THE CAUSE OF DEJA VU?! “A different but related theory states that déjà vu is a fleeting malfunctioning between the long- and short-term circuits in the brain. Researchers postulate that the information we take in from our surroundings may “leak out” and incorrectly shortcut its way from short- to long-term memory, bypassing typical storage transfer mechanisms. When a new moment is experienced—which is currently in our short-term memory—it feels as though we’re drawing upon some memory from our distant past.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2012

written by Jordan Gaines —original article found here

Seeing into the future? The neuroscience of déjà vu

Even the most rational of us experience it: you’ll be chatting with friends or exploring a place you’ve never been when suddenly a feeling washes over you: you’ve experienced this exact moment before. The familiarity is overwhelming, and it shouldn’t be familiar at all. The sensation becomes stronger before ebbing, then completely leaves, all within a matter of seconds. Had you predicted the future? Yet, chances are, you can’t pinpoint exactly when you’d experienced that premonition before.

Déjà vu is a French term that literally means “already seen” and is reported to occur in 60-70% of people, most commonly between the ages of 15 and 25. The fact that déjà vu occurs so randomly and rapidly—and in individuals without a medical condition—makes it difficult to study, and why and how the phenomenon occurs is up to much speculation. Psychoanalysts may attribute it to wishful thinking; some psychiatrists cite mismatching in the brain causing us to mistake the present for the past. Still, parapsychologists may even believe it is related to a past-life experience. So what do we know for certain about what happens during an episode of déjà vu?

Some researchers speculate that déjà vu occurs when there is a mismatch in the brain during its constant attempt to create whole perceptions of our world with very limited input. Think about your memory: it only takes small bits of sensory information (a familiar smell, for instance) to bring forth a very detailed recollection. Déjà vu is suggested to be some sort of “mix-up” between sensory input and memory-recalling output. This vague theory, however, does not explain why the episode we experience is not necessarily from a true past event.

A different but related theory states that déjà vu is a fleeting malfunctioning between the long- and short-term circuits in the brain. Researchers postulate that the information we take in from our surroundings may “leak out” and incorrectly shortcut its way from short- to long-term memory, bypassing typical storage transfer mechanisms. When a new moment is experienced—which is currently in our short-term memory—it feels as though we’re drawing upon some memory from our distant past. 

The beating of women is due to mental illness–wanting to be the woman being beaten is the same–the other side of the coin

Irritated today by a radio interview I heard about the stupid Rihanna/Brown thing.

I can’t stand them, and am disappointed by how so many people are talking about them as though they matter…

But what really got my goat was the discussion NOT mentioning that Chris Brown is mentally ill.

The ‘expert’ went on about his “unfortunate lack of contrition”…

It sounded inane…like observing the lack of contrition of a schizophrenic.

And in the same vein…battered women are ILL TOO! 

Why is this not more commonly observed?

Sane women, when punched in the face the first time…LEAVE.

CALL THE COPS.

SHOOT A GUN.

Do something, and seek recourse…take umbrage.

Insane women, seek that masochistic thrill over and over and over.

It’s been studied and reported on so many times in my life.

I am surprised that this whole episode is being discussed as though it were the 1950s or 1550s and not 2012, when we KNOW that..both parties to (chronic) Domestic Abuse are basically insane.

[And here, of course I am not looking to ‘blame the victim’, by any means…but observe a scientific reality]

I am not surprised, and am saddened that I am even babbling over this in this post.

I do not expect them, these “stars” to behave normally, nor do I expect people we may know, who are not celebrities, to behave normally .

Women who find themselves in a series of abusive relationships NEED HELP.

It is not easy, actually, to find the men who WILL actually punch you in the face, kick you when you’re down, and bruise you so it isn’t publicly visible…jesus.

You have to hunt for them.

This is the same reason I get infuriated when Honour Killing is quickly labelled, without thought, ‘Domestic Abuse’.

Honour Killing is Socially Sanctioned.  It is a COMMUNITY CONSPIRACY.

Domestic Abuse, on the other hand involves the insanity of one, and more than usually, two.

INSANITY.

We can not analyze behaviours to seek normal reactions of (victim) escape, (perpetrator) contrition, etc.

The expert on the radio actually compared Brown with Michael Virk–the dude who abused DOGS (and is now apparently very contrite and making public service appearances).

Hurting a DOG is obviously different from hurting a human life partner. (and I never like placing animals as lesser than humans, but in domestic abuse situations, I must–you don’t have sex with your dog, you don’t have children with your dog, you don’t have the complexities of an adult human relationship with a dog)

C’mon people.

I hate when the media fails to spread knowledge, but merely perpetuates further ignorance.

I don’t have high expectations of the likes of Oprah, but this was CBC Radio.

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I think in almost all circumstances both partners ought to be held on mental health legislation, for professional intervention and addressing underlying causal conditions.

-rudhro

[VIDEO] SNORING HUMMINGBIRD

[VIDEO] WHY I LOVE CITIES AND THE PURPOSE OF URBAN PLANNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: “Cities are the future, and innovations to make them better, smarter, and faster are happening every day. Take a beautiful tour of some of the most interesting urban projects and thinking going on today.” ALL THE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF CITIES WILL BE FOUND IN CITIES THEMSELVES…

[VIDEO] THE PHILOSOPHICAL POWER OF COMEDY: “A great piece of comedy is a verbal magic trick.” – CHRIS BLISS. A TED Talk.

I’ve often considered the greatest comedy to be on par with the greatest philosophical lectures.  Even those who disagree, will listen, due to the pleasure of being amused.  Now that is power.

-rudhro

BILL HICKS [MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE COMEDIAN] IN THE EVENT HORIZONTAL 

[VIDEO] Yak Blood Drinking Festival – Mustang, Nepal

 A Hindu who refuses red body fluid from any bovine ought refuse white body fluid as well–the darn thing doesn’t DIE. We blood-let ourselves in some cultures. It’s a great ethical-vegetarian compromise! The future of ethical foods–free range blood sausages. Mmm, protein!

– rudhro

Officially Selected in the 6th International Film Festival Rural Arica Nativa 2011, CHILE.

Festival of drinking fresh blood of Yak to cure diseases, like gastritis, is being celebrated in Nepal’s north-west district Mustang.

The festival is celebrated twice a year during April-May and July-August by local people.

Some 5-10 glasses of Yak blood is taken out by piercing its neck and drunk without killing the animal.

It costs around Rs 60 to drink a glass of Yak blood and people drink instantly before it freezes.

More videos by Director Chetan Raghuram…

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The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, theTibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population. In the 1990s, a concerted effort was undertaken to help save the wild yak population.

“All across the globe, couples engaged in premeditated, pre-processed, spontaneity-free sexual congress. It was Valentine’s Day, after all, the night the western world sits in restaurants and stares across the table at the object of its affection thinking, “In three hours, if there isn’t a fight, I’m going to have part of my anatomy enmeshed in part of their anatomy.””

The monotony of life once more ruining the thrill of being alive. -rudhro

Why you should have sex in your car

written by ANDREW CLARK

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Chocolates were purchased. Flowers procured at the last minute. Proposals were made.

All across the globe, couples engaged in premeditated, pre-processed, spontaneity-free sexual congress. It was Valentine’s Day, after all, the night the western world sits in restaurants and stares across the table at the object of its affection thinking, “In three hours, if there isn’t a fight, I’m going to have part of my anatomy enmeshed in part of their anatomy.”

This Valentine’s Day, however, was a troubling new development. People were dumping on the act of having sex in your car. One national media outlet ran a lame “Is it a good idea to have sex in your car?” video segment. Though I was perturbed by the stupidity of the headline – if it’s consensual, it’s always a good idea to have sex – I was most dismayed by the attack on car sex.

The woman in favour spoke of “being with your sweetheart and showing that you love him anywhere and everywhere” (I’ve actually had car sex and believe me that’s not what it’s about) and the guy who was against car sex said he was opposed because it is difficult and cramped. Note to nerd: How can you tell when you’re having great sex? It feels difficult and you start cramping.

Then the newspapers were filled with reports of a B.C. RCMP officer who was being docked 10 days pay for having sex with a subordinate officer in a police patrol car two years ago. Hey, British Columbia RCMP – if you don’t want people to have sex in your patrol cars don’t make them so sexy! Flashing lights, handcuffs, strong sturdy exterior, pressed uniforms, hats, who can resist?

The anti-automotive Valentine’s Day vibe let the air out of my tires. It’s bad enough that, as a car lover in a car-hating world, I have to hang my head and wear a scarlet “D” for driver. Now it looks like it is open season on car fornication. Is nothing sacred?

So it’s up to me (again) to champion freedom, to summon the ghosts of bucket seats and fogged windows and defend the pursuit of paradise by the dashboard light. To tell the world why car sex is not only good but should probably be mandatory. So, I present my completely unbiased treatise.

Why You Should Have Sex in Your Car:

[VIDEO] HISTORY’S FORGOTTEN PHILOSOPHER KING OF PRUSSIA: FREDERICK THE GREAT

What a life. What a story. What a tragedy that he is now lost to history due to Nazi propaganda…

If only we had such leaders today. 

written by Amanda Kay McVety

Frederick the Great remains one of the most famous German rulers of all time for his military successes and his domestic reforms that made Prussia one of the leading European nations. Frederick II (the Great) was king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, and he stands as one of the greatest of the Enlightened Despots. He was an absolute ruler, but he lived under the principle that he was the “first servant of the state.” He consequently did not rule by his own personal whims, but always under the guidance of what was most beneficial for Prussia, and he expected his people to possess the same devotion. Frederick devoted himself to building Prussia into a strong state and that meant both expansion and reform. When Frederick saw a chance to unify his kingdom geographically by taking over the Austrian province of Silesia, he quickly planned an invasion. This action went against an established treaty, but Frederick argued that agreements between nations became void when it was no longer beneficial to the state for them to exist. During the Seven Years War, Frederick successfully resisted opposition from France, Russia, and Austria despite a much smaller pool of resources. It was his military genius that saved his country and brought Prussia out of the war stronger than she had been before entering it. As king, Frederick issued a series of domestic reforms that modernized Prussia and built her up from within. He continued the work of his predecessors to consolidate power by giving the territorial princes a place in the governmental bureaucracy. He established universal religious toleration and granted freedom of the press. He established individual protections against the law by speeding up the legal process, abolishing torture, and making sentences of death legal only with his personal sanction. Prussian judges were educated and the courts gained a reputation as the most honest in Europe. He established the first German law code and enforced general education rules across Prussia. Frederick financed the rebuilding of towns through agricultural reforms and built thousands of miles of roads. Frederick built Prussia into one of the strongest nations in Europe and left a legacy of absolute devotion to the fatherland that continued to shape German history into the 20th century.

written by Amanda Kay McVety

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Sources:
Durant, Will and Ariel. The Story of Civilization: Part X. Rousseau and Revolution New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967.
Ritter, Gerhard. Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile. Trans. Peter Paret. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968.
Woloch, Isser. Eighteenth-Century Europe: Tradition and Progress, 1715-1789. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1982.