VIDEO ON SCIENCE

ON SCIENCE Sometimes we may wonder what science is. That is precisely the word WONDER if you want to watch a video on the way science works , watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDQ8ggroeE4

what is science? ALEJANDRO ALTIMIR

Some Definitions of Science ________________________________________ Definitions by goal and process: ________________________________________ 1. the systematic observation of natural events and conditions in order to discover facts about them and to formulate laws and principles based on these facts. 2. the organized body of knowledge that is derived from such observations and that can be verified or tested by further investigation. 3. any specific branch of this general body of knowledge, such as biology, physics, geology, or astronomy. Academic Press Dictionary of Science & Technology ________________________________________ Science is an intellectual activity carried on by humans that is designed to discover information about the natural world in which humans live and to discover the ways in which this information can be organized into meaningful patterns. A primary aim of science is to collect facts (data). An ultimate purpose of science is to discern the order that exists between and amongst the various facts. Dr. Sheldon Gottlieb in a lecture series at the University of South Alabama ________________________________________ Science involves more than the gaining of knowledge. It is the systematic and organized inquiry into the natural world and its phenomena. Science is about gaining a deeper and often useful understanding of the world. from the Multicultural History of Science page at Vanderbilt University. ________________________________________ Science consists simply of the formulation and testing of hypotheses based on observational evidence; experiments are important where applicable, but their function is merely to simplify observation by imposing controlled conditions. Robert H. Dott, Jr., and Henry L. Batten, Evolution of the Earth (2nd edition) ________________________________________ Science alone of all the subjects contains within itself the lesson of the danger of belief in the infallibility of the greatest teachers in the preceeding generation . . .As a matter of fact, I can also define science another way: Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts. Richard Feynman, Nobel-prize-winning physicist, in The Pleasure of Finding Things Out as quoted in American Scientist v. 87, p. 462 (1999). ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Definitions by contrast: ________________________________________ To do science is to search for repeated patterns, not simply to accumulate facts. Robert H. MacArthur, Geographical Ecology ________________________________________ A modern poet has characterized the personality of art and the impersonality of science as follows: Art is I; Science is We. Claude Bernard (1813-1878), Physiologist and "the father of modern experimental medicine" ________________________________________ Poetry is not the proper antithesis to prose, but to science. . . . The proper and immediate object of science is the acquirement, or communication, of truth; the proper and immediate object of poetry is the communication of immediate pleasure. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), Definitions of Poetry ________________________________________ Fiction is about the suspension of disbelief; science is about the suspension of belief. James Porter, UGA Ecology Professor, as quoted by Steve Holland ________________________________________ Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt. Richard Feynman, Nobel-prize-winning physicist ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Not quite definitions, but critical statements: ________________________________________ As a practicing scientist, I share the credo of my colleagues: I believe that a factual reality exists and that science, though often in an obtuse and erratic manner, can learn about it. Galileo was not shown the instruments of torture in an abstract debate about lunar motion. He had threatened the Church's conventional argument for social and doctrinal stability: the static world order with planets circling about a central earth, priests subordinate to the Pope and serfs to their lord. But the Church soon made its peace with Galileo's cosmology. They had no choice; the earth really does revolve around the sun. Stephen J. Gould, The Mismeasure of Man ________________________________________ The fuel on which science runs is ignorance. Science is like a hungry furnace that must be fed logs from the forests of ignorance that surround us. In the process, the clearing that we call knowledge expands, but the more it expands, the longer its perimeter and the more ignorance comes into view. . . . A true scientist is bored by knowledge; it is the assault on ignorance that motivates him - the mysteries that previous discoveries have revealed. The forest is more interesting than the clearing. Matt Ridley, 1999 Genome: the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters, p. 271. ________________________________________ There is no philosophical high-road in science, with epistemological signposts. No, we are in a jungle and find our way by trial and error, building our roads behind us as we proceed. We do not find sign-posts at cross-roads, but our own scouts erect them, to help the rest. Max Born (1882-1970), Nobel Prize-winning physicist, quoted in Gerald Holton's Thematic Origins of Scientific Thought ________________________________________ The stumbling way in which even the ablest of the scientists in every generation have had to fight throught thickets of erroneous observations, misleading generalizations, inadequate formulations, and unconscious prejudice is rarely appreciated by those who obtain their scientific knowledge from textbooks James Bryant Conant (1893-1978), Science and Common Sense ________________________________________ I think that we shall have to get accustomed to the idea that we must not look upon science as a "body of knowledge", but rather as a system of hypotheses, or as a system of guesses or anticiptations that in principle cannot be justified, but with which we work as long as they stand up to tests, and of which we are never justified in saying that we know they are "true" . . . Karl R. Popper (1902-1994), The Logic of Scientific Discovery ________________________________________ The real purpose of the scientific method is to make sure Nature hasn't misled you into thinking you know something you don't actually know. Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ________________________________________ We [scientists] wouldn't know truth if it jumped up and bit us in the ass. We're probably fairly good at recognizing what's false, and that's what science does on a day-to-day basis, but we can't claim to identify truth. Dr. Steven M. Holland, University of Georgia Geology Professor ________________________________________ Science is the most subversive thing that has ever been devised by man. It is a discipline in which the rules of the game require the undermining of that which already exists, in the sense that new knowledge always necessarily crowds out inferior antecedent knowledge. . . . . This is what the patent system is all about. We reward a man for subverting and undermining that which is already known. . . . . Man has a tendency to resist changing his mind. The history of the physical sciences is replete with episode after episode in which the discoveries of science, subversive as they were because they undermined existing knowledge, had a hard time achieving acceptability and respectability. Galileo was forced to recant; Bruno was burned at the stake; and so forth. An interesting thing about the physical sciences is that they did achieve acceptance. Certainly in the more economically advanced areas of the Western World, it has become commonplace to do everything possible to accelerate the undermining of existent knowledge about the physical world. The underdeveloped areas of the world today still live in a pre-Newtonian universe. They are still resistant to anything subversive, anything requiring change; resistant even to the ideas that would change their basic concepts of the physical world. Philip Morris Hauser (1909-), Demographer and Census Expert, as quoted in Theodore Berland's The Scientific Life ________________________________________ SOME FUN ________________________________________ A carpenter, a school teacher, and scientist were traveling by train through Scotland when they saw a black sheep through the window of the train. "Aha," said the carpenter with a smile, "I see that Scottish sheep are black." "Hmm," said the school teacher, "You mean that some Scottish sheep are black." "No," said the scientist glumly, "All we know is that there is at least one sheep in Scotland, and that at least one side of that one sheep is black

Tabloid journalism or tabloidism (sensational, inflammatory words and the history of tabloid journalism)

    This article casts a light upon how yellow press has gained territory over quality press.  This topic belongs to one of the units appearing on the book "Proficiency Expert" (Unit 4: Information). However, it doesn't mean that other students won't be able to read and analyse this piece thoroughly. Link: http://voiceseducation.org/content/sensationalism-inflammatory-words-and-history-tabloid-journalism.

News about refugees (13/09/15) (Inés Chesini)

Babies, children drown as migrant boat capsizes off Greek island

Thirty-four refugees, almost half of them babies and children, drowned when their boat sank off a Greek island today, almost certainly the largest death toll in those waters since the migrant crisis began, the coastguard said.

Four babies, six boys and five girls died when the wooden vessel carrying them overturned on Sunday morning, about 5 km east of the small island of Farmakonisi, close to Turkey's coast, the service added.

Tens of thousands of mainly Syrian refugees have braved rough seas this year to make the short but precarious journey from Turkey to Greece's eastern islands, mainly in flimsy and overcrowded inflatable dinghies.

Thousands have died, many of them taking the much longer crossing from Libya, in Europe's worst migrant crisis in decades.

Details of the nationalities and ages of the victims of Sunday's sinking off Farmakonisi were not immediately available.

The coastguard said 68 people were rescued from the water and another 30 survivors from the same boat were found on Farmakonisi.

On Lesbos, an island which has borne the brunt of Greece's migrant intake, a Reuters photographer saw 10 dinghies arriving within 90 minutes on Sunday.

One inflatable carrying about 70 refugees, including many children, burst about 100 metres (90 yards) from the shore. Locals pulled infants and toddlers - including a two-month old baby cradled by his father - ashore on rubber rings.

Greece has regularly called for more help from authorities in dealing with the influx, and caretaker Prime Minister Vasiliki Thanou urged the bloc on Sunday to agree a more comprehensive policy.

Other countries were wrong to criticise Greece's response to the flow of migrants, Thanou said during a trip to Lesbos.

"We would urge them to consider the responsibility of guarding a 16,000 km long coastline of European borders ... and whether a future Europe of principles can be constructed by building walls," she said.

The vast majority of refugees reaching Greece quickly head north to other countries, with Germany the most favoured destination.

EU states have so far failed to reach agreement over proposals by Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to accept a mandatory quota system for accepting refugees.

REFUGEES: A tale of two refugees. (Inés Chesini)

A tale of two refugees: torment and agony

DEIR ZANOUN, Lebanon — Both women fled Syria after their normal lives were destroyed in the country’s civil war. Both are desperate to start a new life and see Europe as their best hope. But their fortunes are a world apart.

In the Jordan capital Amman, Amena Abomosa — her husband dead, her mother stricken with cancer — is one of the few lucky ones. She and her family received a rare visa from France and she is packing to fly to Paris today. That allows her to reach her dream without enduring the harrowing sea crossing and land trek that tens of thousands of migrants have endured this year.

In Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Rim Helal is willing to risk that arduous, dangerous journey. But, among the poorest of the Syrian refugees across the region, she and her family can’t afford to pay a smuggler.

“We are ready to take risks. We are fed up with life,” said the 25-year-old Helal, sitting on the floor of her tent, her 17-month old son Mohammed in her lap, and husband Ghazi Helal sitting next to her. “Maybe life there is better than here.”

They’ve been living in a tiny make-shift camp for more than three years. Her husband is jobless and their food aid is being reduced. She doesn’t have money to buy medicine for Mohammed, who is suffering from a cold. She says sometimes she feels so miserable she asks herself why she even brought the child into the world.

“We came here (from Syria) thinking that Lebanon is better. It was not,” said Ibrahim Mahmoud who lives in a tent with his wife, three sons and daughter since they fled from the northern province of Aleppo more than three years ago. “I am ready to take risks in the sea even if I die but I have no money.”

War’s rude arrival

In Amman, Abomosa sees hope. The 43-year-old widow, her three kids and her mother were packed days before their flight. Along with photos of her deceased husband and some sand from Damascus as a memento, she’s taking a pile of documents detailing her family’s tragedy and resilience.

The war exploded into the family’s life on July 20, 2012 when a sniper shot her husband, Abdul-Razzaq Mardini, as he stooped to help a child wounded in a street battle in the capital Damascus. The scene was filmed then broadcast on an Arab TV station before going viral.

Soon government forces were knocking on Abomosa’s door, in the middle of the night at times, accusing her dead husband of terrorism, she said. She said they made her sign a document absolving the government of guilt, declaring her husband’s death natural.

On one visit, government troops stormed the house, crushing her beneath the glass and metal front door as they walked across it to enter.

A month later, still recovering from her injuries, she sold her gold jewelry and fled for Jordan, using the money to bribe her way through Syrian checkpoints along the way.

She applied for France’s direct settlement programme. It was a long shot. But with four binders of documents backing her story of her husband’s death, her suffering at the hands of security forces and her mother’s illness, she was convincing in the interview, she said. In February, the embassy told her it would bring her to France, provide health care for her mother, enroll her children in school, help her find work, and, if she wanted, provide for her continued education.

‘I will work, I’m eager’

“A good person is one who gives as much as she takes,” she said. “Educate my children, and in exchange people will become productive and society will take from them. ... I do not want to only take something. I will start my own project, I will work. I’m eager.”

Others see no hope except in the illegal journey. In the Lebanese village of Deir Zanoun, Rima Obeid said she is ready to take the risk. She, her husband and two children struggle to find food and water.

“Whatever God wants will happen and we will die whether here or in the sea,” the 26-year-old said, sitting with her 10-month-old daughter, Waad, in her lap.

TECHNOLOGY: THE NEW ADDICTION?? by MARTINA FALCINELLI

Technology: The New Addiction?

This modern world keeps offering new gadgets to make our lives easier. Cell phones make it easier to keep in touch with your friends and family. Personal digital assistants, or PDAs, let you access your email no matter where you are. There are several products that combine all kinds of uses into one hand-held tool. But as helpful as these things can be, can they also come to control us?

Some people may be becoming addicted to the technology they use (BBC, 2008). What starts out as a convenient way to stay in touch can turn into a compulsive need to use those devices and check messages at all hours of the day. Whether it’s on the phone or on the computer, technology addiction can be as destructive as alcoholism (LeClaire, 2006). Since daily life surrounds us with technology, it’s important to make wise choices about using it.

How does technology become an addiction?
Technology use can become overuse and addiction when it starts to take away from the time you’d normally spend on socializing with friends or family, relaxing, or doing a hobby. This isn’t saying it’s bad to check your email, but it may be an issue if you have to check it every few minutes. Some people even get up in the middle of the night just to check their messages (BBC, 2008).

Of course, it’s not that extreme for everyone. True addiction can be more difficult to notice than that. Other, more common, signs of possible addiction include:

• Loss of interest in hobbies and social interactions
• Inability to turn off the phone or PDA
• Keeping devices near or at easy access all the time
• Physical issues like carpal tunnel syndrome

These symptoms can range in seriousness. Sometimes problems with overuse may not be noticeable until they’re already out of hand. If you’re not sure whether your technology use is unhealthy, ask people around you if they’ve noticed any bad habits you may have missed.

Getting a rush from using technology can also be a sign of addiction. Feeling anxious about not checking messages also may be a concern. There are plenty of good reasons to use your digital devices. But when it stops being about keeping in touch and is more about the feeling you get, you may want to consider changing your patterns of use.

Tips for healthy living with technology
There are plenty of easy steps you can take to prevent technology use from becoming addiction. Here are a few tips to help stay in control over the devices.

Unplug for 30 minutes. “You never exactly leave the office unless you turn whatever you’ve got off,” says Wichita mayor Carlos Mayans (Wilson, 2005). When the business day is over, consider taking some time out. It’s okay to turn off the phone and the PDA for a while. Instead, why not read a book or have a quality family dinner?

Focus on the people around you. Whether it’s in a meeting or at home, the people you’re with deserve your attention. Try to listen to them and treat them with respect by putting off checking your messages until later.

Keep a healthy balance. Technology isn’t bad, but it’s important to try to balance it with other parts of your life. Don’t let every part of the day revolve around your computer or digital devices. Consider whether it’s really necessary to take it with you to the gym or the restaurant. Try to make a time and a place for each part of life.

Prioritize. Consider what’s more important, taking a phone call or spending time with your family? Checking your email or talking to your friend? You’re in control, so you can choose to put technology in its place and put relationships first.

Find more meaningful ways to spend your time. Try taking up a new hobby. It’s good to get out and be active to fight against the lure of technology. Why not go for a walk or a bike ride? When you start spending time and energy in other areas, you may end up wanting to check your messages less.

If you feel that someone you know might be overusing their technology, you may want to let them know. Some ideas of ways to approach them include:

Ask them to turn off their phones and PDAs. If you’re having a meeting or a conversation with someone, it’s okay to ask them not to use their devices. But be polite and gentle. Focus on asking, not demanding.

Encourage them. Let them know that you value their thoughts and input. When you notice that they’re paying attention, try telling them you appreciate it.

These are only a few suggestions. As newer technology fills our world, it’s important to be aware of what we’re getting into and how to adapt. Technology isn’t going away, so it’s good for everyone to know how to live with it in a healthy way.

LAUGHTER CLUBS BY MARTINA FALCINELLI

Laughter yoga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laughter Yoga with Madan Kataria

Laughter yoga (Hasyayoga) is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact and playfulness between participants. Forced laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter.

History[edit]

Laughter yoga was made popular as an exercise routine developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria, who writes about the practice in his 2002 book Laugh For No Reason.^[1]

In the mid-1990s, laughter yoga was practiced in the early mornings in open parks, primarily by groups of older people. Later, a more formal version was created and popularized as "Laughter Clubs". Kataria's first Laughter Yoga Club began on 13 March 1995 in Mumbai, with five people in a local public park.^[2] The concept rapidly spread worldwide, and as of 2011, there were more than 8,000 Laughter Clubs in 100 countries.^[3] Each group is run by a "Laugh Captain" and operates independently.

Method[edit]

Laughter is easily stimulated in a group when combined with eye contact, 'childlike playfulness' and laughter exercises. Fake laughter quickly becomes real. Laughter Yoga brings more oxygen to the body and brain by incorporating yogic breathing which results in deep diaphragmatic breathing.^[4]

Anyone can laugh without needing to rely on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is initially simulated as a physical exercise while maintaining eye contact with others in the group and promoting childlike playfulness. In most cases this soon leads to real and contagious laughter. Laughter yoga is the only technique that allows adults to achieve sustained hearty laughter without involving cognitive thought.^[5]

It bypasses the intellectual systems that normally act as a brake on natural laughter.

Laughter yoga sessions start with gentle warm-up techniques which include stretching, chanting, clapping and body movement. These help break down inhibitions and develop feelings of 'childlike playfulness'. Breathing exercises are used to prepare the lungs for laughter, followed by a series of ‘laughter exercises’ that combine the method of acting and visualization techniques with playfulness. These exercises, when combined with the strong social dynamics of group behavior, lead to prolonged and hearty unconditional laughter. Laughter exercises are interspersed with breathing exercises.^[6] Twenty minutes of laughter is sufficient to develop full physiological benefits.

A laughter yoga session may finish with "Laughter Meditation". This is a session of unstructured laughter whereby participants sit or lie down and allow natural laughter to flow from within "like a fountain".^[7]

Scientific validity[edit]

A handful of small-scale scientific studies have indicated that Laughter Yoga may potentially have some medically beneficial effects, including benefits to cardiovascular health and mood.^[8] Benefits to mood in depressed patients have been found to be as good as exercise therapy.^[9] A study by Oxford University found that pain thresholds become "significantly higher" after laughter, compared to the control condition, and saw this as being due to laughter itself, rather than the mood of the subject. The study suggested that Laughter produced an "endorphin-mediated opiate effect" which could "play a crucial role in social bonding".^[10]