Month: May 2020

Curiositys, History, Media&Culture, ScienceLeave a comment

Rethinking Easter Island’s Historic ‘Collapse’

Fernando Kaskais

Controversial new archaeological research casts doubt on a classic theory of this famous island’s societal collapse By Tom Garlinghouse Easter Island’s colossal statues loom large—both literally and figuratively—in the popular imagination. The massive heads and torsos dot the landscape like stone sentinels, standing guard over the isle’s treeless, grassy expanse. The statues have inspired widespread speculation, awe, and wonder for centuries. But the island, called Rapa Nui by its Indigenous people, has also captured the world’s imagination for an entirely different reason. Rapa Nui is often seen as a cautionary example of societal collapse. In this story, made popular by geographer … Continue reading Rethinking Easter Island’s Historic ‘Collapse’

Freak U.S.A, Media&Culture, Psychology, Racism, RightsLeave a comment

People keep sharing the video of George Floyd. Some activists and mental health professionals are calling it ‘pain porn’ and begging them to stop.

Fernando Kaskais

by Rachel E. Greenspan  The video of George Floyd’s death spread like wildfire. It was shocking, horrifying, and violent in its depiction of Floyd, a black man, pinned down to the ground by the knee of Derek Chauvin, a white police officer (who has since been removed from his post). Chauvin dug his knee into Floyd’s neck for close to ten minutes as Floyd pleaded, saying “I can’t breathe,” before he stopped moving. Floyd later died in police custody in Minneapolis.  The footage, taken by a bystander and shared on social media, appears to incriminate Chauvin, who was charged with third-degree murder and … Continue reading People keep sharing the video of George Floyd. Some activists and mental health professionals are calling it ‘pain porn’ and begging them to stop.

Brain, Curiositys, Psychology, ScienceLeave a comment

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Human Brain

Fernando Kaskais

In “The Idea of the Brain,” Matthew Cobb explores the complex evolution of neuroscience through the ages. BY DAN FALK WE KNOW LITTLE about the life of Alcmaeon of Croton: We can be pretty sure he hailed from the coastal city of Croton (present day Crotone), in the far south of Italy, and had a father named Peirithous; he may have been a student of Pythagoras. We don’t know when he was born or when he died; only that he was active in the 5th century B.C. But we know he was fascinated by the human body, and was willing to challenge … Continue reading Unlocking the Mysteries of the Human Brain

Curiositys, Future, Living, TechnologyLeave a comment

THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY IS SPENDING MILLIONS TO CRACK THE CODE OF VIRTUAL FITTING

Fernando Kaskais

by Andrew Fiouzi Will the future of fashion look like a full-body scanner, a Sims-style avatar or something far more futuristic? Amidst the stay-at-home monotony, I’m trying to figure out if the hem on the black, pima cotton “classic” T-shirt, size small, from Buck Mason’s web store, will be too long on me. Maybe the extra small would be better? But then, historically, extra small T-shirts have always felt a bit too… accentuating. My brain is turning into applesauce, but I spend nearly 30 minutes on Memorial Day evening toggling back and forth between the small and extra small T-shirt, torturing myself in … Continue reading THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY IS SPENDING MILLIONS TO CRACK THE CODE OF VIRTUAL FITTING

Art, Literature, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

The Osbick Bird: Edward Gorey’s Tender and Surprising Vintage Illustrated Allegory About the Meaning of True Love

Fernando Kaskais

A subversive Victorian-tinted infusion of romantic realism. BY MARIA POPOVA Great loves, like great works of art, live at the crossing point of the improbable and the inevitable. That, at least, has been my experience, both as a scholar of history and as a private participant in the lives of the heart. Such loves come unbidden, without warning or presentiment, and that is their supreme insurance against the projectionist fantasy that so frequently disguises not-love — infatuation, obsession, jealousy, longing — as love. But when they do come, with all the delirium of the improbable, they enter the house of … Continue reading The Osbick Bird: Edward Gorey’s Tender and Surprising Vintage Illustrated Allegory About the Meaning of True Love

Health, Living, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

THIS IS THE PATH OF A TRUE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

Fernando Kaskais

Lala Rukh, Guest Waking Times A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it. This must be understood from the very beginning. One must learn from him who knows – G.I. Gurdjieff ‘Spirituality’ as a trendy lifestyle, is a display, always has been, always will be. It’s a control mechanism. At its core we find power hungry gurus, just like in any big business. They want control of your mind, your finances and your energetic system. No country or culture of the world is free from this deception. The digital age certainly has its advantages. Now … Continue reading THIS IS THE PATH OF A TRUE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

Curiositys, History, Media&Culture, Money, PsychologyLeave a comment

WHY WE LOOT

Fernando Kaskais

by C. Brian Smith  Looting has a bad reputation, but from the Battle of Corinth to the L.A. riots, it’s been a mainstay of civilization — and its ‘morality’ depends on who’s in power A Target in Minneapolis near where George Floyd was killed by cops was heavily looted on Wednesday. Videos posted on Twitter showed a chaotic scene: people hauling away TVs, vacuum cleaners and rugs, and using stolen power tools to drill into cash registers. (Additional looters were spotted at a nearby tobacco store, a Dollar Tree and an AutoZone.) Riots are “a messy part of the evolution of society,” Time magazine noted during the 2014 … Continue reading WHY WE LOOT

Health, Living, PsychologyLeave a comment

Escaping a toxic childhood

Fernando Kaskais

A new therapy helps survivors improve their lives by facing the psychological impoverishment that often accompanies abuse Steven N Gold is a professor at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Center for Psychological Studies in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He founded and serves as director of the Trauma Resolution Integration Program (TRIP) at NSU’s Psychology Services Center. His forthcoming book is Contextual Trauma Therapy: Overcoming Traumatization and Reaching Full Potential(2020). Listen here Edited by Pam Weintraub As a psychologist in private practice during the early 1980s, I began to establish a specialty in treating survivors of longterm child abuse. One regular source of clients was an … Continue reading Escaping a toxic childhood

Health, Living, Psychology, ScienceLeave a comment

Young and Healthy and Waiting to Get Cancer

Fernando Kaskais

The hardest part of living with the BRCA1 gene. BY LYNDSEY WALSH I’m young and perfectly healthy, but I’m waiting for the day when I finally get sick. While many of us are locked down in our homes due to the coronavirus pandemic, it may feel like the world is currently sharing a collective period of waiting. However, I’m not waiting for sickness from a virus. I am waiting to find a lump. I am waiting for my test results. I am waiting to elect to remove my breasts. I am waiting to have my uterus and my ovaries surgically … Continue reading Young and Healthy and Waiting to Get Cancer

Brain, Curiositys, Psychology, ScienceLeave a comment

‘Knowing how’ is in your brain

Fernando Kaskais

by Carnegie Mellon University Although we often think of knowledge as “knowing that” (for example, knowing that Paris is the capital of France), each of us also knows many procedures consisting of knowing how, such as knowing how to tie a knot or start a car. Now a new study has found the brain programs that code the sequence of steps in performing a complex procedure. In a just published paper in Psychological Science, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to find decode the procedural information required to tie various knots, with enough precision to identify which knot is … Continue reading ‘Knowing how’ is in your brain