gardener and our yard was beautiful with flowers and bushes. How =3D
did
they find the time?
During the depression my father would trade his skills with the farmers
produce or local retailers like the tailor who made some of my clothes.
Sounds like life was rich but we all pitched in and worked. The hobos of =
=3D
the
time marked our house as a place to eat, but my mother made them do yard
work for their dinner. The rag man drove his horse and cart down the =3D
alley,
picking up junk from the homes; the ice man delivered big chunks of ice =3D
for
the ice boxes. My job was to empty the water from the melting ice under =3D
the
ice box. We purchased one of those first GE electric refrigerators, =3D
another
advance in household equipment to make life easier.=3D20
Really, was life easier then or now. Seems like the work is always there =
=3D
to
be done, no matter how many conveniences we have in the home. But those
conveniences give me the ability to do other more interesting thins. I =3D
still
hate dusting And I am in one of the biggest dust making activities =3D
of
these times!!!
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
Lee Love on mon 2 aug 10
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 9:58 AM, Janet Price wrote:
> But this is not about clay, so my last word on it.
It is absolutely about clay. The dishwasher and microwave topics
were brought up in relationship to functional pottery.
I reiterate: Not all functional pottery has
to conform to these "conveniences." We are not fully aware of what
conforming to the requirements of mass fabrication cost us in the
diversity of culture.
--=3D20
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Lee Love on mon 2 aug 10
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 11:19 AM, Bonnie Staffel wr=
=3D
ote:
> I remember the a two burner gas stove
Living in Japan was a real eye opener for Jean and I. We had a
little two burner self contained stove that had a tiny broiler to
cook fish in.
We hauled our own heating fuel. I understand way the Japanese
carbon footprint is only a fraction of ours.
It is the "flush toilet" mentality. Because we don't see
the stink, we don't think it exists.
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
gayle bair on mon 2 aug 10
Condemnations for the utilization or non-utilization of modern or =3D
ancient technologies just doesn't work broadly.
Ask anyone with severe allergies if they line dry their clothing. =3D
Hanging wash on a line resulted in 3 family members' repeated asthmatic =3D
incidents, trips to allergist and years of allergy shots. The use of a =3D
clothes dryer was vital for the health of my family.
Where I live regulations and cost would have prohibited me from building =
=3D
a wood or gas kiln or do pit firings. My first experience was on a kick =
=3D
wheel but I am way short and all the ones have tried do not fit my body =3D
type.=3D20
My point in this thread is that individual circumstances are directly =3D
related to our survival and quality of life..... in my case pottery =3D
which is integral to my survival and quality of my life.=3D20
So this is about clay and I rarely have a last word!;-)
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island WA
Tucson AZ
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Aug 2, 2010, at 7:58 AM, Janet Price wrote:
> Well, my grandmother, who line dried everything, was obese, but I'm
> not. If you enjoy line drying your clothes, that's your choice, and I
> do not thing there should be laws against it as there are in some =3D
gated
> communities.
>=3D20
> I enjoy baking my own bread, making my own jam, cooking most stuff =3D
from
> scratch, gardening, starting my grill with old newspaper and sticks =3D
from
> the yard, and I prefer a kick wheel to an electric. That's my
> preference. Doesn't have to be everyone's preference. And I don't =3D
have
> TV--again, just my preference.
>=3D20
> But this is not about clay, so my last word on it.
>=3D20
> Janet
>=3D20
> Lee Love wrote:
>> On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 12:11 PM, Janet Price =
=3D
wrote:
>>=3D20
>>=3D20
>>> I am delighted to have a new-fangled washer and dryer now, and even =3D
more
>>> delighted that because of other technological advances, I seldom =3D
need to
>>> iron anything. I'd much rather spend my time doing something else.
>>>=3D20
>>=3D20
>> I don't iron line dried cloths either. We have a Fisher and Paykel
>> low water/low energy washer.
>>=3D20
>> And even though I pay extra for wind generated power, I don't use any
>> on the line. And it helps cut down on the obesity problem in =3D
American
>> to boot. Imagine that!
>>=3D20
>> =3D
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/08/01/historic-report-solar-energy-costs-now=
=3D
-lower-than-nuclear-energy/
>>=3D20
>> --
>> Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
>> http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
>>=3D20
>> =3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. =3D
Feel
>> the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
>>=3D20
>>=3D20
>=3D20
Lee Love on mon 2 aug 10
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 1:03 PM, gayle bair wrote:
> Condemnations for the utilization or non-utilization of modern or ancient=
=3D
technologies >just doesn't work broadly.
It doesn't. It is always good to do things according to
considered reasons, and not just because of what we are told.
> Ask anyone with severe allergies if they line dry their clothing. =3DA0Ha=
ng=3D
ing wash on a >line resulted in 3 family members' repeated asthmatic incide=
=3D
nts, trips to allergist and >years of allergy shots. The use of a clothes d=
=3D
ryer was vital for the health of my family.
I've wondered if the wide spread occurrence of is do to the
sterile environment syndrome in our early lives? Incidences of
allergies have shot up since after WWII. But it could be the food we
eat and the additives too.
I had allergies that became asthma in Japan. Nothing like
waking up at night with an elephant on your chest, feeling like you've
been buried alive. My doctor traced mine to house dust and mites.
But, after three days back in the States, my symptoms are completely
gone. I just have the normal sniffles in the USA at the change of
seasons.
> Where I live regulations and cost would have prohibited me from building =
=3D
a wood or >gas kiln or do pit firings. My first experience =3DA0was on a ki=
ck=3D
wheel but I am way short >and all the ones have tried do not fit my body t=
=3D
ype.
You'd like the traditional Japanese/Korean kickwheels. They
are built for short people. I bought a custom sized one for longer
legs.
> My point in this thread is that individual circumstances are directly rel=
=3D
ated to our >survival and quality of life..... in my case pottery which is =
=3D
integral to my survival and >quality of my life.
Quality of life is the key.
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Lee on tue 3 aug 10
On 8/3/10, Snail Scott wrote:
>
> On Aug 2, 2010, at 3:58 PM, Lee Love wrote:
>
> > ...Incidences of
> > allergies have shot up since after WWII...
>
> Or is it just more widely diagnosed,
This is what corporations depend upon us believing. It certainly
would be strange if the over processing of our food had no effect upon
us.
Here is a possible cause of the disappearing bees:
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/668-colony-collapse-disorder.html
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D97tha=
t is, "T=3D
he
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
Robert Harris on tue 3 aug 10
Allergies are a result of the immune system over-reacting to common
antigens. During infancy and early childhood our bodies learn
appropriate immune responses, and learn what antigens are "common" in
our environment and learn not to react to them. If we are raised in a
sterile environment the immune system as always going to be on a bit
of a hair trigger and will not learn what antigens are common in the
environment.
So I encourage all of you to allow your children to eat dirt. It
stimulates their immune system, allows it to know what to focus on and
allows it to learn appropriate responses.
Lee, in the case of Japanese dust-mites part of the problem may be
that they're "foreign" dust-mites that you may not have learned are
"OK", whereas you were exposed to the good ol' US dust-mites at the
"right time" for your immune system not to overreact to them.
I've simplified things a lot (and I know that some of the way I have
described stuff is not exactly accurate), but the general take home
message is that an immune system that doesn't have something to focus
on gets out of whack (so eat dirt), and we must learn what antigens
commonly occur and are not "invaders" (so eat dirt).
The over-processing of food is not a direct culprit here (antigens are
small bits of proteins etc which generally keep their form however
processed the food is) but the insistence on sterility and cleanliness
is.
Irritable bowel syndrome and Coeliac disease also have immune system
causes which may be in part due to diet (genetics also plays a role).
For example the gut needs to be exposed to wheat gluten at a
particular time in development (I thinks it's something like between
the age of 7 months and 12 months of age, but please please check that
one). To early and you serious damage gut development, too late and
you get inappropriate immune responses to gluten, and Coeliac disease.
Robert
Lee Love on tue 3 aug 10
On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Robert Harris wr=
=3D
ote:
> Coeliac disease also have immune system
Robert, I spent my first 16 months of life in Japan. I developed
colic there. My first medical treatment was acupuncture for the
colic. It cured me immediately
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Robert Harris on tue 3 aug 10
Hi Lee,
I'm not sure why you mentioned this.
>
>> Coeliac disease also have immune system
>
> Robert, I spent my first 16 months of life in Japan. =3DA0I developed
> colic there. =3DA0 =3DA0My first medical treatment was acupuncture for th=
e
> colic. =3DA0 It cured me immediately
>
If you were implying it means that you shouldn't be allergic to
Japanese dust mites, it doesn't actually follow. For a start I have no
idea when the optimal time to be exposed to dust mites is, so as not
to be allergic to them, it may be at the age of 2... . Secondly I have
no idea how prolonged (or continual) the exposure needs to be. There
may also be seasonal variations that need to be accounted for (i.e.
you were only there +/- for a single winter (or summer - I have no
idea when you were born!)).
Acupuncture (and other alternative treatments) is something that has
always fascinated me. I can certainly see how it might work for colic
- which am assuming is a malfunction of the muscles and nervous system
of the gut. There is no doubt that the nervous system has feedback
loops that could be a mechanistic explanation of how it works. Being a
western trained scientist I am less certain of claims for curing
infectious diseases - but I don't know if this is something that well
trained Eastern Acupuncturists claim, or if it is something claimed by
the more fringe elements of the art that have sprung up in the US.
I know that some people claim that acupuncture works well for asthma
(have you tried it?), but I wonder if these are "mind over matter"
cases where the brain somehow calms down the immune system. Hey just
because it's a "placebo effect" doesn't really matter if it works,
right!
Robert
Lee Love on tue 3 aug 10
On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 1:11 PM, Robert Harris wro=
=3D
te:
> Hi Lee,
>
> I'm not sure why you mentioned this.
>
>>
>>> Coeliac disease also have immune system
>>
>> Robert, I spent my first 16 months of life in Japan. =3DA0I developed
>> colic there. =3DA0 =3DA0My first medical treatment was acupuncture for t=
he
>> colic. =3DA0 It cured me immediately
>>
>
> If you were implying it means that you shouldn't be allergic to
> Japanese dust mites, it doesn't actually follow.
Actually, the living quarters were newly built. Also, there was
only tatami in a small living room on the first floor that was just
between the resturant and the kitchen and not in the second story,
where we lived. It is possible that the dani (japanese for dust mites)
hadn't had a chance to get a good going.
In Japan, I wasn't too susceptible to the cedar pollen
allergies most Japanese have trouble with. I was told in the
beginning, that it often takes 3 years for people to to begin having a
reaction. I started having some symptoms after 3 years, but they
weren't bad. Like mild hayfever here.
> trained Eastern Acupuncturists claim, or if it is something claimed by
> the more fringe elements of the art that have sprung up in the US.
Acupuncture is covered by national health care in Japan.
I would go and get electro stimulated acupuncture and shiatsu. Be
there for 5 hours and only pay a co-pay of around $20.00 I wonder if
the main difference in Asia is that MDs embrace it ?
> I know that some people claim that acupuncture works well for asthma
> (have you tried it?), but I wonder if these are "mind over matter"
> cases where the brain somehow calms down the immune system. Hey just
> because it's a "placebo effect" doesn't really matter if it works,
> right!
I wasn't a year old when I had my first treatment. I bet I
didn't think the healer had any good intentions poking me with
needles. I suppose studying young children and animals could give us
data related to the placebo effect.
My wife Jean could find no relief for acute M=3DE9ni=3DE8re'
here in the States. It was so bad, that she would have to crawl to
the bathroom. One doctor at the U wanted to cut the nerve to her ear.
But the acupuncturist and Chinese medicine doctors suggested a change
in diet (no salt, no sugar) and gave Jean Chi-kung acupressure massage
for her face, and now she is able to live with it.
Sometimes "pacebo effect" simply means we are too stupid to know why
something works. ;^)
--=3D20
--
=3DA0Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
ivor and olive lewis on wed 4 aug 10
Dear Robert Harris,
Since you seem to have knowledge in depth about the behaviour and reactions
of our bodies perhaps you could tell me the purpose of our Lips.
Apart from sealing our oral cavity when we are eating and drinking and,
facetiously, preventing our mouths from fraying away as we talk, what do
lips do for our health and welfare Do they have a useful purpose ?
Regards,
Ivor Lewis,
REDHILL,
South Australia
gayle bair on wed 4 aug 10
Jeez Ivor... I hope you were laughing when you wrote that!!!
Let's see....a few off the top....
Articulating
Kissing
Emoting like the smile I'm exhibiting
Communication
Music... for example you should be familiar with digeridoos a pretty =3D
ancient instrument
Whistling
Containment of drool! :-)
Protection from inhaling or ingesting unwanted animate or inanimate =3D
objects
Oh and for some of us a place to slap on a splash of color
Civilized mastication
Everything on my brief list I see perceive as useful.....so outside if =3D
the chuckle..... why did you ask????
Bainbridge Island WA
Tucson AZ
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Aug 3, 2010, at 11:01 PM, ivor and olive lewis wrote:
> Dear Robert Harris,
>=3D20
> Since you seem to have knowledge in depth about the behaviour and =3D
reactions
> of our bodies perhaps you could tell me the purpose of our Lips.
>=3D20
> Apart from sealing our oral cavity when we are eating and drinking =3D
and,
> facetiously, preventing our mouths from fraying away as we talk, what =3D
do
> lips do for our health and welfare Do they have a useful purpose ?
>=3D20
> Regards,
>=3D20
> Ivor Lewis,
> REDHILL,
> South Australia
Robert Harris on thu 5 aug 10
Dear Ivor Lewis,
I have chosen to take your question somewhat seriously. There are some
things that have evolved that really make ones mind boggle. The two
things you mention I sealing the oral cavity and keeping the edges
from fraying are really pretty important don't you think? Keeping the
oral cavity sealed does prevent stuff insects flying into your mouth -
a very important function here in swampy Florida.
I first of all started thinking about other animals that have lips.
Chimpanzees have wonderfully mobile lips, far more useful than ours.
So do giraffes. Then I wondered if lips had something to do with diet,
carnivores vs mobile lipped herbivores, with us and chimps somewhere
in the middle. Lips are useful when eating. Then I wondered what
exactly do we mean by lip? Do cats have lips? Dogs definitely have
jowls, do these count as lips?
All of these animals are mammals of course. It seems to me that only
mammals have lips. So, there is your answer perhaps, we need lips to
be able to create a seal around a teat so we can create a vacuum to
suck milk. It evolved concomitantly with milk production! It is
interesting to note that whales, mammals that arguably don't have
lips, have muscles that literally pump milk into their newborn calf.
If on the other hand cats (newborn kittens?) do not have lips then I
am at a loss. Perhaps it is the only way to have a face where the
teeth are inside the mouth (as opposed to dogs with a wholly exposed
set of teeth).
Frankly I like Gayle's answers a whole lot better though!
Robert
On Wed, Aug 4, 2010 at 2:01 AM, ivor and olive lewis
wrote:
> Dear Robert Harris,
>
> Since you seem to have knowledge in depth about the behaviour and reactio=
ns
> of our bodies perhaps you could tell me the purpose of our Lips.
>
> Apart from sealing our oral cavity when we are eating and drinking and,
> facetiously, preventing our mouths from fraying away as we talk, what do
> lips do for our health and welfare Do they have a useful purpose ?
>
> Regards,
>
> Ivor Lewis,
> REDHILL,
> South Australia
>
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