Clipmarks | kenstipe's clips

Political Junkies: Why it Feels Good to Be an Extremist

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:28:12 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: In The Political Brain, psychologist Drew Western summarizes fMRI experiments exploring the neuro-psychology of systematic bias and rationalization in the brains of political extremists. Finding ways to dismiss contradictory evidence triggers pleasant emotional releases in partisans' brains, eventually becoming a pleasurable, learned behavior.

Once partisans had found a way to reason to false conclusions, not only did neural circuits involved in negative emotions turn off, but circuits involved in positive emotions turned on.

The partisan brain didn't seem satisfied in just feeling better. It worked overtime to feel good, activating reward circuits that give partisans a jolt of positive reinforcement for their biased "reasoning."

These reward circuits overlap substantially with those activated when drug addicts get their "fix," giving new meaning to the term political junkie.
Clip Source: daily.sightline.org
How is it that even smart people can ignore a pile of evidence that contradicts their deeply-held beliefs. Why is it I get a rush when I'm making fun of a politician I don't agree with -- even if it's his flubs or quirks I'm mocking, not necessarily his ideas?
According to the research of Drew Western, political partisans -- and especially the smart, well-informed ones -- not only feel better when their brains downplay contradictory political information, they actually get a little emotional "high" when the brain (unconsciously) rejects evidence that contradicts their deeply held political beliefs.
In a series of brain scans of political partisans asked to consider contradictory statements by the politicians they supported, Western found that the brain reverted to the comfort zone of its long-held biases -- and doing so actually made people feel good.

Tags: science, politics, neuroscience, psychology, brain, reason, extremism, bias, beliefs

He made lists to fend off depression

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:25:14 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe
clipper's remarks: Guess who?

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - His mother suffered dark depressions and tried to dominate his life. His sister and daughter had severe mental problems, his father and wife died young and a beloved uncle committed suicide in his arms.

So what did Peter Mark Roget, the creator of Roget's Thesaurus, do to handle all the pain, grief, sorrow, affliction, woe, bitterness, unhappiness and misery in a life that lasted over 90 years?

He made lists.

Public Opinion

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:49:39 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”

“Painting is a faith, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.”

“There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.”

“One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.”

“There are certain times when public opinion is the worst of all opinions.”

“Public Opinion... an attempt to organize the ignorance of the community, and to elevate it to the dignity of physical force.”

“The best government rests on the people, and not on the few, on persons and not on property, on the free development of public opinion and not on authority”

“A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”

Gay dude killed for flirting with straight dude.

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:22:32 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Larry King was a gay eighth-grader who used to come to school in makeup, high heels and earrings. And when the other boys made fun of him, he would boldly tease them right back by flirting with them.

That may have been what got him killed.

On Feb. 12, another student, Brandon McInerney, 14, shot him twice in the head at the back of the computer lab at their junior high school, police say.

Emotions sharpen sense of smell

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:01:54 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

March 27, 2008 -- Know how a whiff of certain odors can take you back in time, either to a great memory or bad one?

It turns out emotion plays an even bigger role with the nose, and that your sense of smell actually can sharpen when something bad happens.

Northwestern University researchers proved the surprising connection by giving volunteers electric shocks while they sniffed novel odors.

The discovery, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, helps explain how our senses can steer us clear of danger. More intriguing, it could shed light on disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.

"This is an incredibly unique study," said Dr. David Zald, a Vanderbilt University neuroscientist who studies how the brain handles sensory and emotional learning. "We're talking about a change in our perceptual abilities based on emotional learning."

Creative photography

Tue, 06 May 2008 06:17:15 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: funtasticus.com

Dice Illusion

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:00:47 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: www.thedailyweird.com

19th century pampering technology

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:51:56 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: www.we-make-money-not-art.com

Lesbians take gay group to court over the term 'lesbian'

Fri, 02 May 2008 04:46:35 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name and filed a lawsuit on April 10. The other two plaintiffs are women.

Wright loses honorary degree

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:55:42 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe
clipper's remarks: Boo hooo

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Northwestern University withdrew its offer to give the Reverend Jeremiah Wright an honorary degree at this year's commencement because of the controversy over past sermons by the former pastor to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Eww. I'm not putting my thing on that

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:38:34 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: www.thedailyweird.com

Time

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:54:12 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future”

Clip Source: thinkexist.com

“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely”

“Time is the justice that examines all offenders.”

Cities with the largest and smallest carbon footprint

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:41:28 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Cities with the largest carbon footprints:

Lexington-Fayette, Ky.

Indianapolis

Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.

Toledo, Ohio

Louisville, Ky.-Ind.

Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn.

St. Louis

Oklahoma City

Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.

Knoxville, Tenn.

Cities with the smallest carbon footprints:

Honolulu

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana,Calif.

Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.

New York-northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.

Boise-Nampa, Idaho

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.

El Paso, Texas

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.

As an unperfect actor on the stage

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:06:11 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe
clipper's remarks: Shakespeare, Sonnet 23

Clip Source: www.shakespeare-online.com

SONNET 23 As an unperfect actor on the stage Who with his fear is put besides his part, Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage, Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart. So I, for fear of trust, forget to say The perfect ceremony of love's rite, And in mine own love's strength seem to decay, O'ercharged with burden of mine own love's might. O, let my books be then the eloquence And dumb presagers of my speaking breast, Who plead for love and look for recompense More than that tongue that more hath more express'd. O, learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit.

Comcast interference with browsers

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:16:12 GMT

clipped by: kenstipe

Clip Source: tech.slashdot.org

"A team of researchers have found that Comcast has quietly rolled out a new traffic-shaping method, which is interfering with web browsers in addition to p2p traffic. The smoking gun that documents this behavior are network traces collected from Comcast subscribers Internet connections. This evidence shows Comcast is forging packets and blocking connection attempts from web browsers. One has to hope this isn't the congestion management system they are touting as no longer targeting BitTorrent, which they are deploying in reaction to the recent FCC investigations."