Tag Archives: side

Brain Myths and Misconceptions

Posted on by
Reply
Myth: We only use 10 per cent of our brain. Reality: Brain imaging suggests that all parts of the brain are active. Myth: We have multiple "types" of intelligence, from interpersonal to logical, with corresponding IQs. Reality: Neuroscientific research distinguishes cognitive processes in the brain, but these do not correspond to different intelligences. A more accepted view is that each person has a general intelligence, and their various cognitive abilities are correlated with how high this is. Myth: The left side of the brain deals with rational thinking and the right side is emotional. Most people are dominated by one half, which can be remedied by exercises such as the "Brain Gym" programme. Reality: Each side has different functions, but there is little evidence that these reflect thinking styles. Brain Gym, popular in 80 countries, is considered pseudoscience by several scientific societies. Myth: Drinking plenty of water is important for brain function. Reality: Thirst kicks in long before lack of water affects brain function. Drinking water in class may improve performance because it creates mini-breaks that help with focus. Myth: Bilingual education leads to confusion and delayed development, due to conflict between the two language systems. Reality: The opposite is true. Switching between languages improves impulse control and the ability to concentrate. NewScientist

Popularity: 1% [?]

Desperate Plea To Stop The Lies

Posted on by
Reply
A heartfelt and well written, if long, plea for an end to the lies being spread.
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address:
"If it were admitted that you who are dissatisfied hold the right side in the dispute, there is still no single good reason for precipitate action. "Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land are still competent to adjust in the best way, all our present difficulty. "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue… "The government will not assail you. "You can have no conflict without being you yourselves the aggressors. "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

Popularity: unranked [?]

American drones in Pakistan

Posted on by
1
A look at why America should be more careful with it's drone program in Pakistan and what it's side effects could be.  Highly recommended.
American drones in Pakistan 4:15 June 18, 2009 download | email | permalink The World's Jeb Sharp reports on the controversy surrounding US drones strikes in Pakistan. There's growing resentment in Pakistan because of how many civilians are killed by the missiles. Listen to Jeb Sharp's previous story: The debate over drones 5:00 via American drones in Pakistan 4:15 | PRI's The World.

Popularity: 1% [?]

How To Do Homework The Proper Way

Posted on by
Reply
1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 2. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it. 3. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some coffee to help you concentrate. 4. Stop off at another floor on the way back and visit with your friend from class. If your friend hasn't started the paper yet either, you can both walk to McDonald's and buy a hamburger to help you concentrate. If your friend shows you his paper, typed, double-spaced, and bound in one of those irritating see-thru plastic folders, drop him. 5. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 6. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it. 7. Check your e-mail; reply to everyone who sent you letters. 8. You know, you haven't written to that kid you met at camp since fourth grade... You'd better write that letter now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate. 9. Go look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror. 10. Listen to one side of your favorite tape and that's it, I mean it, as soon as it's over you are going to start that paper. 11. Listen to the other side. 12. Check your e-mail again. 13. Rearrange all of your CDs into alphabetical order. 14. Phone your friend on the other floor and ask if he's started writing yet. Exchange derogatory remarks about your teacher, the course, the university, the world at large. 15. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 16. Read over the assignment again; roll the words across your tongue; savor its special flavor. 17. Check your e-mail to make sure no-one sent you any urgent messages since the last time you checked. 18. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren't missing something truly worthwhile on TV. NOTE: When you have a paper due in less than 12 hours, anything on TV from Masterpiece Theater to Sgt. Preston of the Yukon is truly worthwhile, with these exceptions: Pro Bowler's Tour + any movie starring Don Ameche + Star Trek 19. Catch the last hour of Soul Brother of Kung Fu on channel 26. 20. Phone your friend on the third floor to see if he was watching. Discuss the finer points of the plot. 21. Go look at your tongue in the bathroom mirror. 22. Look through your roommate's book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is. 23. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future. 24. Open your door and check to see if there are any mysterious, trench-coated strangers lurking in the hall. 25. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lighted place with plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. 26. Read over the assignment one more time, just for the hell of it. 27. Check your e-mail. 28. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise. 29. Lie face down on the floor and moan. 30. Leap up and write the paper. 31. Type the paper.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Blackwater crushed car with three kids, old man to avoid traffic

Posted on by
Reply
As if the massacre of Sept 16 wasn't horrifying enough, more stories of Blackwater have surfaced.
"We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned," she writes. "I began to wonder whether my meetings, intended to further U.S. policy goals and improve the lives of Iraqis, were doing more harm than good. With our drivers honking at, cutting off, pelting with water bottles (a favorite tactic) and menacing with weapons anyone in their way, how many enemies were we creating?" Gans describes a particularly "infuriating" incident where the lead Chevy Suburban in her convoy allegedly crashed into a sedan ferrying an older man, a young woman and three children. "As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over," she pens. "The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt."
"Why does the world hate America?"  is starting to lose its innocence. Full Story [Raw Story]

Popularity: unranked [?]