The Migrant Crisis

There is so much hype and counter-hype, so much scare-mongering and rumour-spreading about the whole "migrant crisis" that it is a relief to come across an article that treats the problem sensibly and at the same time acknowledging that it is a problem that really needs us to develop a sense of compassion.

Although there are huge problems involved in tackling the situation, one thing for sure is that we cannot decide that there is no solution. If we ignore the political posturing and grandstanding, we can come up with some kind of solution. But the problem then is whether the political will exists to apply the solution. Hopefully so.

http://phys.org/news/2016-05-bit-numeracy-asylum-debate.html

Mapping Language In The Brain

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have built a "semantic atlas" that shows in vivid colours and multiple dimensions how the human brain organizes language. The atlas identifies brain areas that respond to words that have similar meanings. They show that at least one-third of the brain's cerebral cortex, including areas dedicated to high-level cognition, is involved in language processing. Notably, the study found that different people share similar language maps.

(read the full article at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160427150335.htm)

Detailed maps showing how the brain organizes different words by their meanings could eventually help give voice to those who cannot speak, such as victims of stroke or brain damage, or motor neuron diseases such as ALS.

One person’s right cerebral hemisphere. The overlaid words, when heard in context, are predicted to evoke strong responses near the corresponding location. Green words are mostly visual and tactile, red words are mostly social. Illustration: Copyright Alexander Huth / The Regents of the University of California

Aiming For Perfection

In 1997, Michael Jordan said in the Nike ads, "I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

John Dunn, psychology researcher at the University of Alberta is investigating the construct of perfectionism and how athletes strive towards the high personal standards they set. "There are essentially two types of perfectionist - one strives for perfection and the other demands it," he says. "When one strives for perfection, and can accept that mistakes are part of the process, failure can be quite motivating. On the other hand, we know that perfection is almost unattainable; therefore, a lot of bad things can come from demanding it."

Dunn notes that much of the bad form of perfectionism comes from growing up in an environment in which love was conditional upon meeting parents' standards. In his work, Dunn educates parents and coaches to reinforce effort and personal development as opposed to meeting the personal standards of someone else.

My favourite quote from this article is "Athletes need to convince themselves that they have failed only if they failed to learn."

You can read the full article here http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-04-athletes-loss.html