THE FLASHLIGHT, May 24-30, 2008
THE FLASHLIGHT
May 24-30, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
World Terrorism in Decline
Newsweek 6-2. If civilian deaths in Iraq are not counted among the victims of “terrorism,” then the trend in terrorism deaths has declined in the Muslim world for five years. The more Muslims are exposed to the Jihadist world view and tactics, the less they support them. In the world in general the decline has been since 2004.
China
Pollution
PBS 5-27. China has become the world’s biggest polluter of air and water. For the Beijing Olympics this summer, the government may temporarily shut down factories and close roads to cars.
Earthquake casualties
Hindustan Times 5-27. Earthquake deaths in China now exceed 68,000 with over 20,000 missing. PBS 5-27. 20 million are homeless.
Burma
Arca Times 5-27. The official death count from Hurricane Nargis is 77, 738 plus almost 56,000 missing. PBS. International aid workers have reached the Irrawaddy Delta, which was blocked for three weeks after the storm.
US Politics
NYTimes 5-28. Mark Mellman op ed. White working class voters are more favorable to Obama than they were to either John Kerry or Al Gore. In a recent poll, Hillary Clinton won them by a single point over McCain.
Science
NYTimes 5-30. Stonehenge was used as a cemetery from its beginning c. 3000 BC, probably for the dead of a ruling family. It may also have been a center of healing. See National Geographic for June.
Science: The Brain
Book Review: David J. Linden, The Accidental Mind. 2007. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. The author is a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins Univ.
The author argues that the brain, far from been a wonder of Intelligent Design, is a kluge, a cobbled together contraption, grown by agglomeration. He compares brain anatomy to a two-scoop ice cream cone, the cone being equivalent to the reptile brain; the first scoop, to the mouse (mammalian) brain, and the only the top scoop being the human addition.
He says that all human beings are predisposed to believe things they cannot prove. This is a first step to making sense of the world. The place where this occurs is in the left cortex, which constantly creates coherent narratives to explain experience. Both scientific and religious ideas originate here.
But religious ideas are non-naturalistic: they violate everyday perceptions and cognitive structures. They differ from scientific hypotheses in that they are not testable and not falsifiable.
Brain Plasticity: a PBS special, rerun. 5-27.
How We Can Improve our Lives by Changing our Brain
W can change our brain by conscious effort. In this way we can change our body chemistry. We do not improve by repeatedly doing what we know how to do. We can change our brain for the better by learning new things that interest us and are important to us. What we need are challenges and stimulation.
We learn successfully only when the brain is in the mood to do so: attentive and engaged. We memorize by relating new material to what we already know, and by making predictions. Motivation is a key factor in learning and re-learning.
People who are dedicated to learning important new facts, ideals and skills are filled with joy, confidence, and vitality, even in old age.
Israel and Palestine
Haaretz (Tel Aviv) 5-26. Prime Minister Olmert, under fire on account of corruption charges, said, “Only delusional people think we’ll keep our post-1967 borders. “ Israel has offered the Palestinians 91.6% of the West Bank. He made reference to Syria’s newly acquired long-range rockets and missiles.
Haaretz 5-28. Palestinian software engineers are working on a program to make a desktop computer accessible from anywhere. The engineers are graduates of West Bank Universities: Bir Zeit and An-Najah. Bisan, a firm based in Ramallah, exports $15 million worth of software a year. The Israeli IT is much larger.
May 24-30, 2008
No Peace without Justice, no Justice without the Facts
Mary K. Matossian, Editor
World Terrorism in Decline
Newsweek 6-2. If civilian deaths in Iraq are not counted among the victims of “terrorism,” then the trend in terrorism deaths has declined in the Muslim world for five years. The more Muslims are exposed to the Jihadist world view and tactics, the less they support them. In the world in general the decline has been since 2004.
China
Pollution
PBS 5-27. China has become the world’s biggest polluter of air and water. For the Beijing Olympics this summer, the government may temporarily shut down factories and close roads to cars.
Earthquake casualties
Hindustan Times 5-27. Earthquake deaths in China now exceed 68,000 with over 20,000 missing. PBS 5-27. 20 million are homeless.
Burma
Arca Times 5-27. The official death count from Hurricane Nargis is 77, 738 plus almost 56,000 missing. PBS. International aid workers have reached the Irrawaddy Delta, which was blocked for three weeks after the storm.
US Politics
NYTimes 5-28. Mark Mellman op ed. White working class voters are more favorable to Obama than they were to either John Kerry or Al Gore. In a recent poll, Hillary Clinton won them by a single point over McCain.
Science
NYTimes 5-30. Stonehenge was used as a cemetery from its beginning c. 3000 BC, probably for the dead of a ruling family. It may also have been a center of healing. See National Geographic for June.
Science: The Brain
Book Review: David J. Linden, The Accidental Mind. 2007. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. The author is a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins Univ.
The author argues that the brain, far from been a wonder of Intelligent Design, is a kluge, a cobbled together contraption, grown by agglomeration. He compares brain anatomy to a two-scoop ice cream cone, the cone being equivalent to the reptile brain; the first scoop, to the mouse (mammalian) brain, and the only the top scoop being the human addition.
He says that all human beings are predisposed to believe things they cannot prove. This is a first step to making sense of the world. The place where this occurs is in the left cortex, which constantly creates coherent narratives to explain experience. Both scientific and religious ideas originate here.
But religious ideas are non-naturalistic: they violate everyday perceptions and cognitive structures. They differ from scientific hypotheses in that they are not testable and not falsifiable.
Brain Plasticity: a PBS special, rerun. 5-27.
How We Can Improve our Lives by Changing our Brain
W can change our brain by conscious effort. In this way we can change our body chemistry. We do not improve by repeatedly doing what we know how to do. We can change our brain for the better by learning new things that interest us and are important to us. What we need are challenges and stimulation.
We learn successfully only when the brain is in the mood to do so: attentive and engaged. We memorize by relating new material to what we already know, and by making predictions. Motivation is a key factor in learning and re-learning.
People who are dedicated to learning important new facts, ideals and skills are filled with joy, confidence, and vitality, even in old age.
Israel and Palestine
Haaretz (Tel Aviv) 5-26. Prime Minister Olmert, under fire on account of corruption charges, said, “Only delusional people think we’ll keep our post-1967 borders. “ Israel has offered the Palestinians 91.6% of the West Bank. He made reference to Syria’s newly acquired long-range rockets and missiles.
Haaretz 5-28. Palestinian software engineers are working on a program to make a desktop computer accessible from anywhere. The engineers are graduates of West Bank Universities: Bir Zeit and An-Najah. Bisan, a firm based in Ramallah, exports $15 million worth of software a year. The Israeli IT is much larger.
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