Fallacy No2: Ad ignorantiam

Fallacy No2 :

Ad ignorantiam - basically states that a specific belief is true because we don't know that it isn't true.

This is a favourite fallacy of those who dabble in pseudoscience.

Fallacy No 1: Ad hominem

To be able to think clearly in a world where almost everything is layered with sensationalism and half truths is important. There 20 known fallacies and let us start with No1, the most used, Ad Hominem.

Ad Hominem, translated from Latin to English, means "against the man" or "against the person."And this how the argument will sound like:

Jane: The world is heading towards an environment disaster
John: Of course you will say that, you are member of Greenpeace.
Jane: What about the arguments I presented to support my case.
John: Like I said, you are Greenpeace activist and you have to say that. All you Greenpeace members ever do is cause panic and demonstrate. You people are good at nothing else.

Ad Hominem is a fallacy because the character, action and circumstances have no bearing to the truth or falsity of the claim being made.

Flu and Alzheimer

In a study at University of Tennessee, Memphis, and St. Jude’s Research Hospital, researches has found that the H5N1 flu strain - c0mmonly known as bird flu can penetrate deep into the brain and cause immune reaction which may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders. 

Read more here

Finding Peace at home

In an ideal world, our home is a place of peace away from the hectic outside world. Unfortunately, ideal worlds don’t exist!

In order to make your home a sanctuary, you have to put in a little effort, but thankfully, it’s easier than you think.

Here are ten ways you can find peace in your home:

1. Clear the Clutter. Many people never feel at ease when they’re at home because their home is disorganized. Of course, a cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind, and a cluttered mind is a chaotic one. If you take one weekend to clear the clutter from your home, you’ll feel an immediate difference in your peace level.

2. Find a Hobby. Sometimes it’s boredom that gets the best of us when we’re at home. When you have a hobby to turn to, you’ll find that it’s a lot easier to feel peaceful and fulfilled.

3. Turn on the music. Listening to calming music will allow you to let go of the stress of the day and enjoy your time at home. Choose whatever kind of music you like, as long as it relaxes you.

4. Leave your work at work. If your home is an office away from the office, how can you ever find peace? Except for the rare occasion, leave your work at work, both physically and mentally. If you work from home, work in one dedicated space. Also, never work in the same room as you sleep, otherwise, you’ll associate your bedroom as a workspace.

5. Create time to decompress. Do you rush home from work and immediately take on more responsibilities and chores? Instead, allow yourself even 10 or 15 minutes to relax and unwind before you begin tasks for the home. Doing so will mark a clear separation in your mind between work and home.

* You might want to just lie on your bed for a few minutes, read a book, or take a shower. This short time will rejuvenate and refresh you.

6. Be considerate. Be mindful of your family and their daily stresses as well. Too often, we take their presence and contributions for granted. Remember that the people you live with are human, too. Show your gratitude for them.

7. Use positive reinforcement. When someone in your family does something to contribute to the peace, be sure to praise them to let them know you appreciate what they did. This will help foster more peace in the future!

8. Pick your battles. You could fight a lot about little, insignificant things, but is it worth it? Instead, choose only the most important transgressions to challenge.

9. Allow things to roll off your back. When something isn’t a big deal, just let it go. Instead, focus on maintaining your inner peace. You’ll be glad in the long run that you decided to go this route; it makes life so much easier!

10. Cool off. When you’re involved in a conflict at home, give yourself some time to cool off. Doing so will help you calmly talk about your feelings and come to a resolution. Or perhaps you just may realize that the issue wasn’t as big of a deal as you first thought.

Source : Super Mind Evolution

Your Body Literally Glows With Light

The human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day.

Past research has shown that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the levels which can be seen with the naked eye. In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light.

To learn more about this faint visible light, scientists in Japan employed extraordinarily sensitive cameras capable of detecting single photons. Five healthy male volunteers in their 20’s were placed bare-chested in front of the cameras in complete darkness in light-tight rooms for 20 minutes every three hours.

The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 AM and its peak at 4 PM, dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked to the body clock, most likely due to how metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.

Faces glowed more than the rest of the body. This might be because faces are more tanned than the rest of the body, since they get more exposure to sunlight.

Sources:

Live Science July 22, 2009

PLoS One July 16, 2009; 4(7): e6256 [Free Full-Text Article]

Selfish

It is difficult not to be selfish. It is native and not learned. The mind always looks out for "number one". It is however possible to learn to respect and be fair to the wants and needs of others.

Many a times in this blog, I have written about taking of one's own self and perhaps might be accused of narcissism, I truly believe we have to fair to others. After all there are about 7 billion humans on earth and all have the same right to live as you.

Here are ways we can learn to be more fair minded in your affairs.

• Am I being fair to ... right now?
• Do I put myself in another person's shoes when deciding things of mutual interest?
• Am I thinking broadly enough?
• Am I putting my desires ahead of others' right and needs?