Brain hungry! Feed me! Entertain me!

Why we curse: Bridging Logic and emotion

talinaislearning — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:34:47 +0000

When looking at Spanish learning site’s lessons at lomastv.com, I came across something about the nature of language I found interesting. It was the following statement:

The dictionary states that en bolas is itself considered vulgar by some. We don’t remember where we first came across the phrase, but for some reason it stuck with us, as colorful phrases often do. Could it be because certain speech operates on a whole other neurological plane that quite literally bridges logic and emotion?

There was then a link to a site with an interesting article you can find be scrolling down called Why We Curse: A Neuro-Psycho-Social Theory of Speech found here.

My brain is hungry for… anecdotal Zen Buddhist wisdom

talinaislearning — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:16:25 +0000

Sometimes contain pearls of wisdom that stick with you and you remember more than just being told the lesson learned from it. Two stories that come to mind are the following:

“Wanting God” Zen Story which really put it in my head what can be obtained when there is a great thirst or effort for something. In a version I heard the hermit was Socrates and the “disciple” wanted to know how to obtain wisdom.

“Two Monks and a Woman” Zen Story really stuck out for me as well with it’s great “punchline.” Here the poster uses it mean attachment to ideas which I had never thought of before but is interesting nonetheless. Through my own personal lens I saw it as letting go of things such as past events that aren’t going to change and letting yourself still “carry” them. As I heard it when you hold a grudge at someones it’s like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.

When do I use do? Transform your sentences into emphatic, yes/no questions and negative statements

talinaislearning — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:07:57 +0000

In the process of my TESOL certification I took an English grammar class and got a really good explanation for when we use “do” in English focused on if Spanish was your first language but also how we show emphasis.

Talina’s English Help 101….When do I use do? This was thanks to notes taken in my Modern English Grammar class at MSU taken with Professor Michael Ellis.

\ (^0^) / WOOT! Go Grammar go!!!

Three types of Sentence Transformations!!

emphatic, yes/no questions, and negative
Muhahahaha!!!!
I know this may seem like overkill but I thought all the extra stuff might help you get the big picture and understand when to use “do,” which will help you with the negatives too.
Knowing about sentence transformations will help you know when to use do!

“Do you have to go pumpkin smashing tonight?”
“What do you like to do?”
“The things she does make me want to kill her!!”

There are two different “dos” in the same way there are two different verbs in Spanish for “to have,” tener y haber. Can you see the difference?
Below is grammar crap….yeah I know exciting huh?….but if you look through it I think it will you, so bear with me!

1. Linking Verbs

Emphatic, or just a regular ol’ statement…

Bob –is– an idiot.
Bob –is– the president.
Bob seems….
Bob appears...
etc…

Is links Bob to the adjective idiot, so the verb “to be” is a linking verb, also known as a copula. Seem, appear, and become are also linking verbs. When you want to emphasize the fact Bob is an idiot, you put emphasis on the word “is” while you’re saying it. It’s like having an accent on the word or something or a raised pitch. The linking verbs links one idea to another, which is usually an adjective and sometimes a noun.

For a negative…

Let’s make it a negative sentence now! Yay!

Bob is NOT an idiot. (*cough*yeah right…) Emphasis is on the not.

For a yes/no question…

Is Bob an idiot?

2. Auxilary/Helping verbs
“haber” in Spanish is one. These little guys are always helping out the verbs who just can’t seem to do stuff on their own, so they “help” out! They are verbs before the main verb.

Emphatic…

Bob can sing like Elvis.

*Can* helps the verb *sing* and therefore is the helping verb. “Can” is what you say a little louder to emphasize it.

Others…
The students should have been studying for the test but got wasted instead!
should, have, and been are “helping verbs” and studying is the main verb.

!!!!*some verbs like “to have” and “to be” aren’t always helping verbs.*!!!!

Other auxilary verbs are may, might, shall, should, will, would etc…

Negative…

Bob can NOT sing like Elvis.

Emphasis is on the not.

Yes/No Question…

Can Bob sing like Elvis?

3. Everything Else…

*…insert DO! If there isn’t a linking verb or helping verb put DO which doesn’t really have an equivalent in Spanish! It isn’t the same as “hacer” when it is used this way.

Emphatic…

a.Bob ATE the moldy pizza. X P

For EMPHASIS, unlike 1.(linking verbs) and 2.(auxiliary verbs), which are made phonologically by saying one word LOUDER, here you add a word. Since there are no “helping verbs” and no “linking verbs,”
this transforms into….

b.Bob DID EAT the moldy pizza!

When you say the say b. it’s almost like you can’t believe it! a. is more like you’re just stating a fact but b. is like you’re really trying to convince someone who doesn’t believe you.

Negative…

Bob DID NOT EAT the moldy pizza!

Yes/No Questions..

DID Bob EAT the moldy pizza?

Compare this to *Bob DID EAT the moldy pizza!*

Did I explain everything clearly? If not, PLEASE let me know since I’ll be doing this as a living after all!

If you need to laugh go here!

talinaislearning — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:30:34 +0000

This is one of my favorite blogs to go to for literal LOLs. http://failblog.org/

It has sub-categories like engrish and news that I particularly like as well.

Just waitin…for permission

talinaislearning — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:21:35 +0000

I finished the draft for my logicomix post but quoted heavily and sent an e-mail to the publisher about publishing it. I wasn’t sure exactly how to go about so we’ll see.

Future preview…

talinaislearning — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:13:36 +0000

I just wanted to let to all whom it may concern,
I know I don’t post as often as I should but it seems like I want to do a bunch of less frequent more in-depth posts like I did with Language and it’s effects on thinking one, but that takes a lot longer. Some posts that I have drafts for are…
Synchronicity: The acuasal connecting Principle of Jung, Forgiveness, what is it and what does it mean for us?,Quantum Physics, David Bohm, and holographic universe,Evil Squirrels…Chad Orzel’s book on Quantum Physics,Antidepressants and depression…are they really what we think they are?, Logicomix an epic search for truth, and I’ve considered posting about what we’ve talking about in Ancient Philosophy for that week, about the Joseph Campbell’s books about mythology,and Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet. My interests are many from health, mythology, human nature psychology, language, philosophy, self-improvement, funny internet videos etc… so I think my posts will reflect that.

No internet!

talinaislearning — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:44:42 +0000

I’ve had no internet for the past two weeks at least due to a thunderstorm destroying the wi-fi device for our apartment and limited access only because of the library and friends. I can’t imagine life without the internet know for finding out things, entertainment, etc…. Well, hopefully soon. It makes me think about what we did without it now.

Time to Laugh and smile already!

talinaislearning — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:23:46 +0000

Everyone’s sense of humor is different but hopefully these random videos will make some others laugh as well! =D

Cheezburger.com “All your funny in one place”

http://cheezburger.com/Default.aspx

This site is a compendium of several sites and actually links to the engrish one below as well as several other good ones that are funny.

Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFicqklGuB0

Engrish.com (mostly Japanese mistranslations, I’m sure there’s some site somewhere of us doing the same thing). Be sure to check out the “Most Popular Engrish” as it has some of the funniest ones.

http://www.engrish.com/

The Fun Theory brought to you by Volkswagen and Bluemotion Technologies which I initially saw in the “piano stairs” video.

An explanation from “piano stairs” video:

“We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory.” http://www.thefuntheory.com

And finally getting into the fact long ago I watched DBZ this abridged series is like one of the funniest abridged series I’ve found. It’s probably funnier if you know something about the show though. It was one of the first things my husband and I (who is also a nerd but can be demented like me as well) watched together.

Team Four Star Dragonball Z Abridged Series

http://teamfourstar.com/

Also if you subscribe to funniestuff.net you will get videos through the mail.

The Asch Experiment & the Milgram Experiments etc… the power of others on You!?

talinaislearning — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:59:54 +0000

While I await for permission to put up intriguing things I’ve rediscovered from my sociology book and slowly but surely work on another language and thought post I thought I’d put this up. Below is the link about an interesting experiment called the Asch experiment and touches on other things that intrigue me. Here is an excerpt from the site which has the Asch and other experiments I’ll put on here:

The experiment is related closely to the Stanford Prison and Milgram Experiments, in that it tries to show how perfectly normal human beings can be pressured into unusual behavior by authority figures, or by the consensus of opinion around them.

The Asch experiment:

http://www.experiment-resources.com/asch-experiment.html

It also mentions the Milgram Experiments which came from trying to explain the horrors of the concentration camps.

A book I wish to finish on this is called Ordinary Men by Christoper R. Browning and a good review of it on Amazon is below from here:

http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Christopher-R-Browning/dp/B003GAN3IW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276277977&sr=8-1

Amazon.com Review

Shocking as it is, this book–a crucial source of original research used for the bestseller Hitler’s Willing Executioners–gives evidence to suggest the opposite conclusion: that the sad-sack German draftees who perpetrated much of the Holocaust were not expressing some uniquely Germanic evil, but that they were average men comparable to the run of humanity, twisted by historical forces into inhuman shapes. Browning, a thorough historian who lets no one off the moral hook nor fails to weigh any contributing factor–cowardice, ideological indoctrination, loyalty to the battalion, and reluctance to force the others to bear more than their share of what each viewed as an excruciating duty–interviewed hundreds of the killers, who simply could not explain how they had sunken into savagery under Hitler. A good book to read along with Ron Rosenbaum’s comparably excellent study Explaining Hitler. –Tim Appelo

So it is also interesting to look at and the link on the site for the Milgrams Experiment can be found here:

http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanley-milgram-experiment.html

The ETC…

The Stanford Prison Experiment is also a terrifying look at the darker side of human nature and it’s link can be found here:

http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanford-prison-experiment.html

Of course there has been some question on the validity of the results on some of these but it can’t be denied that this darker aspect exists when looking at history. I think maybe it strikes me more and maybe others though because in general, so much goodness can come from people too. To name a few…Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II, Abdul Sattar Edhi, and I regret I’m certain to leave too many out as well as people in our everyday lives. I just didn’t want to end this on a completely sobering note.

So here’s an inspiring true story about World War I where despite authorities saying to fight these British, German, and Scottish didn’t fight.

There is a French movie about called Joyeux Noël and the true story behind it can be found here about the Christmas Truce.

As the end of the article states:

Today, pragmatists read the Truce as nothing more than a ‘blip’ – a temporary lull induced by the season of goodwill, but willingly exploited by both sides to better their defences and eye out one another’s positions. Romantics assert that the Truce was an effort by normal men to bring about an end to the slaughter.

In the public’s mind the facts have become irrevocably mythologized, and perhaps this is the most important legacy of the Christmas Truce today. In our age of uncertainty, it comforting to believe, regardless of the real reasoning and motives, that soldiers and officers told to hate, loathe and kill, could still lower their guns and extend the hand of goodwill, peace, love and Christmas cheer.

My Blog Philosophy or Why I made mine

talinaislearning — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:11:40 +0000

I already addressed this to an extent in my “About Me” section but I guess this is a good thing to have towards the beginning of the blog. Mine is talinaislearning because in all sincerity I LOVE to learn. I absorb books like food and educational materials like an addict. I have a BSEd in Spanish K-12 and am working on getting my added-on certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) so obviously language is big interest of mine but by far not the only one. I want to know everything and it takes a while normally to solidify any thoughts toward anything as I see myself as far as I can an “open-minded skeptic” that tries to test ideas for weakness and considering them worthy to test being “innocent until proven guilty.” I recently found a quote from C.G. Jung in a foreword to the I Ching regarding similar sentiments; ” The irrational fullness of life has taught me never to discard anything, even when it goes against all our theories (so short-lived at best) or otherwise admits of no immediate explanation. It is of course disquieting, and one is not certain whether the compass is pointing true or not; but security, certitude, and peace do not lead to discoveries.” (italics added)I enjoy learning about philosophy, religions, the sciences such as psychology and physics in particular, history,and whatnot. I might also put controversial stuff up here but I don’t know if I want people flaming each other on here. It is possible to disagree with a person’s idea but still treat the person with respect! The topics for sure I want up here are ones that are interesting, deep, mean something etc…

I try to be more the empty cup so speak when it comes knowledge so to speak since if you’re so sure you’re full and know everything how else are you going to learn anything new since you “already know everything.” There could be something out there somebody else knows that I don’t that could totally change how I see something or everything and I try to be objective and the TRUTH is important to me but there are so many things that can affect how you see everything, factors I try to cancel out but I know is impossible to do. Truth doesn’t change no matter what your opinion is of it. A rock is still a rock if you call it a cat. I’d like to think my search for TRUTH would have lead me to the same place no matter the conditions I’d found myself in. For example, would I have come to the same conclusions about the world, philosophy, religions, people etc….. If I had grown up in India to Hindu parents?…if my whole family had been massacred in front of me?…If the only people I’d encountered of a certain religion were hateful? …if I had been born to a different socio-economic class? …if I had lived all my life in Japan to atheist parents?…if I had lived anywhere else most of my life besides the U.S.?…if I had had different parents and friends? The list could go on but I think about how those things might have changed how I see the TRUTH even the TRUTH itself doesn’t change. I feel like I want to present these ideas to people and let them think in ways they might not have before.

Anyway on the other hand don’t think I’m all cultured all the time either sometimes the brain needs a little junk food or laughs and thus all my dorky interests and crazy videos I want to post as well! Thus, the pure entertainment part with not necessarily any educational value whatsoever! This I plan to make this blog eclectic. I also make cosplay (non-slutty) and might put up tutorials for that and my drawings; I don’t know yet. Don’t put me in a box!