The Brain on Trial. Advances in brain science are calling into question the volition behind many criminal acts. A leading neuroscientist describes how the foundations of our criminal-justice system are beginning to crumble, and proposes a new way forward for law and order.
"We may someday find that many types of bad behavior have a basic biological explanation—as has happened with schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, and mania."
[more inside]
posted by Eideteker
on Jul 15, 2011 -
99 comments
“
Water” is a film about a young boy’s struggle to accept his fears, his mentally disabled father and his possible future duty.
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posted by querty
on Nov 18, 2010 -
4 comments
The
Soroban is recognisable to most in the West as an Abacus. Despite the prevalence of electronic calculators, the Soroban is still incredibly popular in Japan, with parents oft paying for private tutors to teach their children. The remarkable phenomenon of
Flash Anzan is observed after a few years of practice, when users no longer need a real Soroban and can work off an imaginary one.
posted by Biru
on May 6, 2010 -
38 comments
"Their idea is, in broad outline, straightforward. Dr.
Crespi and Dr.
Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between genes from the father’s sperm and the mother’s egg can, in effect, tip brain development in one of two ways. A strong bias toward the father pushes a developing brain along the
autistic spectrum, toward a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development. A bias toward the mother moves the growing brain along what the researchers call the psychotic spectrum, toward hypersensitivity to mood, their own and others’. This, according to the theory, increases a child’s risk of developing
schizophrenia later on, as well as mood problems like bipolar disorder and depression."
posted by grumblebee
on Nov 11, 2008 -
43 comments
Madman or genius? Well... madman. But being confined to an asylum (with one of his symptoms described as "manic invention") didn't keep
Karl Hans Janke from developing elaborate theories of
atomic energy, flight,
space travel and the history of humanity, creating over 4,000 complex drawings and even models over 40 years of incarceration for paranoid schizophrenia.
[more inside]
posted by Shepherd
on Jun 2, 2008 -
4 comments
No Longer Lonely -- Online Dating For the Mentally Ill Membership is reserved solely for those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, personality disorder, post-traumatic disorder, or disassociative disorder, or eating disorder. If you ARE unsure if you qualify please contact the webmaster.
Some groovy benefits they tout:
* Never have to worry again about disclosure of your condition
* No need to hide those pill bottles
* Never again have to explain your erratic work experience
* No more stigma-induced disappointments
* Finding someone who can really understand your struggles and accomplishments
Since
JDate is not
just for Jews any more, perhaps (despite the requests not to) there will be a run on this site for those aren't part of the mental illness community.
I'm sure all of us have an ex that we might politely term "mentally ill"- we could find more like 'em on a site like this, or avoid 'em in future if we knew they were dating amongst themselves? Maybe there should be an
enabler category?
My 2nd FPP and my 2nd about unusual online dating. I don't know why that is.
posted by stevil
on May 5, 2005 -
22 comments
TLE, possibly one of the most common diseases, believed to affect 600,000 to a million Americans, remains obscure. It is what afflicted Julius Ceasar, Alexander the Great, and
Dostoyevsky. Known through the work of
Bear and
Geshwind, it is virtually impossible to diagnose except in a severe cases where a seizure can be witnessed by an MRI or EEG, also because of the controversial
theories on personality. While a neurological disorder, it is treated by psychiatrists, and when medicated,
artists have often felt that the muse has left them.
posted by scazza
on Jan 20, 2005 -
38 comments
The Mythical Quest , an old exhibition at the British Library. 'Throughout the world, tales have always been told of
heroes and heroines embarking on perilous quests in
search of lost loved ones, the secret of immortality,
earthly paradise or simply great riches. Many of these
stories have elements in common, such as clashes with
monsters, battles with the elements, interventions by
the gods and tests of moral character, mental cunning
and physical strength. These tales have been expressed
in songs, literature, art and dance for thousands of
years, and are still being reinterpreted today in
books, comic strips, interactive games and adventure
films.'
More British Library exhibits
here, from
early Indian photography to
the secret life of maps.
Examples of mythical quests :-
Monkey:
Journey to the West (another version
here,
not to mention
the
TV series);
the
Ramayana
(and the
Ramakian,
the Thai version);
Cupid
and Psyche at
the
Classics Pages (subject of
a previous
thread);
the
Holy
Grail (more at
the
Catholic Enyclopaedia);
the journey of
Alexander
the Great;
Pilgrim's
Progress and
John Bunyan;
the
world of Dante and
a
map of
Hell.
posted by plep
on Jul 11, 2003 -
17 comments
