Now that you know my magazine reading habits, here's what I found interesting in my reading this morning from US News and World Report.
- Benedict Arnold chose to "turn coat" after becoming disillusioned with the war's progress, feeling wary of the civilian leaders and then feeling betrayed by them himself. As a historian says, "he grew to feel that turning back to England would be the best course for the country."
- Many soldiers during the long fight for independence were not motivated by devotion to liberty. Washington himself got angry at times with the fact that men would leave after a few months of enlistment. Justin Ewers writes, "The high-minded middle-class farmers went home, and a new army was formed, made up mostly of poor, propertyless laborers, unmarried men in their early 20s who took up arms not to defend some abstract ideal but because they were offered money and land."
- I didn't realize the extent to which we are indebted to France for our Independence. Without their money, supplies and naval aid it is uncertain if we could have won our war. We can now call our French fries Freedom fries for a completely different reason . . .
Friday, July 11, 2008
My Magazine Arsenal
I get a lot of my magazine reading done at the gym while on the eliptical machine. What I bring in is often a "mixed bag" and I'm subconsciously strategic about what is displayed for people to see. (I guess now, though, it's not so subconscious.)
1) At the bottom of the pile is a library magazine. I'm still a little self conscious about being a librarian because of all of the stereotypes. To be honest, I don't often get around to reading it even when I bring it. The same magazine will come into the gym multiple times before I tackle reading it. It's not interesting enough to keep my mind off of how much I'd like for the exercising to be done!
2) Next to the bottom is a health or fitness magazine. The pithy little articles never keep my attention and deep down I know that I will never implement the healthy food choices and the latest toning plan. I bring it along because I feel that I should read it and because the gym is a good environment to feel convicted and to then do something practical about it.
3) Right underneath the top spot is either People or Entertainment magazine. These publications are the BEST read while on the eliptical machine. It fulfills my desire to read about pop culture, the type is elementary school large, the stories short and the mental capacity needed almost nil. It's not on top, though, because I want to come across as educated and savy. Hence . . .
4) The magazine at the top of my pile is either US News, Newsweek or Time. I dutifully read those current events magazines in order to have a better idea of what's going on in the world and the reasons behind it. Sometimes it gets to be too much to read a seven page article on a scholarly topic and I will have to watch a little Dr. Phil on the overhead TV, but eventually I'll get back on track.
The whole time, however, I'm waiting for my dessert of some glitzy pop culture.
1) At the bottom of the pile is a library magazine. I'm still a little self conscious about being a librarian because of all of the stereotypes. To be honest, I don't often get around to reading it even when I bring it. The same magazine will come into the gym multiple times before I tackle reading it. It's not interesting enough to keep my mind off of how much I'd like for the exercising to be done!
2) Next to the bottom is a health or fitness magazine. The pithy little articles never keep my attention and deep down I know that I will never implement the healthy food choices and the latest toning plan. I bring it along because I feel that I should read it and because the gym is a good environment to feel convicted and to then do something practical about it.
3) Right underneath the top spot is either People or Entertainment magazine. These publications are the BEST read while on the eliptical machine. It fulfills my desire to read about pop culture, the type is elementary school large, the stories short and the mental capacity needed almost nil. It's not on top, though, because I want to come across as educated and savy. Hence . . .
4) The magazine at the top of my pile is either US News, Newsweek or Time. I dutifully read those current events magazines in order to have a better idea of what's going on in the world and the reasons behind it. Sometimes it gets to be too much to read a seven page article on a scholarly topic and I will have to watch a little Dr. Phil on the overhead TV, but eventually I'll get back on track.
The whole time, however, I'm waiting for my dessert of some glitzy pop culture.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Why Do They Act That Way?
I just finished this great book for one of the professional development courses that I'm taking. It's called Why Do They act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen by David Walsh.
It is all about how the teenage brain works and how that effects the way they think and act. It gives a lot of helpful suggestions for the way parents, teachers and other influential adults can help guide a teen through this time period.
Points that I found interesting:
1) The brain is made up of neurons that need to be connected in order for learning to occur. The first five years are a crucial time for nature and nurture to influence this "hard wiring." Most people don't realize that a second window of opportunity for neuron wiring happens during adolescence. It is then that brain chemicals change the makeup of the brain and different areas of the brain begin to operate differently.
2) I found this point sooooo interesting. During adolescence, the executive control center of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, has not even neared full development. It is in charge of thinking through to consequences and impulse control. Instead of always thinking via the PFC, the teenage brain operates often out of the amygdala - - catch this, the seat of fight-or-flight reactions, fear and aggression. In boys, they operate out of this area much more often than in girls. Doesn't that explain so much?!? Teens need to learn how to make informed decisions and to curb their impulsive reactions and thus strengthen the baby neural connections in this area.
3) Girls have a hard time with estrogen and progesterone levels rising and falling in their body. It can cause a lot of emotional roller coasters. Girls need adult help in training themselves to react appropriately to these mood changers. Interestingly, girls are at a high risk of talking themselves into a depression when they are upset about a situation. They don't always need a listening ear alone. Without the mental exercise of thinking through how to pull out this nose dive or ways to remedy the situation triggering these feelings, they can spiral out of control. I suddenly was very thankful for my mom's listening ear and my dad's practical approach to problems. I guess that's the combo-pack that I needed.
There is a lot more in this book that I could talk about, but there's something to chew on.
It is all about how the teenage brain works and how that effects the way they think and act. It gives a lot of helpful suggestions for the way parents, teachers and other influential adults can help guide a teen through this time period.
Points that I found interesting:
1) The brain is made up of neurons that need to be connected in order for learning to occur. The first five years are a crucial time for nature and nurture to influence this "hard wiring." Most people don't realize that a second window of opportunity for neuron wiring happens during adolescence. It is then that brain chemicals change the makeup of the brain and different areas of the brain begin to operate differently.
2) I found this point sooooo interesting. During adolescence, the executive control center of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, has not even neared full development. It is in charge of thinking through to consequences and impulse control. Instead of always thinking via the PFC, the teenage brain operates often out of the amygdala - - catch this, the seat of fight-or-flight reactions, fear and aggression. In boys, they operate out of this area much more often than in girls. Doesn't that explain so much?!? Teens need to learn how to make informed decisions and to curb their impulsive reactions and thus strengthen the baby neural connections in this area.
3) Girls have a hard time with estrogen and progesterone levels rising and falling in their body. It can cause a lot of emotional roller coasters. Girls need adult help in training themselves to react appropriately to these mood changers. Interestingly, girls are at a high risk of talking themselves into a depression when they are upset about a situation. They don't always need a listening ear alone. Without the mental exercise of thinking through how to pull out this nose dive or ways to remedy the situation triggering these feelings, they can spiral out of control. I suddenly was very thankful for my mom's listening ear and my dad's practical approach to problems. I guess that's the combo-pack that I needed.
There is a lot more in this book that I could talk about, but there's something to chew on.
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