The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)

The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)

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An attitude of gratitude may relieve stress, which in turn may lead to better health. michaelhelm/Shutterstock.com By Richard Gunderman, Indiana University Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they consistently underestimated. Another study assessed the health benefits of writing thank you notes. The researchers found that writing as few as…

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Thinking about emergence

Thinking about emergence

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Paul Humphreys writes: If you construct a Lego model of the University of London’s Senate House – the building that inspired the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four – the Lego blocks themselves remain unchanged. Take apart the structure, reassemble the blocks in the shape of the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Eiffel Tower, and the shape, weight and colour of the blocks stay the same. This approach, applied to the world at large, is known…

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We are witnessing the birth pains of a new and vile authoritarianism in Syria

We are witnessing the birth pains of a new and vile authoritarianism in Syria

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HA Hellyer writes: Domestic officials’ records in Syria are being updated and so many Syrians who have been worrying about missing loved ones are finally getting a bit of closure. But it is a bittersweet type of transparency – because the regime is declaring that many of those who were missing have actually been killed. As one Syria expert, Dr Thomas Pierret, put it, there has been “bulk delivery of death notifications to families of Syrian prisoners” by the Assad…

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How war has changed Syrian society

How war has changed Syrian society

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An essay penned collectively by Synaps’ Syria team says: Syria’s war has transformed the country in both shattering and subtle ways. While many evolutions are for the worse, others inspire cautious optimism: Syrians have shown relentless ingenuity in adapting to every stage of a horrendous conflict, salvaging remnants of dignity, solidarity and vitality amid nightmarish circumstances. They have generally done so on their own terms, grappling with changes ignored by virtually everyone who claims to help or represent them. These…

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Let’s call Islamophobia what it is – mainstream, anti-Muslim racism

Let’s call Islamophobia what it is – mainstream, anti-Muslim racism

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Zubaida Haque writes: Tommy Robinson, lately the cause célèbre of the so-called “alt-right”, isn’t the only person to rally a small band of fundamental libertarians, fruitcakes and closet racists behind him while the public looks on in despair. Who’s the other one? Step forward Boris Johnson. Who else? This week, even the Prime Minister was moved to call on the ex-foreign secretary to apologise for claiming Muslim women in burqas “look like letter boxes” and comparing them to “bank robbers.”…

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Rashida Tlaib, with primary win, is poised to become first Muslim woman in Congress

Rashida Tlaib, with primary win, is poised to become first Muslim woman in Congress

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The New York Times reports: By the time Rashida Tlaib was finished, not a dry eye remained in the room. “I want people across the country to know that you don’t need to sell out,” Ms. Tlaib said early Wednesday morning. “You don’t have to change who you are to run for office — and that is what this country is about.” Ms. Tlaib is poised to become the first Muslim woman ever elected to Congress, after she narrowly defeated…

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Pharma’s investment in boosting profits more than health

Pharma’s investment in boosting profits more than health

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Clayton Dalton writes: Just a few years ago, infection with the hepatitis C virus guaranteed a slow and certain death for many. Available treatments were effective in about half of all patients, and the side effects could be awful. Things changed in 2014, when a new medication called Harvoni was approved to treat the infection. With cure rates approaching 99 per cent and far fewer side effects, the medication became an instant blockbuster. Sales topped $13.8 billion in 2015. But…

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Anthropocene vs Meghalayan: Why geologists are fighting over whether humans are a force of nature

Anthropocene vs Meghalayan: Why geologists are fighting over whether humans are a force of nature

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Many scientists believe it is impossible to ignore the human impact on the planet when defining the geological age we live in today. Shutterstock By Mark Maslin, UCL and Simon Lewis, UCL The Earth discovered it was living in a new slice of time called the Meghalayan Age in July 2018. But the announcement by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) confused and angered scientists all around the world. In the 21st century, it claimed, we are still officially…

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Brains keep temporary molecular records before making a lasting memory

Brains keep temporary molecular records before making a lasting memory

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Like the day’s newspaper, the brain has a temporary way to keep track of events. TonTonic/Shutterstock.com By Kelsey Tyssowski, Harvard University The first dance at my wedding lasted exactly four minutes and 52 seconds, but I’ll probably remember it for decades. Neuroscientists still don’t entirely understand this: How was my brain able to translate this less-than-five-minute experience into a lifelong memory? Part of the puzzle is that there’s a gap between experience and memory: our experiences are fleeting, but it…

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Terrified by ‘hothouse Earth’? Don’t despair, do something

Terrified by ‘hothouse Earth’? Don’t despair, do something

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Eric Holthaus writes: A team of international researchers released what looks like a blueprint for catastrophe this week. On our current path, they warned, humanity might push the planet into an entirely new, hellish equilibrium, unseen since before the emergence of our species millions of years ago. This doomsday scenario, which they dubbed “hothouse Earth,” could render large swaths of our planet uninhabitable. Their conclusion: “Humanity is now facing the need for critical decisions and actions that could influence our…

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Carmakers speed toward electric future despite Trump rollback

Carmakers speed toward electric future despite Trump rollback

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Bloomberg reports: The Trump administration wants to try to limit California’s special ability to require increasing purchase of electric vehicles in the state—but major automakers say they have no intention of reversing course on their electric vehicle plans. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department are targeting California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to set stricter tailpipe emissions limits and zero emission vehicle requirements than the federal government. The agencies, as part of a larger Aug. 2 proposal…

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The world abetted Assad’s victory in Syria

The world abetted Assad’s victory in Syria

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Christopher Phillips writes: After more than seven years of a civil war that has left half of Syria’s population displaced, cities reduced to rubble, and over 500,000 killed, President Bashar al-Assad appears to be on the brink of victory. In July, units loyal to Assad recaptured Deraa, where the peaceful protests that turned into a violent rebellion against him first began in 2011. The recapture came as Assad conquered the south, one of the last rebel holdouts. The war is…

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New details about Wilbur Ross’ business point to pattern of grifting

New details about Wilbur Ross’ business point to pattern of grifting

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Forbes reports: A multimillion-dollar lawsuit has been quietly making its way through the New York State court system over the last three years, pitting a private equity manager named David Storper against his former boss: Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The pair worked side by side for more than a decade, eventually at the firm, WL Ross & Co.—where, Storper later alleged, Ross stole his interests in a private equity fund, transferred them to himself, then tried to cover it…

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Community

Community

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When I was a Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama visited us in France, there was a meeting of most of the Western monks and nuns in our community. At that time, the majority were living in a monastery and neighboring nunnery near Toulouse, but others were visiting from elsewhere in Europe, America, India and Australia. We were about 100 people. We had the grandiose mission of preserving Tibetan Buddhism so that it could survive in exile and spread across…

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