How to Create Your Perfect Dream.

Psychologists have announced the results of a two-year study into dream control. The experiment shows that it is now possible for people to create their perfect dream, and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed. (Researchers also discovered that people's dreams were especially bizarre around the time of a full moon.)

Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire announced the results of a two-year study into dream control. The experiment shows that it is now possible for people to create their perfect dream, and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed.

In 2010, Professor Wiseman teamed-up with app developers YUZA to create 'Dream:ON' -- an iPhone app that monitors a person during sleep and plays a carefully crafted 'soundscape' when they dream. Each soundscape was carefully designed to evoke a pleasant scenario, such as a walk in the woods, or lying on a beach, and the team hoped that these sounds would influence people's dreams. At the end of the dream, the app sounded a gentle alarm and prompted the person to submit a description of their dream.

The app was downloaded over 500,000 times and the researchers collected millions of dream reports. After studying the data, Professor Wiseman discovered that the soundscapes did indeed influence people's dreams.

Richard Wiseman, professor in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, said: "If someone chose the nature landscape then they were more likely to have a dream about greenery and flowers. In contrast, if they selected the beach soundscape then they were more likely to dream about the sun beating down on their skin."

• In addition, the researchers discovered that people's dreams were especially bizarre around the time of a full moon.

"In 2013, neuroscientists from the University of Basel discovered that people experience more disturbed sleeping patterns around the time of a full Moon," remarked Wiseman. "We have seen a similar pattern, with more bizarre dreams being associated with a full moon."

Finally, the team also found that certain soundscapes produced far more pleasant dreams.

"Having positive dreams helps people wake-up in a good mood, and boosts their productivity. We have now discovered a way of giving people sweet dreams, and this may also form the basis for a new type of therapy to help those suffering from certain psychological problems, such as depression," commented Wiseman.
The findings are described in Professor Wiseman's book on sleep and dreaming, Night School: Wake Up To the Power of Sleep. The Dream:ON app and all of the soundscapes are currently available free of charge.

Click on this link to download the free ~ Dream ON app

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Story Source:  Materials provided by University of Hertfordshire. "Mass participation experiment reveals how to create the perfect dream." ScienceDaily.

10-year-old Boy Suspended for Doing a Gun Hand Sign

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. suspend /səˈspɛnd/ (v.) – to temporarily stop someone from doing an activity

Example: The teacher suspended the rude student from attending class.

2. goof around /guf əˈraʊnd/ (idiom) – to do playful things carelessly

Example: Students goofed around during lunch time.

3. relay /riˈleɪ/ (v.) – to pass on information

Example: The class president relayed the teacher’s instructions.

4. inappropriate /ˌɪnəˈproʊpriɪt/ (adj.) – not ideal or proper

Example: Sleeping during classes is inappropriate.

5. mandate /ˈmændeɪt/ (v.) – to officially command or order

Example: The school law mandates that every boy must maintain a clean haircut.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A fifth grade student got suspended from school for three days after making a gun sign with his hand. Nathan Entingh [NEY-thuhn EN-ting] said he was just goofing around with his friends during Science class. Then, his teacher suddenly took him out of the room and called his father informing him of the incident. According to the teacher, Nathan pointed his finger to a friend’s head and said “boom.” The next day, Nathan’s father Paul met with Devonshire [DEV-uhn-sheer] Alternative Elementary School Principal Patricia Price. Price relayed the news that the school gave Nathan a three-day suspension for committing a “level 2 look-alike firearm” violation. She added that repeated instance of the said act will result to a longer suspension or even expulsion. According to Price, students and parents have long been informed that the school will punish inappropriate behavior like playing fake shooting or making paper guns. Paul said he was aware of these rules against gun-related behavior. However, he said that such a suspension was just too much. Public schools’ strict rules trace back to a 1998 law that mandates officials to impose “zero-tolerance” for violence and inappropriate behaviors. But last January, Senator Charleta Tavares [CHAR-lee-tuh ta-VA-rehs] filed Senate Bill 167 to revise the outdated law. She said that schools are getting away with excessive punishment. For her, only extreme cases deserve expulsion or suspension. State disciplinary figures show that from 2012 to 2013, 419 students were suspended for firearm imitation while 38 students got expelled. In the district of Nathan’s school, 69 students were suspended for firearm imitation and 12 were expelled. In the harassment and intimidation category, 1527 were suspended but nobody got expelled.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Do you approve of the punishment against Nathan? Why or why not?

         How will the suspension affect Nathan and his fellow students?

Discussion B

         What violation deserves suspension and expulsion from school?

         Do you approve of punishment as a form of discipline? Why or why not?

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Do "Gamers" Have Social Skills?

Source:  www.ign.com

Suggested reading
Click on image

A concern of parents and educators world-wide is whether "gamers" have what can be described as normal social skills.  Or is an obsession with computer and on-line games stunting their social growth and skills?  While many decry gaming, according to this study it appears that gamers have normal inter-personal skills, and perhaps even a well-developed ability to multi-task.

While this goes against the common stereotype of gamers, this could be an important consideration for your fiction. The story from  North Carolina State University follows ~

Online gaming augments players' social lives

"Loners are the outliers in gaming, not the norm."

Online social behavior isn’t replacing offline social behavior in the gaming community, new research shows. Instead, online gaming is expanding players’ social lives. "Gamers aren't the antisocial basement-dwellers we see in pop culture stereotypes, they're highly social people," says the lead author of a paper. "This won't be a surprise to the gaming community, but it's worth telling everyone else. Loners are the outliers in gaming, not the norm."

Researchers traveled to more than 20 public gaming events in Canada and the United Kingdom, from 2,500-player events held in convention centers to 20-player events held in bars. The researchers observed the behavior of thousands of players, and had 378 players take an in-depth survey, with a focus on players of massively multiplayer role-playing games such as EVE Online and World of Warcraft.

The researchers were interested in tracking the online and offline behavior of gamers, focusing on how they communicated with each other. They found that gaming was only one aspect of social behavior at the gaming events.

"We found that gamers were often exhibiting many social behaviors at once: watching games, talking, drinking, and chatting online," Taylor says. "Gaming didn't eliminate social interaction, it supplemented it.
"This was true regardless of which games players were playing, and whether a player's behavior in the online game was altruistic. For example, a player could be utterly ruthless in the game and still socialize normally offline."

The researchers also found that gamers didn't distinguish between the time they spent playing games and the time they spent watching other people play games.  "It all fell under the category of gaming, which they view as a social activity," Taylor says.

Taylor notes that this work focused on Western gaming communities, and he's interested in studying the relationship between social behaviors and gaming in other cultures.

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Story Source:  Nicholas Taylor, Jennifer Jenson, Suzanne de Castell, Barry Dilouya. Public Displays of Play: Studying Online Games in Physical Settings. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2014

Bhutan Partners with Nissan for Electric Car Project

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. transition /trænˈzɪʃən, -ˈsɪʃ-/ (n.) – change of status or movement to another stage

Example: The country is making a transition to computerized registration.

2. committed /kəˈmɪtɪd/ (adj.) – having loyalty and determination to achieve something

Example: Successful people work hard because they are committed to win.

3. fume /fyum/ (n.) – smoke often released by vehicles and factories

Example: Some old cars release very dark fumes.

4. mutual /ˈmyutʃuəl/ (adj.) – having similarities or sharing common interests

Example: The two car companies have mutual respect for each other.

5. abundant /əˈbʌndənt/ (adj.) – plenty and more than enough

Example: The country has abundant water resources.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

The Kingdom of Bhutan [boo-TAHN] has partnered with carmaker Nissan to provide environment-friendly vehicles in the country.  King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck [JIHG-mee kehy-SIR nahm-GEHL wahng-CHOOK] accepted two 2014 electric Nissan cars called LEAF or “Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car” for his birthday. The 34-year-old leader, known as the “Dragon King,” is on a mission to inspire citizens to use electricity-powered vehicles instead of pollution-causing engines. This was also supported by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay [TSEH-ring TOB-gahy] who confirmed that the country is committed to achieving zero car fumes. He added that Nissan will greatly help in achieving the country’s goal. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn [KAHR-lohs GOHS-n] arrived in capital city Thimphu [tim-POO] to sign the agreement that will assist Bhutan in the country’s transition. Because of the mutual interest in protecting the environment, he feels confident about this partnership. In fact, Nissan plans to provide more electric cars and charging stations in the following weeks. The first batches of LEAF will be tested by the Bhutan government and taxi operators before making it available to the public. In addition, Prime Minister Tobgay also hopes that the use of LEAF cars can greatly help in saving the money spent in fuel importation. With abundant electricity supply the nation only uses five percent of the energy they produce and exports the remaining supply to India. Funds coming from selling electricity are then used to purchase fuel to gas up around 36,000 vehicles in Thimphu alone.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         In your country, which types of cars are widely used? Electric or Fuel?

         How is it possible for a country to achieve zero car fumes?

Discussion B

         How can air pollution be lessened?

         What personal actions can you take to help lessen air pollution?

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Egyptians May Have Domesticated Cats Earlier Than Thought

Photo:  © Hierakonpolis Expedition

At the ancient Egyptian site of Hierakonopolis, in a cemetery containing the remains of humans, baboons, leopards, and hippopotamuses, archaeologists have found the skeletons of six cats, buried together near the wall of the cemetery, that could push the date of cat domestication in Egypt back to 6,000 years ago. 

An examination of the cats’ teeth and bones showed that there were two young adults of about a year old, and four kittens from at least two litters, all probably of the species Felis silvestris, a small wildcat found in Africa, Europe, and central Asia. One litter of kittens was only slightly older than the other, suggesting that the natural reproductive cycle had been interrupted, perhaps with food and human care. 

“The last word on cat domestication (when and where) is not yet said,” bioarchaeologist Wim Van Neer of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and Catholic University, Leuven, told Live Science. “We want to investigate whether there was only one domestication center (in the Levant), or whether Egypt should also be considered as a second, later, domestication center.

Earlier SNfW post:  Cat domestication traced to Chinese

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Story source:  archaeology.org/ March 17, 2014, (c) 2014 Archaeology Magazine, a Publication of the Archaeological Institute of America

Submitted by:  Tyler Fisher, Vancouver, WA

Inhaling Candle Smoke Improves Heart Rate

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. monitor /ˈmɒnɪtər/ (v.) – to observe and analyze

Example: Scientists monitored the sleeping habits of the participants.

2. rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ (n.) – movement in a fixed and repeated manner

Example: A healthy heart has a steady rhythm.

3. emit /ɪˈmɪt/ (v.) – to release into the air

Example: Some car fresheners emit a fruity smell.

4. solely /ˈsoʊlli/ (adv.) – without any other

Example: Expensive candles must be used solely for special occasions.

5. fragrant /ˈfreɪgrənt/ (adj.) – having great smell

Example: The participants were asked to wear fragrant shirts.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

While candles are mainly used for lighting purposes, a study in Sweden revealed that inhaling candle smoke can be good for the heart. Dr. Christina Isaxon [kri-STEE-nuh ee-sak-SOHN] of Lund [loond] University gathered 13 pairs of men and women for the study. Without mentioning about the presence of candles, the participants were asked to stay inside a room. While researchers monitored their heartbeats, candle smoke was occasionally mixed into the air they breathe. As the pairs inhaled air with smoke from the candles, the rhythm of their hearts enhanced. According to experts, this change in the heart rate variability is a good indicator of an active brain and a healthy heart. But as people grow older or experience heart ailments, the body’s capability to do so decreases. Thus, the study concluded that inhaling candle smoke may improve one’s heart health. Isaxon said the results could be caused by tiny amounts of sodium and potassium elements that candles emit. However, she admitted that the study did not look into the possible negative effects of inhaling candle smoke. She noted, however, that fragrant and colorful candles should be avoided because of the dangerous chemicals that might be present. Instead, use candles made solely from natural materials like soy, beeswax or animal fat. The American Chemical Society also suggests that people should avoid paraffin candles which have been linked to cancer, asthma, and eczema [EK-suh-muh].

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

          Do you find this finding on candle smoke significant? Why or why not?

          Would you ever consider using candles for health purposes? Why or why not?

Discussion B

         In your culture, what occasions require the use of candles?

         What types of candles are available in your country?

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SciFi: Introducing "Technofossils" the legacy of modern humans for future generations to explore

Source:  blogs.miaminewtimes.com 

Daniel Fiorda's "Nostalgic Hardware" Techno-Fossil Art

Imagine what a future archaeologist would think finding any of the myriad bits and pieces of technology we bury in modern middens, aka garbage dumps.  So now we have a name for it:  Technofossils, coined recently to describe the stuff humanity tosses out.


The fossil impact humans make on the planet is vast and unprecedented in nature -- there's been nothing remotely like it since the Earth formed over four and half billion years ago. The researchers argue that, like dinosaurs, who left their bones and footprints behind for future generations to discover, humans will also leave a footprint behind -- one made up of material goods unique to humankind that are so different from anything else produced by animals in the history of Earth that they deserve their own name: technofossils.

Dr Zalasiewicz said: "Palaeontologists call preserved animal-made structures trace fossils. Most animal species make only one -- or at most a very few -- different types of trace. For example, dinosaurs made footprints and worms leave burrows. Just one species, though, Homo sapiens, now manufactures literally millions of different types of traces that range from nano-scale to city-sized.

"Whereas trace fossils such as animal burrows changed their pattern with geological slowness, over millions of years, as the organisms that produced them evolved, the things that humans manufacture now evolve with lightning speed, as our factories bring new goods to the market each year -- and make old ones obsolete. Many of the cast-off objects that now litter the landscape will become buried in sediment -- and will be well on the way to becoming technofossils."

The study suggests that humanity's equivalent of the dinosaur's footprint will be in the form of a wide array of technofossils such as motorways, cities, airports, toothbrushes, ballpoint pens and mobile phones -- everything that we build or manufacture.

Professor Mark Williams added: "Millions of years from now, long after humans have gone, technofossils will be the defining imprint on the strata of the human epoch that people increasingly call the Anthropocene. If any palaeontologists were to appear on -- or visit -- Earth in the far geological future, they will think the technofossil layer more weird and wonderful, by far, than dinosaur bones. It's something to think about when you next park the wheelie bin at the end of the drive."

The Anthropocene Review is a trans-disciplinary journal issued three times per year, bringing together peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of research pertaining to the Anthropocene. Its overall aim is to communicate clearly and across a wide range of disciplines and interests, the causes, history, nature and implications of a world in which human activities are integral to the functioning of Earth System.

• Editor: Frank Oldfield, University of Liverpool, UK
• North American Editor: Anthony D. Barnosky, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• Click here to visit the ANR site:

The Anthropocene Review

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Story Source:  J. Zalasiewicz, M. Williams, C. N. Waters, A. D. Barnosky, P. Haff. The technofossil record of humans. The Anthropocene Review, 2014