Date: Sunday, February 20th, 2011
Word of the Day: lucubration (loo\kyoo\BRAY\shun); the art of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation
Weight: two hundred and twenty-four (224) pounds
Goal: lose one hundred (100) pounds in one (1) year duration
Pounds to lose: ninety-two (92)
Waist Size: forty-three (43) inches
Days until Royal Wedding: sixty-seven (67)
Rowing Duration: fifty-nine (59) minutes, four (4) seconds
Gee I guess there is a large word for just about everything, although I didn't think that studying by candlelight was an art!!!
Yes, I know I didn't report on how many days until the Royal Wedding in yesterday's post, this was an oversight, yes, even I, Efrem, make mistakes! On the plus side, my weight did not increase, I didn't lose any weight, but I'm trying to stay positive!!!
So Judy and I went to see the musical "South Pacific" yesterday afternoon. Quite honestly, I did not enjoy it as much as I did the first time I saw it, but there were some good changes.
There was a new actor portraying Emile De Beck (that's how his surname sounds) and this was quite an improvement, this man could act!!!! There were also changes to the cast that were not an improvement, such as the actors that replaced the original Billis and Lieutenant Joseph Cable.
The venue was quite nice, and all of the ushers were wearing leis which was nice, it kind of got you in the South Seas mood. The set had a slight improvement as well, there were more palm trees and the backdrop looked more like it was the South Pacific, quite a good improvement.
As many of you know, my mother died of Alzheimer's Disease, because of this, I am concerned that I may inherit this disease from genetics. This is why I frequently research causes, and strategies surrounding the dreaded disease and I recently discovered the following one (1).
Mastering a second language can pump up the brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer's disease later on, scientists said Friday. While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain. The more proficient the person becomes, the better, but "every little bit helps," said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.
Much of the study of bilingualism has centred on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better "executive control," a system key to higher functioning, as Bialystok puts it, "the most important part of your mind."
Does that mental juggling in youngsters translate into protection against cognitive decline when in older people? Bialystok studied four hundred and fifty (450) Alzheimer's patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual; they have spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.
The bilingual patients had Alzheimer's symptoms and were diagnosed between four (4) and five (5) years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer's disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms do not become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said. "They've been able to cope with the disease," she said. Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.
What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system? Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one that is not needed, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That is pretty constant activity.
That is not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two (2) languages from birth to see why they do not confuse the two (2,) and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better. Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they'd never heard, English and French, but with the sound off. By measuring the tots' attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers' facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.
"It looks like French people are always kissing," she joked, while the English "th" sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape. Whatever the cues, monolingual babies could not tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting. But what about people who were not lucky enough to have been raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty. Partly that's because adults' brains are so bombarded with other demands that they do not give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.
At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university's Center for Advanced Study of Language.
But people do not have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what is called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That is the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep the brain nimble. "If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active," she said.
Did you hear that Sarah Ferguson has NOT been invited to the Royal Wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, true, but Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been invited, they are, after all, Prince William's cousins, I'm not surprised.
I don't think any of us should be surprised with Lady Gaga's costumes. Miss G's latest outfit put forth an effort to promote safe sex, yup, Lady Gaga wore a head to toe latex outfit resembling that of a condom, good for Lady Gaga, people are still getting AIDS, and we all need to stay aware and focused on how we all can stop the spread of AIDS!, GO GAGA GO!!!!!
I'm going to have a feather today, this morning I missed recording the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" which played on The Turner Classic Movie (TCM) channel, I have been waiting to get this movie on tape for quite some time, and this morning, I blew it big time!!!!! Oh well, I'm sure they'll play it again!
I called my kids yesterday, Sally, Jessie, and Raphael, alas, the older two (2,) Sally, and Raphael were busy with activity, but I did get to talk to Jessie, who was delightful as usual, gosh, I miss my kids so much, as does Zac and Winter!
By the way, God Bless my reader who informed me that there used to be a talk show called "Sally Jessie Raphael," I had no idea???????
And on that note, I think I will end today's post, have a great day, and lay your clothes out tonight for tomorrow's day of work!!
Topics coming soon:
Cover of Royal Wedding
Art
Politics
Cartoons
Word of the Day: lucubration (loo\kyoo\BRAY\shun); the art of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation
Weight: two hundred and twenty-four (224) pounds
Goal: lose one hundred (100) pounds in one (1) year duration
Pounds to lose: ninety-two (92)
Waist Size: forty-three (43) inches
Days until Royal Wedding: sixty-seven (67)
Rowing Duration: fifty-nine (59) minutes, four (4) seconds
Gee I guess there is a large word for just about everything, although I didn't think that studying by candlelight was an art!!!
Yes, I know I didn't report on how many days until the Royal Wedding in yesterday's post, this was an oversight, yes, even I, Efrem, make mistakes! On the plus side, my weight did not increase, I didn't lose any weight, but I'm trying to stay positive!!!
So Judy and I went to see the musical "South Pacific" yesterday afternoon. Quite honestly, I did not enjoy it as much as I did the first time I saw it, but there were some good changes.
There was a new actor portraying Emile De Beck (that's how his surname sounds) and this was quite an improvement, this man could act!!!! There were also changes to the cast that were not an improvement, such as the actors that replaced the original Billis and Lieutenant Joseph Cable.
The venue was quite nice, and all of the ushers were wearing leis which was nice, it kind of got you in the South Seas mood. The set had a slight improvement as well, there were more palm trees and the backdrop looked more like it was the South Pacific, quite a good improvement.
As many of you know, my mother died of Alzheimer's Disease, because of this, I am concerned that I may inherit this disease from genetics. This is why I frequently research causes, and strategies surrounding the dreaded disease and I recently discovered the following one (1).
Mastering a second language can pump up the brain in ways that seem to delay getting Alzheimer's disease later on, scientists said Friday. While the new research focuses mostly on the truly long-term bilingual, scientists say even people who tackle a new language later in life stand to gain. The more proficient the person becomes, the better, but "every little bit helps," said Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto.
Much of the study of bilingualism has centred on babies, as scientists wondered why simply speaking to infants in two languages allows them to learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. Their brains seem to become more flexible, better able to multitask. As they grow up, their brains show better "executive control," a system key to higher functioning, as Bialystok puts it, "the most important part of your mind."
Does that mental juggling in youngsters translate into protection against cognitive decline when in older people? Bialystok studied four hundred and fifty (450) Alzheimer's patients, all of whom showed the same degree of impairment at the time of diagnosis. Half are bilingual; they have spoken two languages regularly for most of their lives. The rest are monolingual.
The bilingual patients had Alzheimer's symptoms and were diagnosed between four (4) and five (5) years later than the patients who spoke only one language, she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Being bilingual does nothing to prevent Alzheimer's disease from striking. But once the disease does begin its silent attack, those years of robust executive control provide a buffer so that symptoms do not become apparent as quickly, Bialystok said. "They've been able to cope with the disease," she said. Her work supports an earlier study from other researchers that also found a protective effect.
What is it about being bilingual that enhances that all-important executive control system? Both languages are essentially turned on all the time, but the brain learns to inhibit the one that is not needed, said psychology professor Teresa Bajo of the University of Granada in Spain. That is pretty constant activity.
That is not the only area. University of British Columbia psychologist Janet Werker studies infants exposed to two (2) languages from birth to see why they do not confuse the two (2,) and says bilingual babies learn very early to pay attention better. Werker tested babies in Spain who were growing up learning both Spanish and Catalan. She showed the babies videos of women speaking languages they'd never heard, English and French, but with the sound off. By measuring the tots' attention span, Werker concluded that babies could distinguish between English and French simply by watching the speakers' facial cues. It could have been the different lip shapes.
"It looks like French people are always kissing," she joked, while the English "th" sound evokes a distinctive lip-in-teeth shape. Whatever the cues, monolingual babies could not tell the difference, Werker said Friday at the meeting. But what about people who were not lucky enough to have been raised bilingual? Scientists and educators know that it becomes far harder to learn a new language after puberty. Partly that's because adults' brains are so bombarded with other demands that they do not give learning a new language the same attention that a young child does, Bialystok said.
At the University of Maryland, scientists are studying how to identify adults who would be good candidates to master a new language, and then what types of training are best. Having a pretty strong executive control system, like the lifelong bilinguals have, is among the good predictive factors, said Amy Weinberg, deputy director of the university's Center for Advanced Study of Language.
But people do not have to master a new language to benefit some, Bialystok said. Exercising your brain throughout life contributes to what is called cognitive reserve, the overall ability to withstand the declines of aging and disease. That is the basis of the use-it-or-lose-it advice from aging experts who also recommend such things as crossword puzzles to keep the brain nimble. "If you start to learn at 40, 50, 60, you are certainly keeping your brain active," she said.
Did you hear that Sarah Ferguson has NOT been invited to the Royal Wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, true, but Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been invited, they are, after all, Prince William's cousins, I'm not surprised.
I don't think any of us should be surprised with Lady Gaga's costumes. Miss G's latest outfit put forth an effort to promote safe sex, yup, Lady Gaga wore a head to toe latex outfit resembling that of a condom, good for Lady Gaga, people are still getting AIDS, and we all need to stay aware and focused on how we all can stop the spread of AIDS!, GO GAGA GO!!!!!
I'm going to have a feather today, this morning I missed recording the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" which played on The Turner Classic Movie (TCM) channel, I have been waiting to get this movie on tape for quite some time, and this morning, I blew it big time!!!!! Oh well, I'm sure they'll play it again!
I called my kids yesterday, Sally, Jessie, and Raphael, alas, the older two (2,) Sally, and Raphael were busy with activity, but I did get to talk to Jessie, who was delightful as usual, gosh, I miss my kids so much, as does Zac and Winter!
By the way, God Bless my reader who informed me that there used to be a talk show called "Sally Jessie Raphael," I had no idea???????
And on that note, I think I will end today's post, have a great day, and lay your clothes out tonight for tomorrow's day of work!!
Topics coming soon:
Cover of Royal WeddingArt
Politics
Cartoons
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