Entry # 8 - Plant Warfare

Plants may seems like the most inactive things on earth but that is a complete lie. Its ommon knowledge that they can make their own food and from one of my previous posts, you now know they can "breathe". So what more can plants do? Well they don't secretly have eyes to see, hidden ears to listen, or undetecable mouths to speak... but they do have a communication network and it isn't wifi.

Truth of the matter is that plants communicate with one other with scents. Is this the reason why some plants smell gross and other plants have pleasant aromas? Yes and no. The smells are more or less a distress call. But the smalls that I am talking about are more subtle and almost never detectable for humans. 

So how does this smell talk network work exactly. Well let me illustrate.

Lets name some plant pests.

So lets say one of these guys (more like an army) lands on your plant and starts tearing away at the leaves. The plant won't sit there quietly and take a beating from these bullies. No, it will engage in a chemical warfare, releasing chemicals into the air that carry small odors that act as an alarm of sorts. 

Two outcomes come from this message. The first one is plant fortification. The plant under siege is actually warning the other plants of its kind of the attack and giving them a chance to fend for themselves before the armies reach them. In turn, the neighboring plants react to the alarm by releasing the same chemical into the air to warn other plants that are further.

The second result of the alarm system is... 

Calling in the Cavalry.

Yes, the plant is also trying to attract more insects. Most would think that would be bad but these helpful warriors do not tolerate the plant bullies and turn the tables. Those who were once the destroyers become the destroyed. 

Not only that but plants outside of the attacked plants family will pick up on the signal and protect themselves as well, sometimes acting as strong repellants to the invadors. Thus the foreign plant who selfishly tried to protect itself essentially becomes the victim plant's savior.

So next time you go to mow the lawn and you smell that fresh cut grass smell, just remember that that's the alarm going off.

Entry # 7 - Rooting Dumb into Men

I recently came across a blog that essentially was exposing male bashing in advertisemnt. As we go day to day and watch all these commerials on TV, we think nothing of it. It's mostly entertaining at best with the humor that appeals to many. The author of the blog sight called Dumb Men posts commercials and briefly provides a synopsis on what message is believed to be sent. The sight isn't much too look at and there is no real opinion as to what the author feels about the male bashing other than annoyance. Does a good job presenting the material, but thats as far as it goes.

With so many stereotypes going around that surround woman, sometimes there's a need to balance the field to avoid conflicts. In today's society, a lot of entertainment is based on belitting one another and no one really seems to care as to the consequences. A good laugh is worth it anyways right?

In the following commercial, a husband goes out to kill weeds but as a man, he is insensitive to what happens to everything else. As long as the goal is achieved then it is true success. The wife, who examines the job is not happy about the patch work. Then it proceeds to the wife schooling the husband in making right choices and to be more than one track minded by saying "kill the weeds, not the lawn." Then, as if it wasn't clear goes on to say "Got it?" as if the concept was incomprehensable to the man.

Now the purpose of the video was to sell Ortho's Weed B Gone Max. In essence, the message was that it doesn't take rocket science to figure out how to kill weeds while preserving wanted lawn grass. The product does it for you and kills even the hardiest of weeds. But as I look more into this, it doesn't only bash on the man's intelligence but on the woman's abilities also. To clarify, it is common stereotype that men are the ones that do yard work. However, in this video, the woman was the one with the so called smarts who knew exactly what to use and guided her husband to use it. So as a hidden message I see is that it so easy that even a woman can do it. Of course it appeals to women to be shown as intellectually superior to men, but that prideful thought blinds them from the hidden message. 

The bashing just never stops.