The Couture Shows in Paris

The Couture Shows in Paris
Karl Lagerfeld, Armani Privi, John Galliano and Christian Lacroix present their couture collections in Paris.

A Chanel as Big as the Ritz

FASHION designers excel at monument-building: witness the rise of towers in cities like Tokyo and Shanghai. These multistory shops sell clothes and sunglasses, but they also serve to remind people of the power of a brand in a noisy consumerist world.

Coco Chanel died before she had to worry about that. Besides, she left a real monument to modern dressing: the cardigan jacket. How many other designers have created a style that is a uniform as much as a symbol, its iconic value on par with the Coca-Cola bottle? It's relatively easy to build a tower of glass.

Undeniably, the 75-foot model of the Chanel jacket that Karl Lagerfeld erected in the Grand Palais for the spring haute couture show on Tuesday smacks of kitsch. It would be a huckster's dream dome. There are days when you think the world is almost at that point where you could picture such a monstrosity in place of the Arc de Triomphe or the pyramids in Egypt - and nobody would mind. Great! SHOP!

Mr. Lagerfeld's motives, if not entirely innocent, were simple. Although the jacket is probably the best-known object that Chanel created, after Chanel No. 5, she made many other styles and often dominated a decade with her influence.

So the idea was to use the jacket as the symbolic hub from which other styles emerged and inevitably returned to. The model, made of wood and painted to resemble concrete, sat on an revolving platform, and the models entered the runway through a flap in the jacket.

The clothes had wit, too. Seashells were the inspiration, Mr. Lagerfeld said the night before, in the Chanel studio. In the hands of another designer, this might sound banal, but as Mr. Lagerfeld opened a book on his desk called "Coquillages," featuring shells from the collection of Jacques and Rita Senders, it was amazing to see the variety of hues and textures: the spirals, ridges, folds, spurs and feathery edges.

All those natural shapes Mr. Lagerfeld represented in couture silks. There were black wool day jackets with a curving line shown with draped miniskirts, one shaped in spiraling circles. Some of the suits had blouses with Elizabethan collars, a style that Chanel liked in the 1930s. Among the prettiest evening looks was a strapless beige tunic with ridges of pleated tulle and chiffon that ended in a rounded hem. It was shown with sheer, embroidered French culottes.

The pinks were the pinks of shells. The tiny marabou feathers and silver beads embedded in a pleated chiffon and tulle dress with a crisscross back and flaring skirt were pure Paris.

High fashion at this level is largely impervious to economic recessions. That's because the demand for $100,000 beaded dresses equals the supply. Last year, Dior had its largest annual sales gain in couture in its 60-year history, said Catherine Rivière, the couture director, adding that the biggest spenders come from Russia and the Persian Gulf states. One client, she said, spent about $500,000 for several garments.

So far as couture educates people about beauty and specialized hand crafts, a greater threat to its existence is the loss of know-how. Tonight, Valentino retires.

That John Galliano creates his Dior collections from historical references like the scandal-making Sargent portrait of "Madame X" or the story of Salome tends to confound the literal-minded. They expect to see these references, and when they get instead a ballooning sack dress in livid fuchsia silk mobbed with sequins, a pair of peacock-blue feather eyelashes and a gold lampshade hat, they complain that it's visually confusing.

Much that is modern does precisely that, and some other sensory power is needed to understand it. The only thing that really impaired this subtle and dazzling show on Monday was the clunky footwear, which defied the inexperienced models to walk and throw a pose at the same time. None of the balance created by the volumes and rather strict lines would have been lost if he had ditched the platforms.

Two thoughts came to mind with these clothes. One was the new composition of the colors (often hand-painted on silk) and the embroideries, which were at once intense and abstract. The other thought was the relative simplicity of the shapes. As far as the body goes, they suggested control - and not. Pursuing that thought, it's not unimaginable that Mr. Galliano was in the middle of a conversation between Balenciaga and Dior.

At 7:30 p.m., on Monday, Giorgio Armani had his couture show - a Privé sign put on the steps of the Palais de Chaillot to notify onlookers, the velvet ropes set out for celebrity and paparazzi alike.

Mr. Armani is a master at creating a scene. Inside, 10 men in crow's-nests trained stage lights on the runway. Sophia Loren, dressed in a dark coat and trousers, sat in the front row. There was no need to smile because Sophia Loren had smiled so many times before. Mr. Armani's niece, Roberta, sat next to Hilary Swank, who had on a black beaded cocktail dress. Ms. Armani never seemed to stop smiling.

The burlesque star Dita Von Teese, who had changed from a Dior in the afternoon to an Armani, its portrait neckline now framing her bosom, sat very still, her hands folded on her lap, the picture of a lady in drag.
The models performed their roles, too. Not the top girls, they struck poses and occasionally found a spot in the middle distance to fix a hard, blank gaze. The first outfits were in a fine gray bias-cut pinstripe, the jackets or bodices cut close to the body and the full skirts turned in sharply at the hem, like the edge of a paper lantern. Another motif of the collection was horizontal pleating, sometimes with a ladder of black plastic pieces inset into a tight bodice.

There was nothing lurid or in bad taste about Mr. Armani's clothes, but neither was there anything subtle or particularly surprising about them. Ruffled organdy dresses in citrus and gray tones looked light and feminine, and some tops and dresses were scattered with overlapping disks.

Everything looked impeccable. But despite his incredible design range over the years, irony and self-reference are not within his imagination, so there will never be a jewel of a dress coming out from a huge beige hub of an Armani jacket. The great thing about watching a Lagerfeld couture show, and to an extent a Galliano, is that each dress and jacket is not only unique but also conveys with wit the history of the house. You get that much less with Mr. Armani.

By contrast, Christian Lacroix made every choice count. His show on Tuesday was sensational. From the first outfits, like a deep blue coat dress with whirls of black embroidery, he commanded your attention. This was a rare Lacroix show. For one thing, the shapes were light and contemporary. For another, the collage effects made sense.

Among the prettiest looks was a quartet of draped chiffon dresses in colors like ruby and emerald. A black embroidered jacket appeared over a white lace T-shirt and wide creamy trousers. And there were surprises everywhere, like an embroidered sheer-white apron tied to the front of a silk-print dress, and a short-sleeve jacket with hand-knitted gold and burnt-red arm warmers. The collection seemed to exalt the eccentric modern dresser.

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Healthy eating : keep your health balance

HAPPY HEALTHY LIFE

whatever your size?And it has shown that simply mastering a repertoire of quick, easy and great-tasting recipes is crucial if you want to eat well and feel great.

Here, the Channel 4 show's presenter Dr Christian Jessen shares five healthy recipes to help you stay in control of your weight...

Easy pea and ham risotto

Traditional risotto needs constant stirring for a good 20 minutes but you can take a shortcut by pre-cooking the rice and then mixing it with a sauce for almost the same creamy texture.

INGREDIENTS

150g risotto rice, such as arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano

600ml stock, made with a cube or bouillon powder

1/2tbs or one spritz olive oil

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

125g frozen peas, thawed

2 slices ham, cut into small pieces

3tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 Cook the rice gently in the stock in a large pan for 15 minutes until the grains are just tender. Do not drain.

2 Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until hot, add the oil and saute the onion and garlic for five minutes, then mix in the peas and ham, and stir-fry for 2-3 more minutes.

3 Stir the peas and ham into the cooked risotto with half the cheese. Divide between two shallow bowls and serve sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

Turkey and pork burgers

Both turkey and pork mince are lean. Mix the two together for mouth-watering light burgers and serve with salad on wholemeal baps.

Layer with sliced mushrooms, tomato relish or mild French mustard, a slice of a large juicy tomato and some rocket or watercress. Freeze extra burgers for later meals.

Makes eight burgers.

INGREDIENTS

500g fresh turkey mince

500g fresh pork mince

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

1 small onion, grated

1tbs freshly grated ginger or ginger puree

Leaves stripped from 1 large thyme sprig

1tbs soy sauce

1 Put all the ingredients together in a bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper (no salt because of the soy) and mix together well with your hands.

2 With wet hands, shape into eight even-sized patties about 1cm thick. (Open-freeze six of the burgers, then bag and store for up to three months. Thaw well before cooking.)

3 Pre-heat a grill or griddle pan and cook the burgers for about five minutes each side. Don't overcook or they will become dry.

Spinach & potato frittata

Turn leftover cooked potato and a bag of spinach into a main-meal omelette. Serve at room temperature or cold, with a tomato salad. Meateaters might like to slip in slices of Parma ham.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium-sized, cold, cooked potato, about 250g

1 red onion, sliced

1tbs or 2 spritzes olive oil

200g bag baby leaf spinach

4 free range eggs, beaten

1 Peel and cut the potato into chunks then boil for 10 minutes until just tender. Drain. If using leftover potato, simply cut into chunks.

2 Heat a medium-sized non-stick frying pan, add the oil and saute the onion for five minutes until softened, then add the potato chunks and cook for another five minutes. Drop in the spinach and stir-fry in the pan until just wilted.

3 Pour in the beaten eggs and swirl in the pan to mix. Season and cook the eggs until they firm, shaking the pan once or twice. When set on top, loosen the sides of the omelette and slide on to a board. Cut into quarters and serve.

Hot bananas with orange and rum

If there are any bananas still in the fruit bowl at the end of the week, this is a great way to use them up and make space for more.

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe bananas

1 small orange or clementine, squeezed

2tsp rum or brandy

2tsp soft brown sugar, optional

2tsp single cream or reduced-fat creme fraiche, to serve (optional)

1 Cut the bananas into chunks and place in a small frying pan.

2 Squeeze over the orange juice and add the rum or brandy plus the brown sugar, if using.

3 Heat until the pan sizzles, then cook for five minutes over a medium heat, turning the bananas carefully to coat in the juices.

4 Divide between two dessert bowls and serve on their own or trickled with some single cream or reduced-fat creme fraiche.

Apple and pear crumble

Keep a jar of crumble in the fridge ready to sprinkle over fruit for quick puddings. Add nuts, oats and spices to make it your own special recipe and vary the fruits. It keeps in the fridge for three-four weeks. Natural yoghurt or reduced-fat creme fraiche is very good with this.

Serves two with crumble left over for six more servings.

INGREDIENTS

Crumble (enough for eight)

50g plain flour

50g wholemeal flour

40g reduced-fat spread or butter

25g porridge oats

1tbs demerara sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

1tbs desiccated coconut, optional

1 1/2tbs chopped roasted hazelnuts or pecans or walnuts, optional Fruit (enough for 2)

1 large dessert apple, cored and chopped

1 large pear, quartered, cored and chopped

A little pineapple or apple juice, for cooking

1 Whiz together the flours, spread or butter, oats, sugar and cinnamon.

Tip into a large jar and mix in the coconut and nuts if using. Store in the fridge until needed.

2 Stew the fruits in just enough juice to cover for about five minutes until softened. Heat the oven to 190C/Gas 5.

3 Tip the fruits into a small pie dish and sprinkle over 4tbs crumble (or 2tbs per person), then bake for 10-15 minutes until the topping is lightly browned and cooked. Cool and serve.

ENJOY!!!!!

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Michael Jackson marks comeback with remake

Michael Jackson will mark his comeback with a star-studded remake of hit album Thriller.

The singer stunned fans at a music awards in Cannes when he announced he has lined up a host of big names for the project.

Speaking for the first time about his return, Jacko, 49, said in a video message: "I'm coming back. And I've got a very special treat for all of my fans.

"I have been recording Thriller: 25th Anniversary, with a lot of surprise guests."

Insiders confirmed Jacko's European comeback at the O2 Arena in London will go ahead in summer.

The singer's work was honoured with a gong at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest selling album ever.

Technorati : Michael Jackson, lifestyle, music, news

Do you know! What is human mind?

Mind
Mind collectively refers to the aspects of intellect and consciousness manifested as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination; mind is the stream of consciousness. It includes all of the brain's conscious processes. This denotation sometimes includes, in certain contexts, the working of the human sub-conscious or the conscious thoughts of animals. "Mind" is often used to refer especially to the thought processes of reason.

There are many theories of the mind and its function. The earliest recorded works on the mind are by the Buddha[citation needed], Plato, Aristotle, Adi Shankara and other ancient Greek and Indian philosophers. Pre-scientific theories, based in theology, concentrated on the relationship between the mind and the soul, the supposed supernatural, divine or god-given essence of the person. Modern theories, based on scientific understanding of the brain, theorise that the mind is a phenomenon of the brain and is synonymous with consciousness.

The question of which human attributes make up the mind is also much debated. Some argue that only the "higher" intellectual functions constitute mind: particularly reason and memory. In this view the emotions - love, hate, fear, joy - are more "primitive" or subjective in nature and should be seen as different from the mind. Others argue that the rational and the emotional sides of the human person cannot be separated, that they are of the same nature and origin, and that they should all be considered as part of the individual mind.

In popular usage mind is frequently synonymous with thought: It is that private conversation with ourselves that we carry on "inside our heads." Thus we "make up our minds," "change our minds" or are "of two minds" about something. One of the key attributes of the mind in this sense is that it is a private sphere to which no one but the owner has access. No-one else can "know our mind." They can only know what we communicate.

The mind can be compared to computer software. Like a software it can be updated, and also like software it can be corrupted.
Aspects of mind

Mental faculties
Thought is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. Words referring to similar concepts and processes include cognition, sentience, consciousness, idea, and imagination. Thinking involves the cerebral manipulation of information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thinking is a higher cognitive function and the analysis of thinking processes is part of cognitive psychology.

There is a strain in modern philosophy Contentless Thought which argues that thought cannot have any content, irreducible substrate, or essence. This strain argues that thought has no content i.e thought is not in language or images or concepts or anything else. This philosophy argues that thought can have no 'thing', or essence as a necessary truth. In consequence it argues the utter untenability of a mentalist realist philosophy of mind as well as the untenability of the analytic philosophical tradition of Dummett- which argues there can be no thought without language. Thus the debates between cognitivist and communicative theorists as to whether thought has an essence such as language, or images, or concepts, and or anything else is brought to an end. As a corollary to this it is argued untenability of any program, like Newspeak, as instigated in Orwell's book 1984, to control thinking, by delimiting thought, by controlling the content of thought.

Memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. Although traditional studies of memory began in the realms of philosophy, the late nineteenth and early twentieth century put memory within the paradigms of cognitive psychology. In recent decades, it has become one of the principal pillars of a new branch of science called cognitive neuroscience, a marriage between cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Imagination is accepted as the innate ability and process to invent partial or complete personal realms within the mind from elements derived from sense perceptions of the shared world. The term is technically used in psychology for the process of reviving in the mind percepts of objects formerly given in sense perception. Since this use of the term conflicts with that of ordinary language, some psychologists have preferred to describe this process as "imaging" or "imagery" or to speak of it as "reproductive" as opposed to "productive" or "constructive" imagination. Imagined images are seen with the "mind's eye". One hypothesis for the evolution of human imagination is that it allowed conscious beings to solve problems (and hence increase an individual's fitness) by use of mental simulation.

Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. It is a subject of much research in philosophy of mind, psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science. Some philosophers divide consciousness into phenomenal consciousness, which is subjective experience itself, and access consciousness, which refers to the global availability of information to processing systems in the brain.[1] Phenomenal consciousness is a state with qualia. Phenomenal consciousness is being something and access consciousness is being conscious of something.

Philosophy of mind
Main article: Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body. The mind-body problem, i.e. the relationship of the mind to the body, is commonly seen as the central issue in philosophy of mind, although there are other issues concerning the nature of the mind that do not involve its relation to the physical body.[2]

Dualism and monism are the two major schools of thought that attempt to resolve the mind-body problem. Dualism is the position that mind and body are in some way separate from each other. It can be traced back to Plato,[3] Aristotle[4][5][6] and the Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy,[7] but it was most precisely formulated by René Descartes in the 17th century.[8] Substance dualists argue that the mind is an independently existing substance, whereas Property dualists maintain that the mind is a group of independent properties that emerge from and cannot be reduced to the brain, but that it is not a distinct substance.[9]

Monism is the position that mind and body are not ontologically distinct kinds of entities. This view was first advocated in Western Philosophy by Parmenides in the 5th Century BC and was later espoused by the 17th Century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.[10] Physicalists argue that only the entities postulated by physical theory exist, and that the mind will eventually be explained in terms of these entities as physical theory continues to evolve. Idealists maintain that the mind is all that exists and that the external world is either mental itself, or an illusion created by the mind. Neutral monists adhere to the position that there is some other, neutral substance, and that both matter and mind are properties of this unknown substance. The most common monisms in the 20th and 21st centuries have all been variations of physicalism; these positions include behaviorism, the type identity theory, anomalous monism and functionalism.[11]

Many modern philosophers of mind adopt either a reductive or non-reductive physicalist position, maintaining in their different ways that the mind is not something separate from the body.[11] These approaches have been particularly influential in the sciences, particularly in the fields of sociobiology, computer science, evolutionary psychology and the various neurosciences.[12][13][14][15] Other philosophers, however, adopt a non-physicalist position which challenges the notion that the mind is a purely physical construct. Reductive physicalists assert that all mental states and properties will eventually be explained by scientific accounts of physiological processes and states.[16][17][18] Non-reductive physicalists argue that although the brain is all there is to the mind, the predicates and vocabulary used in mental descriptions and explanations are indispensable, and cannot be reduced to the language and lower-level explanations of physical science.[19][20] Continued neuroscientific progress has helped to clarify some of these issues. However, they are far from having been resolved, and modern philosophers of mind continue to ask how the subjective qualities and the intentionality (aboutness) of mental states and properties can be explained in naturalistic terms.[21][22]

Science of mind
Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour; Noology, the study of thought. As both an academic and applied discipline, Psychology involves the scientific study of mental processes such as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, as well as environmental influences, such as social and cultural influences, and interpersonal relationships, in order to devise theories of human behaviour. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of mental health problems.

Psychology differs from the other social sciences (e.g., anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology) due to its focus on experimentation at the scale of the individual, as opposed to groups or institutions. Historically, psychology differed from biology and neuroscience in that it was primarily concerned with mind rather than brain, a philosophy of mind known as dualism. Modern psychological science incorporates physiological and neurological processes into its conceptions of perception, cognition, behaviour, and mental disorders.

See also: Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Unconscious mind

Social psychology and group behaviour
Social psychology is the study of how social conditions affect human beings. Scholars in this field are generally either psychologists or sociologists. Social psychologists who are trained in psychology tend to focus on individuals as the unit of study; sociologists tend to favor the study of groups and larger social units such as societies, although there are exceptions to these general tendencies in both fields. Despite their similarity, the disciplines also tend to differ in their respective goals, approaches, methods, and terminology. They also favor separate academic journals and societies.

Like biophysics and cognitive science, social psychology is an interdisciplinary area. The greatest period of collaboration between sociologists and psychologists was during the years immediately following World War II (Sewell, 1989). Although there has been increasing isolation and specialization in recent years, some degree of overlap and influence remains between the two disciplines.

Brain
In animals the brain, or encephalon (Greek for "in the head"), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for thought. In most animals, the brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing, equilibrioception, taste and olfaction. While all vertebrates have a brain, most invertebrates have either a centralized brain or collections of individual ganglia. Primitive animals such as sponges do not have a brain at all. Brains can be extremely complex. For example, the human brain contains more than 100 billion neurons, each linked to as many as 10,000 others.

See also: Cognitive science, Meme, and Memetics

Mental health
By analogy with the health of the body, one can speak metaphorically of a state of health of the mind, or mental health. Merriam-Webster defines mental health as "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life." According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "mental illness" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.

One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintaining satisfying relationships, and leading an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

Psychotherapy is an interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. This usually includes increasing individual sense of well-being and reducing subjective discomforting experience. Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change and that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or patient, or to improve group relationships (such as in a family). Most forms of psychotherapy use only spoken conversation, though some also use various other forms of communication such as the written word, art, drama, narrative story, or therapeutic touch. Psychotherapy occurs within a structured encounter between a trained therapist and client(s). Purposeful, theoretically based psychotherapy began in the 19th century with psychoanalysis; since then, scores of other approaches have been developed and continue to be created.

Developmental history of the human mind
The nature and origins of hominid intelligence is of natural interest to humans as the most successful and intelligent hominid species. As nearly a century of archaeological research has shown, the hominids evolved from earlier primates in eastern Africa. Like some non-primate tree-dwelling mammals, such as opossums, they evolved an opposable thumb, which enabled them to grasp and manipulate objects, such as fruit. They also possessed front-facing binocular vision.

Around 10 million years ago, the earth's climate entered a cooler and drier phase, which led eventually to the ice ages. This forced tree-dwelling animals to adapt to their new environment or die out. Some primates adapted to this challenge by adopting bipedalism: walking on their hind legs. The advantages of this development are widely disputed. It was once thought that this gave their eyes greater elevation and the ability to see approaching danger further off but as we now know that hominids developed in a forest environment this theory has little real basis. At some point the bipedal primates developed the ability to pick up sticks, bones and stones and use them as weapons, or as tools for tasks such as killing smaller animals or cutting up carcases. In other words, these primates developed the use of technology, an adaptation other animals have not attained to the same capacity as these hominids. Bipedal tool-using primates evolved in the class of hominids, of which the earliest species, such as Sahelanthropus tchadensis, are dated to about 7 million years ago although homind-made tools were not developed until about 2 million years ago.

From about 5 million years ago, the hominid brain began to develop rapidly, some say this was because an evolutionary loop had been established between the hominid hand and brain. This theory says that the use of tools conferred a crucial evolutionary advantage on those hominids which had this skill. The use of tools required a larger and more sophisticated brain to co-ordinate the fine hand movements required for this task. however this theory has not been confirmed and many other theories have been developed based on scientific evidence. By 2 million years ago Homo habilis had appeared in east Africa: the first hominid to make tools rather than merely use them. Several more species in the genus 'homo' appeared before fully modern humans, known as homo sapiens developed. these homo sapiens, which are the archaic version of the modern human showed the first evidence of language, and the range of activities we call culture, including art and religion.

About 200,000 years ago in Europe and the Near East hominids known to us as Neanderthal man or some call them homo neanderthalensis appeared. They too had art such as decorated tools for aesthetic pleasure and culture, such as burying their dead in ways which suggest spiritual beliefs. hotly debated in the scientific community is whether or not Homo sapiens developed from neanderthals or a combinations of hominids. Some scientists say that the Neanderthals were wiped out by homo sapiens when they entered the region about 40,000 years ago. What is known is that by 25,000 years ago the Neanderthal was extinct. Between 120,000 to 165,000 years ago Homo sapiens reached their fully modern form, the first evidence of this was found in Africa although once again the origins are widely debated between three theories, the Single-Origin theory, the Multiregional model and the Assimilation model.

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Do you know! What is human mind?

Mind
Mind collectively refers to the aspects of intellect and consciousness manifested as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination; mind is the stream of consciousness. It includes all of the brain's conscious processes. This denotation sometimes includes, in certain contexts, the working of the human sub-conscious or the conscious thoughts of animals. "Mind" is often used to refer especially to the thought processes of reason.

There are many theories of the mind and its function. The earliest recorded works on the mind are by the Buddha[citation needed], Plato, Aristotle, Adi Shankara and other ancient Greek and Indian philosophers. Pre-scientific theories, based in theology, concentrated on the relationship between the mind and the soul, the supposed supernatural, divine or god-given essence of the person. Modern theories, based on scientific understanding of the brain, theorise that the mind is a phenomenon of the brain and is synonymous with consciousness.

The question of which human attributes make up the mind is also much debated. Some argue that only the "higher" intellectual functions constitute mind: particularly reason and memory. In this view the emotions - love, hate, fear, joy - are more "primitive" or subjective in nature and should be seen as different from the mind. Others argue that the rational and the emotional sides of the human person cannot be separated, that they are of the same nature and origin, and that they should all be considered as part of the individual mind.

In popular usage mind is frequently synonymous with thought: It is that private conversation with ourselves that we carry on "inside our heads." Thus we "make up our minds," "change our minds" or are "of two minds" about something. One of the key attributes of the mind in this sense is that it is a private sphere to which no one but the owner has access. No-one else can "know our mind." They can only know what we communicate.

The mind can be compared to computer software. Like a software it can be updated, and also like software it can be corrupted.
Aspects of mind

Mental faculties
Thought is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. Words referring to similar concepts and processes include cognition, sentience, consciousness, idea, and imagination. Thinking involves the cerebral manipulation of information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thinking is a higher cognitive function and the analysis of thinking processes is part of cognitive psychology.

There is a strain in modern philosophy Contentless Thought which argues that thought cannot have any content, irreducible substrate, or essence. This strain argues that thought has no content i.e thought is not in language or images or concepts or anything else. This philosophy argues that thought can have no 'thing', or essence as a necessary truth. In consequence it argues the utter untenability of a mentalist realist philosophy of mind as well as the untenability of the analytic philosophical tradition of Dummett- which argues there can be no thought without language. Thus the debates between cognitivist and communicative theorists as to whether thought has an essence such as language, or images, or concepts, and or anything else is brought to an end. As a corollary to this it is argued untenability of any program, like Newspeak, as instigated in Orwell's book 1984, to control thinking, by delimiting thought, by controlling the content of thought.

Memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. Although traditional studies of memory began in the realms of philosophy, the late nineteenth and early twentieth century put memory within the paradigms of cognitive psychology. In recent decades, it has become one of the principal pillars of a new branch of science called cognitive neuroscience, a marriage between cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Imagination is accepted as the innate ability and process to invent partial or complete personal realms within the mind from elements derived from sense perceptions of the shared world. The term is technically used in psychology for the process of reviving in the mind percepts of objects formerly given in sense perception. Since this use of the term conflicts with that of ordinary language, some psychologists have preferred to describe this process as "imaging" or "imagery" or to speak of it as "reproductive" as opposed to "productive" or "constructive" imagination. Imagined images are seen with the "mind's eye". One hypothesis for the evolution of human imagination is that it allowed conscious beings to solve problems (and hence increase an individual's fitness) by use of mental simulation.

Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. It is a subject of much research in philosophy of mind, psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science. Some philosophers divide consciousness into phenomenal consciousness, which is subjective experience itself, and access consciousness, which refers to the global availability of information to processing systems in the brain.[1] Phenomenal consciousness is a state with qualia. Phenomenal consciousness is being something and access consciousness is being conscious of something.

Philosophy of mind
Main article: Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body. The mind-body problem, i.e. the relationship of the mind to the body, is commonly seen as the central issue in philosophy of mind, although there are other issues concerning the nature of the mind that do not involve its relation to the physical body.[2]

Dualism and monism are the two major schools of thought that attempt to resolve the mind-body problem. Dualism is the position that mind and body are in some way separate from each other. It can be traced back to Plato,[3] Aristotle[4][5][6] and the Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy,[7] but it was most precisely formulated by René Descartes in the 17th century.[8] Substance dualists argue that the mind is an independently existing substance, whereas Property dualists maintain that the mind is a group of independent properties that emerge from and cannot be reduced to the brain, but that it is not a distinct substance.[9]

Monism is the position that mind and body are not ontologically distinct kinds of entities. This view was first advocated in Western Philosophy by Parmenides in the 5th Century BC and was later espoused by the 17th Century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.[10] Physicalists argue that only the entities postulated by physical theory exist, and that the mind will eventually be explained in terms of these entities as physical theory continues to evolve. Idealists maintain that the mind is all that exists and that the external world is either mental itself, or an illusion created by the mind. Neutral monists adhere to the position that there is some other, neutral substance, and that both matter and mind are properties of this unknown substance. The most common monisms in the 20th and 21st centuries have all been variations of physicalism; these positions include behaviorism, the type identity theory, anomalous monism and functionalism.[11]

Many modern philosophers of mind adopt either a reductive or non-reductive physicalist position, maintaining in their different ways that the mind is not something separate from the body.[11] These approaches have been particularly influential in the sciences, particularly in the fields of sociobiology, computer science, evolutionary psychology and the various neurosciences.[12][13][14][15] Other philosophers, however, adopt a non-physicalist position which challenges the notion that the mind is a purely physical construct. Reductive physicalists assert that all mental states and properties will eventually be explained by scientific accounts of physiological processes and states.[16][17][18] Non-reductive physicalists argue that although the brain is all there is to the mind, the predicates and vocabulary used in mental descriptions and explanations are indispensable, and cannot be reduced to the language and lower-level explanations of physical science.[19][20] Continued neuroscientific progress has helped to clarify some of these issues. However, they are far from having been resolved, and modern philosophers of mind continue to ask how the subjective qualities and the intentionality (aboutness) of mental states and properties can be explained in naturalistic terms.[21][22]

Science of mind
Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour; Noology, the study of thought. As both an academic and applied discipline, Psychology involves the scientific study of mental processes such as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, as well as environmental influences, such as social and cultural influences, and interpersonal relationships, in order to devise theories of human behaviour. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of mental health problems.

Psychology differs from the other social sciences (e.g., anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology) due to its focus on experimentation at the scale of the individual, as opposed to groups or institutions. Historically, psychology differed from biology and neuroscience in that it was primarily concerned with mind rather than brain, a philosophy of mind known as dualism. Modern psychological science incorporates physiological and neurological processes into its conceptions of perception, cognition, behaviour, and mental disorders.

See also: Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Unconscious mind

Social psychology and group behaviour
Social psychology is the study of how social conditions affect human beings. Scholars in this field are generally either psychologists or sociologists. Social psychologists who are trained in psychology tend to focus on individuals as the unit of study; sociologists tend to favor the study of groups and larger social units such as societies, although there are exceptions to these general tendencies in both fields. Despite their similarity, the disciplines also tend to differ in their respective goals, approaches, methods, and terminology. They also favor separate academic journals and societies.

Like biophysics and cognitive science, social psychology is an interdisciplinary area. The greatest period of collaboration between sociologists and psychologists was during the years immediately following World War II (Sewell, 1989). Although there has been increasing isolation and specialization in recent years, some degree of overlap and influence remains between the two disciplines.

Brain
In animals the brain, or encephalon (Greek for "in the head"), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for thought. In most animals, the brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing, equilibrioception, taste and olfaction. While all vertebrates have a brain, most invertebrates have either a centralized brain or collections of individual ganglia. Primitive animals such as sponges do not have a brain at all. Brains can be extremely complex. For example, the human brain contains more than 100 billion neurons, each linked to as many as 10,000 others.

See also: Cognitive science, Meme, and Memetics

Mental health
By analogy with the health of the body, one can speak metaphorically of a state of health of the mind, or mental health. Merriam-Webster defines mental health as "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life." According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "mental illness" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.

One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintaining satisfying relationships, and leading an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

Psychotherapy is an interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. This usually includes increasing individual sense of well-being and reducing subjective discomforting experience. Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change and that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or patient, or to improve group relationships (such as in a family). Most forms of psychotherapy use only spoken conversation, though some also use various other forms of communication such as the written word, art, drama, narrative story, or therapeutic touch. Psychotherapy occurs within a structured encounter between a trained therapist and client(s). Purposeful, theoretically based psychotherapy began in the 19th century with psychoanalysis; since then, scores of other approaches have been developed and continue to be created.

Developmental history of the human mind
The nature and origins of hominid intelligence is of natural interest to humans as the most successful and intelligent hominid species. As nearly a century of archaeological research has shown, the hominids evolved from earlier primates in eastern Africa. Like some non-primate tree-dwelling mammals, such as opossums, they evolved an opposable thumb, which enabled them to grasp and manipulate objects, such as fruit. They also possessed front-facing binocular vision.

Around 10 million years ago, the earth's climate entered a cooler and drier phase, which led eventually to the ice ages. This forced tree-dwelling animals to adapt to their new environment or die out. Some primates adapted to this challenge by adopting bipedalism: walking on their hind legs. The advantages of this development are widely disputed. It was once thought that this gave their eyes greater elevation and the ability to see approaching danger further off but as we now know that hominids developed in a forest environment this theory has little real basis. At some point the bipedal primates developed the ability to pick up sticks, bones and stones and use them as weapons, or as tools for tasks such as killing smaller animals or cutting up carcases. In other words, these primates developed the use of technology, an adaptation other animals have not attained to the same capacity as these hominids. Bipedal tool-using primates evolved in the class of hominids, of which the earliest species, such as Sahelanthropus tchadensis, are dated to about 7 million years ago although homind-made tools were not developed until about 2 million years ago.

From about 5 million years ago, the hominid brain began to develop rapidly, some say this was because an evolutionary loop had been established between the hominid hand and brain. This theory says that the use of tools conferred a crucial evolutionary advantage on those hominids which had this skill. The use of tools required a larger and more sophisticated brain to co-ordinate the fine hand movements required for this task. however this theory has not been confirmed and many other theories have been developed based on scientific evidence. By 2 million years ago Homo habilis had appeared in east Africa: the first hominid to make tools rather than merely use them. Several more species in the genus 'homo' appeared before fully modern humans, known as homo sapiens developed. these homo sapiens, which are the archaic version of the modern human showed the first evidence of language, and the range of activities we call culture, including art and religion.

About 200,000 years ago in Europe and the Near East hominids known to us as Neanderthal man or some call them homo neanderthalensis appeared. They too had art such as decorated tools for aesthetic pleasure and culture, such as burying their dead in ways which suggest spiritual beliefs. hotly debated in the scientific community is whether or not Homo sapiens developed from neanderthals or a combinations of hominids. Some scientists say that the Neanderthals were wiped out by homo sapiens when they entered the region about 40,000 years ago. What is known is that by 25,000 years ago the Neanderthal was extinct. Between 120,000 to 165,000 years ago Homo sapiens reached their fully modern form, the first evidence of this was found in Africa although once again the origins are widely debated between three theories, the Single-Origin theory, the Multiregional model and the Assimilation model.

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Every Human Being Should Enjoy Equal Human Rights

S. African President :Every Human Being Should Enjoy Equal Human Rights
Every human being should enjoy human rights as equally as others, South African President Thabo Mbeki said in Durban on Friday.

"I am certain we are determined to speak with one voice to assert that no culture, language or tradition of any people is inferior, deserving of being despised, mocked and destroyed, " Mbeki said while addressing the opening ceremony of the third World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) at the International Convention Center.

"We want to make the point firmly that all peoples and all nations are mutually and each equally entitled to their identity and their national pride," he stressed.

The president pointed out that unlike slavery and colonialism in the past, racism under the current circumstance of economic globalization is mainly caused by poverty, which deprives the human dignity of all those forced to beg, steal and even prostitute.

Gripped by poverty, all the people living under the extreme poverty line are forced to behave towards others as though some are inferior and others superior, simply in order to get something to eat, Mbeki said, warning that if the poor peoples' lives can not be improved, tomorrow will be even worse than today.

He underscored that poverty, the product of human society instead of an act of nature, will not be alleviated until all the governments and civil societies in the world unite together to fight and vanquish underdevelopment.

Referring to the WCAR, Mbeki said: "The conference must convey a message of hope to the peoples of the world that, together, we are resolved to work hard for peace everywhere on our universe, so that the doors open everywhere for the fullest and all-round development in conditions of freedom, safety and security."

About 14,000 delegates worldwide were present at the opening ceremony, including U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and presidents Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, Joso Krizanovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires of Cape Verde, Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Paul Kagame of Rwanda.

During the eight-day conference, participants are expected to produce a declaration that recognizes the damage caused by past expressions of racism and reflects a new global awareness of modern forms of racism and xenophobia.

A strong practical program of action will also be adopted at the end of the conference.

The first and second WCAR were held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1978 and 1983 respectively.

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How to know when forgetfulness might be the result of something serious.

Mind Your Memory
How to know when forgetfulness might be the result of something serious.

Names. House keys. Where we parked the car.

We all forget things at times. But at what point is memory loss an indication that something more serious is happening?

While many assume the worst when they fail to remember simple things, memory lapses can be caused by stress, Vitamin B-12 deficiency or even a combination of prescription drugs.

"When your memory loss begins affecting the quality of your life, when it becomes a difficulty in how you live your life, that's when it needs to be addressed," says Eric Hall, chief executive officer of the national nonprofit Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

People aren't exactly eager to talk about the problem, however, according to a recent study by the Metlife Mature Market Institute.

The study, conducted in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Foundation of America and the Center for Productive Aging at Towson University, looked at people who attended a voluntary, free memory screening during National Memory Screening Day in November 2005. Of those surveyed, 73% had memory concerns, but only 24% of that group shared those feelings with a doctor.

That reluctance likely has to do with the lack of a cure for Alzheimer's, which affects an estimated one in ten people over 65 and nearly 50% of those over 85.

"There's still a stigma with the disease," says Dr. Eric Tangalos, a Rochester, Minn.-based board member of the American Geriatrics Society and the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging. "People ask, 'Do I lose my ability to drive? What will happen to my insurability?' These are all legitimate concerns."

Delaying diagnosis can backfire, however, since the treatments available, which can only offset the progression of symptoms, tend to be most effective in the early stages of the disease.

People should consider going to the doctor for an evaluation when memory loss is accompanied by problems in one or more areas of cognitive ability such as orientation, language skills, visual spatial skills and attention. Other red flags are if memory loss interferes with your ability to conduct your daily routine or you're experiencing behavioral problems, says Dr. Jerry Johnson, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine.

Those experiencing significant memory losses may try to cover it up by being less social, so they're not subjected to any tests. Johnson says he turns to "informants," such as a spouse or a daughter, who know a patient and can tell something is different or wrong.

While there isn't conclusive evidence supporting the idea that exercising the brain strengthens memory, doctors still recommend it. That could mean reading, having a conversation, learning a new language or learning to dance.

With so much confusion about the finer points of memory loss, the bottom line is that people concerned about it should feel comfortable turning to a physician.

"[Alzheimer's] is a very prevalent problem among people as they get older and older," Tangalos says. "We don't want them running away from the disease, we want them running toward it. There's hope in terms of treatment."

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A soup for supper on busy weeknights

The welcoming smell of homemade soup is a real treat especially in January.
Most people think that for a soup to be good it has to cook for hours. That would be difficult for a midweek dinner when you come home late and are in a hurry. But I love soup suppers and decided to create this tomato-based, mushroom and sausage soup that takes only 15 minutes to make.
To speed cooking, I used the largest sauce pan I had. It’s really a Dutch oven or pasta pot. The large diameter helps the mushrooms and sausage saute faster.
The recipe calls for a purchased pasta sauce. Store shelves are filled with varieties and brands. I choose one that had no fat and low salt and it worked very well.
The Italians like to use up leftover bread by covering slices with vegetables and toasting over a wood fire. The tasty result is crostini or “little toasts.” Onion garlic crostini makes a great side dish for this dinner. The onions and garlic cook until they are golden and sweet. Or, you can warm up any leftover vegetables with a little added garlic and use them instead.
This is a complete meal, but if you like a salad, add a washed, ready-to-eat salad and a low-fat dressing to the meal.
Country Mushroom and Sausage Soup
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 low-fat turkey sausage, sliced
1 1/2 cups fat-free, low-salt, pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups fat-free, low-salt chicken broth
1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and sausage, and saute 2 minutes. Add the pasta sauce, broth and beans; cover and simmer on medium 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and leave covered until needed. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 299 calories, (18 percent from fat) 6 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 20 g protein, 44 g carbohydrate, 11.7 g fiber, 59 mg sodium.
Onion Garlic Crostini
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large slices multigrain, country bread
Olive oil spray
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and garlic and saute without burning 10 minutes. Add sugar and saute another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spray bread with olive oil spray and toast in toaster oven or under broiler until golden, about 1 minute. Spoon onions over bread and serve with soup. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 126 calories (23 percent from fat), 3 g fat, no cholesterol, 4 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 2.9 g fiber, 106 mg sodium

Soup for Health

Soup for Health Now that the shortbread and eggnog have vanished, the waistline has expanded and the belt is too tight, it’s time again to eat like a healthy peasant rather than wealthy royalty.

What could be more peasant-like than a hearty soup loaded with vegetables? The word “restaurant” comes from the Parisian soup kitchens of the 1800s and refers to the ability of soup to restore health. Cooking vegetables in water releases their healing bioflavonoids into the liquid without destroying their powerful antioxidant properties. Different colored vegetables provide protection against different free radicals, so the more color in your soup, the wider your range of antioxidant protection against deadly free radicals.
Now that the holiday season is over and swimsuit season is on the horizon, it’s time to get away from the dainty white flour and white sugar treats that have been stripped of nutrients and get back to eating whole grains. Not only do whole grains contain vitamin E complex, vitamin B6, folic acid and chromium, which are crucial to stabilize appetite and weight, but whole grains also contain the highly medicinal bran layer.
The bran layer provides fiber, which is essential to regular bowel function. Even more important is a chemical layer, called the aleuron layer, that’s bound tight against the inner side of the bran. The aleuron layer of grains, seeds, berries and nuts contains phyotalexins, which the plant uses as a form of self-defense to protect its seed against fungi, bacteria and viruses. They can provide similar good service to you.
Bacteria in your intestine can convert some of the phytoalexins, called lignans, into phytoestrogens. Research in Finland has shown that phyotestrogens reduce breast and prostate cancer. Dark rye bread, the peasant food of Northern Europe, has been found to be the grain with the highest levels of lignans.
Other phytoalexins called isoflavonoids are found in legumes, especially soy, a food of the Chinese peasant that also has phytoestrogen effects. Soy also contains chemicals that have been shown to inhibit coronary artery disease and cancer, the two biggest killers of civilized society. Fermenting soy into miso and tempeh makes it easier to digest as well as more healthful. Read So, What's the Deal with Soy for more information.
A fermented food of the peasants of Central Europe is sauerkraut. Bacteria in sauerkraut break down the coarser fibers of the cabbage plant while at the same time enhancing the release of sulforaphane and indol-3-carbinol, both of which have powerful hormone-stabilizing and anticancer properties.
Simple foods simply build good health. Complete the Truestar Nutrition profile for a personalized diet plan to bring you optimal wellness.

ENJOY???

People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural (GOD)

Lonely people more likely to believe in God

Study: Those who feel isolated try to create social connections elsewhere

people who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds.

Humans have evolved as social creatures, so loneliness cuts to the quick. Living in groups was critical to the survival and safety of our ancient ancestors, and "complete isolation or ostracism has been tantamount to a death sentence," said University of Chicago researcher Nicholas Epley, who led the study.

While group living isn't critical to survival in the modern world, feeling socially connected is. Feeling isolated and lonely is a very painful emotional state for people, Epley said, and can lead to ill health, both physically and mentally.
Being socially isolated is just not good for you," he said.

Seeking connections
When people feel lonely, they may try to rekindle old friendships, seek out new ones or, as Epley's study suggests, they may create social connections by anthropomorphizing nearby gadgets, such as computers or cars, pets, or by believing in supernatural events or religious figures.

In their study, detailed in the February issue of the journal Psychological Science, Epley's team tried to induce feelings of loneliness in people to see how it affected how they thought of pets and their belief in religious figures.

In one experiment, college undergraduates were shown movie clips and told to try and empathize with the protagonist as best they could, in order to set them in one of three emotional states.

One group was shown a clip from "Cast Away," the movie in which the main character played by Tom Hanks is deserted on a remote island, in order to induce a feeling of isolation. The second group was shown a clip from the crime thriller "The Silence of the Lambs" to promote a sense of fear. A third, control group was shown a clip from the sports comedy feature film "Major League."

All three groups were then asked to describe a pet they owned or knew well and pick three traits from a list that best described them. The list included anthropomorphic traits that related to social connections (thoughtful, sympathetic) and simple behavioral descriptions (aggressive, energetic, fearful).

Believing in the supernatural
Participants from the loneliness group were more likely to describe the pet using the anthropomorphic descriptions than those in the fear or control groups.

All three groups were also asked to rate their belief in ghosts, angels, the devil, miracles, curses, and God, and again, those in the loneliness group reported stronger belief in these supernatural agents.

In another part of their study, Epley and his colleagues asked participants from the University of Chicago to fill out a personality questionnaire and were then told that the answers would be fed to a computer which would generate a future-life prediction for them. Half of the participants were read statements implying they would be lonely later in life, while the other half were told they would be socially connected for the rest of their lives.

"We tried to manipulate their loneliness, to make them feel lonely," Epley said.

The participants were then asked to rate their belief in the same supernatural agents in the other study, and those in the "lonely group" reported stronger belief than those in the "connected group." The results were also compared to ratings the participants gave before they got their life predictions, and those who reported a belief in God before and were made to feel lonely reported a stronger belief after the experiment.

"We found that inducing people to feel lonely made them more religious essentially," Epley told LiveScience, though he notes it won't cause any sudden conversions.

Owning pets and religious beliefs and practices are both known to increase a person's sense of well-being, but why exactly that is isn't well known, Epley said.

Epley and his colleagues plan to probe the issue further to see if anthropomorphizing pets or believing in anthropomorphized supernatural agents is what is responsible for alleviating feelings of loneliness. If it is, it could provide alternate means for people to feel socially connected when connecting to humans isn't an option.

"There are health benefits that come from being connected to other people, and those same benefits seem to come from connection with pets and with religious agents, too," Epley said.

more....

Supernatural
The term supernatural (Latin: super "above" + natura "nature") pertains to entities, events or powers regarded as beyond nature, in that they cannot be explained by the laws of the natural world. Religious miracles are typical of such "supernatural" claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others. Supernatural themes are often associated with magical and occult ideas.

Controversy
Adherents of supernatural beliefs hold that such occurrences exist just as surely as does the natural world, whereas opponents argue that there are natural, physical explanations for all such occurrences, summed up as

" Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so." "
- Galileo Galilei
" If we subject everything to reason, our religion will have nothing mysterious or supernatural in it. If we violate the principles of reason, our religion will be absurd and ridiculous." "
- Blaise Pascal

According to the strict materialist view, if something "supernatural" exists, it is by definition not supernatural. Are there forces beyond the natural forces studied by physics? Are there ways of sensing that go beyond our biological senses and instruments? Certainly there may always be things outside of the realm of human understanding, as of yet unconfirmed and dubious in existence, and some might term these "supernatural".

Argument and controversy has surrounded the issue on both sides. One complicating factor is that there is no exact definition of what "natural" is, and what the limits of naturalism might be. Concepts in the supernatural domain are closely related to concepts in religious spirituality and metaphysics or spiritualism. The term "supernatural" is often used interchangeably with paranormal or preternatural - the latter typically limited to an adjective for describing abilities which appear to exceed the bounds of possibility. See the nature of God in Western theology, anthropology of religion, and Biblical cosmology. Likewise, legendary characters such as vampires, poltergeists and leprechauns would be considered supernatural.

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Achieving your Personal Style

BE A PERFECT STYLIST

1 - Finding Inspiration

2 - Exercising your Creativity

3 - Developing your Vision

4 - Achieving your Personal Style

Together these four essays represent, first, an exploration of the too-rarely discussed subject of inspiration and creativity,

and second a road map towards the development of a vision and the achievement of a personal style unique to you.

Each essay features a set of Skill Enhancement Exercises that allows you to practice and develop the skills discussed in each essay on your own.

1- Introduction
Personal style is the venue through which you share your vision with your audience. Your personal style develops, expands and becomes more unique as you continue making your vision a reality. As we saw in the three previous essays, this is a four-parts process: vision and personal style are related to inspiration and creativity. The more fertile your inspiration and creativity are, the faster your vision and your personal style will grow.

Achieving a personal style represents a significant amount of work. As you work towards making your vision a reality, you will need to become bolder. To compensate the detractions that will most likely come your way, you will need to find courage and motivation in your successes at describing your vision and at sharing it successfully with your audience.

As you become bolder you find new ways to express and share this vision. Each new artistic statement, each new piece, will become another step towards achieving your personal style. Each attempt is but one small step, but the sum of your attempts creates a stairway that eventually will lead you to heights that you could not have climbed in a single step. The only way to get to the top of this stairway is work as hard as you can at developing your style.

About 4 years ago I wrote my first essay on personal style, the essay was published in my book Mastering Landscape Photography. If you have not read this previous essay I recommend you do so because it features information that is not repeated in this second essay. The essay you are reading now is the result of my continued thinking on this subject over the past 4 years.

This essay is also the last in this four-essay series. It is the conclusion of the four-parts artistic process that I present in this series and it brings together the four parts of this process.

What is a personal style?

A personal style is the translation of your vision into an actual work of art, into a photograph in this instance. It is the translation of your ideas into something that others can see, something that you can share with your audience, something that represents the closest rendition of your vision that you are capable of producing at a given time.

The language you are using to create this translation is photography. Photography is a visual language that uses composition, tone, color, contrast, subject, light, angle, approach and more to translate your vision into images that anyone can see.

As with any translation, something is often lost, modified or left out. Therefore, each new translation, each new photograph, is a new attempt towards a more accurate translation or towards a translation that your audience understands better. It is also a new attempt at defining the language that you are using to make this translation. As an artist expressing your vision through a personal style, you are not just sharing a message through the language of your choice. As your vision becomes more refined and more unique so does your language. Eventually, the language you use becomes yours only. You invent it as you move forward towards an ever-finer representation of the ideas in your mind.

At that point you are both the inventor of a new vision and the inventor of a new language to translate and express this vision. You are the inventor of the image as well as the author of the facture of the image. Your personal style is a visual language in a way that you use to communicate your message, your vision, to your audience.

In other words you are not just the author of the work of art. You are also the author of the visual language used to create this work of art. You are therefore indebted to your audience because if you create a new language your audience needs to make the effort of learning this new language.

This language may be fairly transparent or it can be quite complex. You are therefore responsible for either teaching your audience how to read this language, or for having others help your audience understand your language. This is because your audience needs help understanding the structure of the language you are using. This is what was missing in much of Modern Art for example. For a long time there was no one available to explain the language of Modern Art to the audience and as a result Modern Art was, and to a large extent still is, incomprehensible to a large part of the public.

The process of developing a personal style is a process of evolution, of continual refinement and of fine-tuning the expression of your vision. A true personal style represents the outcome of this process: a consistent and ongoing expression of your vision. First it is an approach in which the technical and artistic challenges have been resolved in a satisfying manner. Second it is an approach that demonstrates a consistent solution to these problems, a solution that is implemented in a similar manner from image to image, throughout your entire body of work.

This is one of the most famous locations in the world and an icon of the American Southwest. As such I often say that it is easy to create a good photograph of Monument Valley because it is so dramatically photogenic, but difficult to create an outstanding image because so many good ones already exist.

This is one of my most recent attempts at creating another image from this location. While it is not for me to decide what is the level of achievement of this image, I can say that I find it pleasing, in large part because it was taken in mid-afternoon, a time that poses challenges for color photography because the light at that time is relatively flat and unsaturated.

What makes this image successful are the cloudy conditions present on that day. I waited until the sun lit the middle butte and I used the rocks in the foreground as leading lines towards this butte. I also selected a time when the clouds were grouped in the center of the image rather than when they were moving out towards the sides or the top of the frame.

The combination of leading foreground lines, of the lit middle butte and of the cloud position is what, for me, creates the fundamental structure of this image. My only regret is that I could not get just the middle butte in the light. The two others were also partially in direct light and if I had waited any longer the clouds would have been gone. One's desires sometimes go beyond what nature can do.

3 - Finding your own way of seeing
Achieving a personal style does not mean creating photographs that are outlandish, that rely on theatrics to be created, or that solely depend on bizarre content to be interesting. Style is relying on solid values and concepts. Style is creating a firm foundation from which you will create your work.

Achieving a personal style is first and foremost achieving a personal way of seeing. This is the avowed goal of numerous photographers. However, few actually reach this goal. Why? First, because there is a lack of methodology in regards to helping photographers develop a vision and achieve a personal style. Second, because many photographers underestimate the difficulty of the task: developing a personal style is a lot more difficult than it seems. And third, because there is really no comprehensive study of what is required to achieve a personal style. The literature on the subject is slim and the small body of work that exists treats the subject as if it was as simple as going out, getting a few tips here and there and then be on your way to finding your own way of seeing and developing your own photographic style.

The fact is that it is not that simple. In fact, it is not simple at all. The process that leads one to find his way of seeing is long and arduous and follows a logical progression. One has to understand what is involved as well as which pitfalls await one on the path to developing a vision and ultimately achieving a personal style. These pitfalls are specific and once known can be easily averted. We will be looking at a number of them in the next sections. And no, it is not as simple as going out there and taking photographs while making good use of a few tips on composition and on seeing like a camera. Those are prerequisites, and if followed will result in better photographs, but they are not enough to result in developing a personal style.

The issue of personal style has always been present in art. It may however have been less important in the past when photography was practiced mainly by trained artists with relatively few "aficionados" joining in. This situation changed somewhat during what I like to call the "darkroom craze" that took place from the 60's to the 80's, although even then the commitment in space (one had to build a darkroom) and time (developing film and prints is time consuming) was significant enough that only the super-motivated were joining the ranks of the practitioners.

The digital revolution changed all of that. All of a sudden anyone with a personal computer -which means a lot of people, just about anyone in fact-and a digital camera or a scanner could claim to be a photographer because they could process and print their own photographs themselves for a relatively low initial investment in time, space and funds.

The many possible variations that one can apply, inflict or otherwise subject a digital image to, depending on how you prefer to put it, means that potentially a personal style is only a mouse click away, or a filter away, or a new piece of software away. This pushes the notion of personal style to the forefront. Questions related to personal style quickly surface: do I have a personal style? Am I really that creative? Can anyone else do what I do? Is it me, is it the filter, the software, the camera or something else? Can I do it again? Do others like it? What do you, the master, think of my work? Do I have talent? Am I a genius?

The fact is that, if you need to ask any of these questions you most likely do not have a personal style. What you have is access to software that can do things to photographs that were never possible prior to digital photography. Doing something that is unusual, something that is noticeable, does not mean you have a personal style. This is an issue that has been present way before digital photography came about. It means you did something unusual and noticeable to your photographs. That's all. It makes you wonder if you have a personal style, which is probably the most important consequence. However, developing a personal style is still a long ways away. It is also a lot different than using strange compositions, applying cool filter effects to your images, or being "creative" during image conversion and processing.

4 - Style develops through work

personal style is primarily achieved through work. This work consists of developing the vision you obtained by following your inspiration and expressing your creativity.

You cannot force personal style into being because in many ways style finds us more than we find it. What you can do is work as hard as you can at expressing your vision. You may not even know for sure when you have arrived, when you have developed a personal style. This is in part because this process is a journey and not a destination. It is also because, as artists, we do not always recognize when we have developed a style; in many instances someone else has to point this out to us.

As you work keep in mind that there are no shortcuts to style. Some people erroneously believe that they can follow a number of strategies to achieve a style such as copying someone else's style, following a rulebook to style, following technical instructions to get a specific look, emulating a style and so on. Unfortunately all these shortcuts are ineffective because they are based in duplicating a preexisting style developed by someone else. None of these approaches will result in creating your own style.

A personal style is the expression of your vision. It is also the expression of your personal taste, of your personal choices. In this respect it is as unique as your handwriting. While using someone else's style as a point of departure is possible, such an approach needs to be considered as a starting point and not as a final destination. It should also be remembered that achieving a style is a journey more than a destination and that the most important asset during this journey is your willingness to work as hard as you can at developing your own style.

5 - Your personal style filter
Your style provides you with a set of guidelines or photographic approaches that you have developed through countless hours of trial and error. These provide you with what I call your personal style filter. This is a filter that exists in your mind rather than in front of your lens. However, you look through this filter and see the world through it just as well as if it was installed in front of your lens.

This filter consists of your way of seeing the world, from idea to print. It starts with your vision for your work and ends when the final print is matted and framed. It includes each and every part of the photographic process, both technical and artistic. It includes fieldwork and studio work because an artistic photograph is not completed when you click the shutter. A fine art photograph is completed after you are done making all the improvements to tone, contrast and color and after you have created a print that expresses what you saw and felt in the field.

As you work with this personal style filter, you need to photograph what you like rather than what you think you should like. Over time you will begin to develop a consistent way of seeing. You will discover that certain elements or characteristics are being repeated in your work without your conscious awareness. When this happens you will have made one more step towards achieving your style.

Your personal style can also be revealed to you through others. Listen carefully to what others say about your photographs because they can help you identify specific characteristic of your work that you may not have noticed.

19 - Conclusion

The achievement of a personal style means following your inspiration and vision, being creative, trusting your own instincts, leaving your comfort zone and not being afraid to take chances and make your own rules.

Your personal style is an extension of your personality. As such your personal style is as unique as your handwriting for example. The mistake that many people make when it comes to personal style is thinking that they have to have a model and that this model will help them find the right way and the wrong of making art. Such a model does not exist because art has no rules. Art is whatever you want it to be.

As long as you do not approach art that way, the achievement of a personal style will continue to elude you. If you forever try to continue following the rules, or try to copy someone else's work, your work will remain commonplace and expectable. To be unique, to surprise yourself and your audience, in short to achieve your personal style, the artwork you create has to be yours.

Think of art as being this one place where anything goes, where you can be yourself and do what you want, whatever that may be. Think of personal style as being able to create something unique and extraordinary, something that does not exist in any way, shape or form, something that others will want to own and admire.

Personal style is therefore about being cutting edge. As such it carries with it the risk of exposing yourself to potential disapproval, because anything that is cutting edge is bound to elicit extreme responses, either total acceptance or total rejection. "Mild" responses are rare once an artist develops a true personal style and this is one of the reasons why so many hesitate at doing what it takes to achieve a personal style. In other words, they are concerned, and rightly so, that the responses to their work will be polarized rather than neutral.

Having a defined and recognizable style means making decisions regarding what you photograph and knowing what is your subject. If you are unsure of your subject your audience will be unsure of it as well. As a result, it is unlikely that this audience will support your work. Why? Simply because if you are not sure where you are going they will not be sure whether they want to follow you or not. You are supposed to be the master, to decide where you are going and to show the way. The audience expects you to make these decisions and to lead them on the path to an understanding and an appreciation of your work. For this reason they cannot lead you. This is neither their role nor their inclination. This is not their purpose for looking at your work. Instead, it is your responsibility to lead them.

You must therefore make decisions about what is your subject, your approach, and eventually your personal style. Doing so is crucial because lack of decision in this instance means lack of following on the part of your audience. If you don't know where you are going, or if you believe that not making a choice will preserve all options for future decisions, your audience will drop you like a stone -if they ever give you any attention at all- to go see the work of those who have a firm idea of what they are doing. Audiences like strong positions. They like artists who know where they stand, even though the stance of this artist may be unlike the taste of a specific audience, or may be shocking, or again may be unconventional. They like a firm position because this is what is expected of an artist. In a sense, polarization of the audience is a logical outcome of art.

This series of four essays in now complete. In this conclusion I want to point out that although my focus has been photography, most of what I presented here is applicable to other artistic mediums, and that, eventually, the process I described is applicable to art in general.

This series is therefore not only about photography. It is also about the purpose of art and about the reasons why we create art. We create art to share a message with our audience. In the context of the visual arts, which include photography, we create art to share a different way of seeing, a different way of representing things visually. Eventually, when all is said and done, creating art is about expressing our personality and our vision of the world.

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