INTERESTING TIMES

notes from November OFJ lecture by Jacqueline J West, PhD
The Shadows and Gifts of American Narcissism
Friday 11/12/10 organized via www.ofj.org
also some notes on Narcissism taken from a variety of sources
( tidbits feed ideas about American apathy )

Of course we already knew this. Being a genius is now a disease, and grounds for medication.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028803_psychiatry_disease.html

5 Minds for the Future: Cultivating Thinking Skills
by Jamie on July 15, 2009
http://selfmadescholar.com/b/2009/07/15/5-minds-for-the-future-cultivating-thinking-skills/

“…We must immediately expand our vision beyond standard educational institutions. In our cultures of today – and of tomorrow – parents, peers, and media play roles at least as significant as do authorized teachers and formal schools…if any cliché of recent years ring true, it is the acknowledgment that learning must be lifelong.”
– Howard Gardner
( Great article, text behind cut )

Over the weekend I attended a conference called Transforming the Mind, and this piece was played as the grand finale: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

Jill Bolte Taylor is an excellent storyteller and the story is worth hearing. Jill is also a neuroanatomist. She had a stroke one morning and observed her own brain shutting down. The blood vessel popped in the left hemisphere of her brain, and crowded out her language centers and more, leaving her with right brain hemisphere functions. She experienced Nirvana, or what some might call a near death experience.....but it is better to hear her tell the tale. I hope you enjoy!