LennyBound wonders:

Episode two of a two-part BBC-4 special program hosted by neurologist V.S. Ramachandran that explains his key findings in certain instances of brain damage that have long been viewed as mere curiosities by the scientific community. This episode focuses on prosopagnosia, the Capgras delusion, and temporal lobe epilepsy.

My apologies for the audio being slightly off, the black bar at the bottom of the video, as well as the temporary video defects; this was the only copy of the video I could find.

This is Part 3 of 5.

LennyBound wonders:

Episode two of a two-part BBC-4 special program hosted by neurologist V.S. Ramachandran that explains his key findings in certain instances of brain damage that have long been viewed as mere curiosities by the scientific community. This episode focuses on prosopagnosia, the Capgras delusion, and temporal lobe epilepsy.

My apologies for the audio being slightly off, the black bar at the bottom of the video, as well as the temporary video defects; this was the only copy of the video I could find.

This is Part 1 of 5.

LennyBound wonders:

Episode two of a two-part BBC-4 special program hosted by neurologist V.S. Ramachandran that explains his key findings in certain instances of brain damage that have long been viewed as mere curiosities by the scientific community. This episode focuses on prosopagnosia, the Capgras delusion, and temporal lobe epilepsy.

My apologies for the audio being slightly off, the black bar at the bottom of the video, as well as the temporary video defects; this was the only copy of the video I could find.

This is Part 2 of 5.

Steven Cancel wonders:


le think of poker these days they are generally referring to Texas hold’em. Texas hold’em poker has picked up an enormous amount of fans and is quite possibly more popular than all other poker types combined. There is a total of 8 popular types of poker and I am going to tell you a little about each of them. Many poker game types support the card rankings but most everything else is different.

Let’s start with learning the basics of Texas Hold’em style poker. First, the 2 players to the left of the dealer put down a small blind and a big blind. Blinds are small bets based on the rules set prior to the game starting. Each player is dealt 2 cards down which are called pocket cards. The first person able to call, bet, or fold is left of the big blind. Calling means you will match the current per player bet and pass the option on to the next player. In order to stay in the game you must at least match the big blind unless a greater bet has been placed then you must match that. Each player will have the option to bet, fold or call when it is their turn. After everyone has completed the first round of bets 3 cards are flipped from the remaining deck in viewing of each player. Everyone playing will mentally use these cards in combination with their own to make the best possible poker hand. Each player then is able to bet, fold, or call again. After betting you take one card out of the deck and face it down, then place the following card up next to the 3 flipped. This again is mentally used to improve each player’s hand. After the option to once again bet, fold, or call happens again another card is placed down and another one up. This is the last chance for everyone to bet, fold, or call. If someone calls and matches all bets the players remaining must show each other their cards. The winner takes the pot.

5 card and 7 card stud is the first ones we will start with. These were both very popular games before Texas hold’em grew in popularity. In 7 card stud, each player is dealt 2 cards – one up and one down. Whoever has the lowest card showing at the table must initiate by betting or checking. Following the bet initiation each person at the table must pass, raise or fold their hand. There is a maximum of 4 bets per round (1 bet and 3 raises) with a total of 5 rounds. Whoever is dealt the highest strongest poker hand showing must be the first one to initiate betting for that round. Each round is another opportunity to bet while cards are placed face up on the table except on the first and final round where it is face down leaving plenty of mystery to the game. 5 card stud follows all of the same rules except there are 2 of the face up cards are not included leaving each player with 5 cards dealt at the end of each hand. Although the rules are similar to Texas hold’em there are some crucial differences. Each player has their own face up cards and the person that initiates the bet each round changes consistently completely changing the metrics of the game.

If you are interested in learning simplified rules of other poker variations please continue reading to Part 2 of this article.

Michael Skye wonders:


Consider this…

Inside of goodness it’s inherently very difficult to be great. Very difficult. Greatness means being willing to risk the very thing goodness requires: the approval of those who say what is good and what is not.

Yet consider that greatness is inherently simple. It’s natural. It’s simply a matter of returning to you–to your natural conscience or consciousness–to your innate call to courageously face reality honestly and courageously act in line with your values.

What’s actually hard is being “good” in so many other people’s eyes–all the time. Everyone judges you by different standards, standards which can change at their whim. On top of that others’ perceptions of you are always limited and always changing. See how it’s hard to be good?

Now consider how your conscience or consciousness is continually reminding you not to ignore or compromise your values for others, and you can see how it can be harder to be “good, rather than great!

Yet we’re trained from birth in the art of being “good.” We’re trained at home, in school, at church, at work, etc., etc. We become so conditioned for goodness, that goodness becomes easy and greatness becomes difficult.

Greatness becomes extremely difficult, because we’ve been trained all of our lives not to think for ourselves and act courageously on our own thoughts. We’re trained instead to defer to others’ judgment and to follow their lead.

So when it comes time to stand for something in the face of authority’s or majority’s criticisms, we don’t want to be outcast. We don’t want to lose their estimation of us as a “good” person. So we choose goodness over greatness. And with every such choice, our spirit dies a little more.

Being true to yourself and living a heroic life doesn’t need to be a constant uphill battle. The more willing you are to let go of “goodness,” the more swiftly and naturally you can step back into greatness.

INTRODUCTION:

In a related article, we asked, “What separates the person of goodness from the person of greatness?” and we saw how the person of greatness is guided primarily by his own consciousness and conscience. The person of goodness on the other hand is primarily guided by others.

We also saw that being guided by conscience is quite natural, and thus greatness could be quite natural for human beings. So why then, we asked, do we receive so much goodness training?

There are plenty of good excuses for goodness training. Rather than concern ourselves with why it exists, let’s take a closer look at how it works, and what its affect is on our natural greatness.

Goodness training starts early. Most all of us have been taught what to believe, who to follow. We’ve been rewarded when we believe and obey, and punished when we question and disobey.

In fact, to be successful, goodness training must override one’s natural greatness. Let’s look at how this works. Natural Greatness is evident in the two functions of conscience, as discussed in the last session:

1. To lead us to FACE (self-honesty, courageous inquiry)

2. To lead us to STAND (courageous integrity)

Goodness training requires that we,

1. Look to the leader for guidance (rather than face)

2. Follow and obey (rather than stand)

ORIENTATION:

Highest Value:

Trained Goodness – Appear good in the eyes of others

Natural Greatness – Respect and honor in own eyes

Guidance Values:

Trained Goodness – 1. Blind faith (not looking for inner guidance, not questioning, not facing) OVER self-honesty/vision (looking for inner guidance, questioning, facing)

2. Blind obedience (being true to highest outer guidance) OVER integrity (being true to highest inner guidance)

Natural Greatness – 1. Self-honesty OVER blind faith

2. Conscious integrity OVER blind obedience

Conscience orientation:

Trained Goodness – Turn outward, away from conscience, towards a leader’s vision

Natural Greatness – Turn inward, towards conscience and towards own vision

Consequences:

Trained Goodness – Growing self-distrust, anxiety, self-doubt, dependence, disconnection from self

Natural Greatness – Growing self-trust, peace, confidence, inner power, connection with self

Reaction/Response to Consequences:

Trained Goodness – Seek more external guidance

Natural Greatness – Seek more internal guidance

Results:

Trained Goodness – Decreasingly powerful vision, awareness and grasp of reality

Natural Greatness – Increasingly powerful vision, awareness and grasp of reality

Caution: Goodness training often results in fearful minds. And fearful minds look first for agreement and disagreement, as if exploring new ideas is a matter of defend and attack. “I agree with this, but not with that.” Fearful minds react quickly to ideas that seem to conflict with their own. They run back to their position and hide behind the safety of the walls of their beliefs and judgments.

Great minds relate to conflicting ideas differently, and the result is ever-emerging wisdom and vision. So be conscious of how you explore.

And please remember to relate to the terms in this article, as defined in this article, rather than how you may define them. For example, if faith means something different to you, then understand that we’re not talking about that kind of faith.

Most disagreement and miscommunication in the world happens when we assume that someone else means the same thing we do when using a certain word, when he means another thing entirely. So, if there is disagreement, first look to understand the other person’s context or definition. There may be no disagreement at all.

And, rather than looking to see if you agree or disagree, look to assemble the new ideas into a puzzle you’ve not seen before.

VISIONARY ADVANTAGE:

Tomorrow’s visionaries will not be accidental or “born” visionaries. They will consciously guide themselves by new protocols that give them ever-expanding powers for guiding themselves with conscience, wisdom and vision.

VISIONARY DYNAMIC:

The more you face yourself and reality and look within for guidance, the more powerful your vision becomes.

VISIONARY CHALLENGE:

As much of a leader as you may be in many areas of your life, look for areas in which you doubt yourself. Who do you defer to? Whose guidance do you seek? What gives them more ability than you to know what’s so, or what’s best for you? How can you reverse the cycle of dependency, and put yourself on a course of looking within to build ever more wisdom, power and vision?

LennyBound wonders:

Episode two of a two-part BBC-4 special program hosted by neurologist V.S. Ramachandran that explains his key findings in certain instances of brain damage that have long been viewed as mere curiosities by the scientific community. This episode focuses on prosopagnosia, the Capgras delusion, and temporal lobe epilepsy.

My apologies for the audio being slightly off, the black bar at the bottom of the video, as well as the temporary video defects; this was the only copy of the video I could find.

This is Part 4 of 5.

David Andrews Ltd wonders:


* Escalating student debt spells big trouble for credit files in the future

* Graduates likely to be servicing £15,000 debts until their mid-30s

Students face a potentially ‘calamitous’ problem with their credit histories on graduation thanks to the now inevitable prospect of leaving college or university with high debt levels.

Moneynet.co.uk, the online financial data comparison site, has warned students to keep a close eye on their credit files and to ensure that they keep up to date on all credit card repayments and loan debt – otherwise they could be in for a nasty shock when it comes to arranging mortgages and credit in the future.

“The major credit reference agencies such as Equifax and Experian hold detailed files on our financial histories, which start as soon as we open a bank or credit related account,” said Moneynet chief executive Richard Brown.

“The majority of graduates are looking at servicing a minimum debt of £15,000 (see note 1) until their mid-thirties, which is clearly not the best way to start out when it comes to wanting to arrange a mortgage or anything else requiring a sound credit history.

“So we would advise students to keep an eye on their credit files to make sure all the information held on them is accurate. In addition, it is crucial that students understand the importance of not over-committing themselves as missed payments could mean they have accumulated an adverse credit history even before they embark on a professional career. This could take years to repair.” added Brown.

Brown also advised new – and existing – students to make sure they are getting the best from their student bank accounts. And to avoid being seduced by gimmicky special offers designed to secure their lucrative business.

“Banks love students as they want to keep their business when they graduate: but most young people can afford to be choosy when it comes to picking a bank. We would always encourage new account openers not to be blinded by the marketing razzamatazz, and to focus on core banking services, free overdrafts and decent rates of interest,” said Brown.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Note (1)

Last month the Government confirmed that after the introduction of top-up fees in 2006, while 400,000 students may be able to claim non-repayable grants and bursaries, most will service a minimum debt of £15,000 until at least their mid-thirties. High street banks maintain that in reality the average graduate debt, including fees, for those entering university next year is likely to be nearer double that by 2009.

And a recent survey by NatWest Bank this month suggested that freshers starting university in the autumn expect to spend £28,600 over the three years of their degree courses and to graduate owing nearly £14,000.

Moneynet has a free guide to Student Finance – Moneynet Student Finance Guide

Press enquiries

Moneynet: Richard Brown, Chief Executive, 020 8313 9030

David Andrews Media Ltd Cathy Tully, 01273 774109 cathy@davidandrewsmedia.co.uk

Consumer enquiries: online@moneynet.co.uk http://www.moneynet.co.uk

Editor’s notes

Moneynet.co.uk is the UK’s most established personal finance research and data website. The company offers consumers a wide range of low cost financial products: from mortgages and personal loans; to car, home and medical insurance; credit cards; savings accounts and best-buy fixed rate products. Moneynet.co.uk is an ethical, impartial and comprehensive source of consumer finance information, covering the whole of the personal finance sector.

statuckapsychology wonders:

From Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception

LennyBound wonders:

Episode two of a two-part BBC-4 special program hosted by neurologist V.S. Ramachandran that explains his key findings in certain instances of brain damage that have long been viewed as mere curiosities by the scientific community. This episode focuses on prosopagnosia, the Capgras delusion, and temporal lobe epilepsy.

My apologies for the audio being slightly off, the black bar at the bottom of the video, as well as the temporary video defects; this was the only copy of the video I could find.

This is Part 5 of 5.