Bastard says:

'As vezes olho para as pessoas e vejo saquinhos de carne com pernas.

Can sex become compulsive?

Sexual obsessions and compulsions are recurrent, distressing and interfere with daily functioning. Many people suffer from these problems, but finding consensus about them among sexual scientists or treatment professionals, is not easy. Sexual scientists have used various terms to describe this phenomenon: hypersexuality, erotomania, nymphomania, satyriasis, and most recently sexual addiction and compulsive sexual behavior. The terminology has often implied different values, attitudes, and theoretical orientations. While there are many types of compulsive sexual behavior, they can be divided into two main types: paraphilic and non-paraphilic CSB.

@ http://www.health24.com

Android studies could shine a light onto Autism

MacDorman worked with Ishiguro on the development of Repliee Q1Expo, an android that was introduced to the world at the 2005 World Exposition in Aizu, Japan.
'One advantage of using an android as an experimental apparatus is that it can be more precisely controlled than a human actor. It also has a physical presence, which is lacked by a video or computer simulation of a human being. An android offers a good balance between experimental control and ecological validity because it looks more human than other devices and can support more humanlike interaction while still being precisely controllable. The challenge today is to develop 'mindful' machines that use [physical] movements that can be experienced as expressions of purpose and intention."

@ Indiana University School of Informatics

I wanna play a game

Live or die... make our choice.
Suffering? You haven't seen anything yet.
Death is a surprise party...

Senhora, Dona & Menina.

Permitir o que é, para que o seja.
O desejo de te ter sem te possuir.
Vem a mim e diz-me que és tu.
Só assim serei eu, perdida em nós.

Human altruism.. in the end is always the sex.

In every society, humans make personal sacrifices for others with no expectation that it will be reciprocated. For example, we donate to charity, or care for the sick and disabled. This trait is extremely rare in the natural world, unless there is a family relationship or later reciprocation. The origin of human altruism has puzzled evolutionary biologists for many years...
Although Bowles admits that he has found no evidence for any gene for human altruism, he says that if such a genetic disposition were to exist, group conflict would have played an important role in its development. Monogamy would also level the playing field within the group, he showed in his statistical analysis. “Monogamy limits the ability of the stronger or more aggressive males to monopolise copulation,” says Bowles. “Humans are very unusual in this way.”

@ NewScientist.com

Perdi o jeito para amar.

Sais de mim, como quem já não sente.

Procuras, revoltas, perdes-te assim.

Dizes-me nada, mas o suficiente

e deixo contigo uma parte de mim.

No olhar, o sorriso de quem mente.

Tropeças no abismo, no vazio, o fim.

Natural-born Painkiller!

Saliva from humans has yielded a natural painkiller up to six times more powerful than morphine. The substance, dubbed opiorphin, may spawn a new generation of natural painkillers that relieve pain as well as morphine but without the addictive and psychological side effects of the traditional drug. Opiorphin works in nerve cells of the spine by stopping the usual destruction of natural pain-killing opiates there, called enkephalins.

@ New Scientist

Do we have free will?

The more we find out about how the brain works, the less room there seems to be for personal choice or responsibility.

Patricia Churchland

São.. coisas.

Prendem-se, cá dentro, sem dar conta nem ruído.
Transparentes, inundam à sua passagem.
Aquilo que nos fica no passado e para sempre.
Reagem ao toque, ao olhar, ao estar.
O sorriso do que não há, para existir.
O apetite de adulterar o que se tornou eterno.
Quando a captura parece não ocupar um final...
Ditosos aqueles que simulam sossego, mas...
Diz-me, a quem vou dar o mundo outra vez?

My sweet prince.

Agarrei em mim e fui embora.

«Perpetuo aqui, a minha falha humana. Onde as palavras se descuidam e a imaginação não tem volta. Inocência. É não pensar. Não precisamos de ser reis para conseguir um império, nem de príncipes encantados em cavalos brancos, precisamos apenas de ser nós e "fazer o que diz o coração, fazer o que sentes". O meu diz tanto que não sei por onde começar e tu atiras-me com coisas feias, em vez de provares que não o são. Deixa-me, então, só, enrolada nestas minhas ilusões, neste meu sofrimento de não te ter. Talvez um dia, quem saiba nem isso. As pessoas já não se dão.. "é mais fácil manter uma distância segura do que correr riscos desnecessários." Não há espaço para mim neste mundo.»

Tattoos make skin less sensitive to touch.

The preliminary research found that tattoos make the skin slightly less sensitive to touch. The tattooing process may disrupt the nerve signals in the skin, the researchers say, although exactly how remains unclear.
Skin sensitivity was revealed using a common scientific device called an aesthesiometer. The device consists of two adjacent plastic points that can be moved further apart. Allen tested participants’ reaction to the aesthesiometer on five body parts: the lower back, the back of the calf muscle, the inner forearm, the tip of the index finger and a cheek. “There is a relatively small but significant decline in sensitivity.”

@ http://www.newscientist.com

Antidepressants linked to 'adolescent' aggression! How funny..

Certain antidepressants appear to cause irritability and other abnormal behaviours in teenagers. Fluoxetine, like all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), works by increasing the amounts of a mood-altering brain chemical called serotonin. “We underestimate the differences between the juvenile brain and the adult brain,” says Taravosh-Lahn. “It seems there needs to be more research on the effects of antidepressants on kids.” Previous studies have also indicated a link between SSRIs and violent behaviour. Aggression was the most common reason children discontinued taking the drug Zoloft in two clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

One high-profile case is that of Christopher Pittman, who in 2001 at the age of 12 shot and killed his grandparents before setting their house on fire. Lawyers defending the boy argued the murders were influenced by the antidepressant Zoloft, but a jury disagreed and sentenced him to 30 years in prison in February 2005. Following a decision by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2004, all antidepressants in the US now carry strong "black box" warnings, which state that the drugs may cause abnormal behaviours or suicidal thoughts in teenagers. However, experts stress that antidepressants can dramatically improve the lives of some children. “By in large, children do not become aggressive on Prozac,” says child psychiatrist Stuart Goldman, at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, US.

@ http://www.newscientist.com

Statins: Wonder drugs for the masses?

So you think you're healthy? You are in your 40s, feel right as rain, normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol, pretty good diet, occasional exercise. How would you react if your doctor suggested you take a powerful drug every day for the rest of your life?
The drug, known as a statin, will lower your cholesterol even further and reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke. According to one recent estimate, most men and many women over 40 could benefit from the drugs. If you are worried about side effects, your doctor will reassure you that a meta-analysis that pooled data from 14 trials involving more than 90,000 people shows the treatment is very safe.

By James Kingsland, in New Scientist.com

I'm a PsychoTheRapist: Borderline is my mission.

People with Borderline Disorder (BLD) often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BLD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BLD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments. People with BLD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex.

While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BLD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BLD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BLD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone.

Neuroscience research is revealing brain mechanisms underlying the impulsivity, mood instability, aggression, anger, and negative emotion seen in BLD. Serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine are among the chemical messengers in the circuits that play a role in the regulation of emotions, including sadness, anger, anxiety, and irritability. Drugs that enhance brain serotonin function may improve emotional symptoms in BLD. However, the cause of BLD is unknown; both environmental and genetic factors are thought to play a role in predisposing patients to BPD symptoms and traits.

Misery fills my heart and everything hurts.

Now i got you in my grasp do not fear my checkered past
have you now begun to see this diabolic side of me
in your mind I'm always there I guess
you thought I really cared now it's time to say goodbye
you bit the hook, believed the lie
i'm not going to try to hurt you I'll be honest kind and true
i'll take you out and treat you right like a decent man would do.

Gonna modify my behavior to make you think I'm your savior
now that I'm inside your head
i'm gonna use you, probably abuse you
should have listened to what your mom said..

Have you seen her?

Habitualmente vêm-se os poetas, ocupados, nas suas fraquezas, em pintar o amor. Fértil ideia que povoa as obras dramáticas. E porque cada um tem a sua paixão, raro é o encontro dos génios. Todos amam quem lhes falta.. mas quando o amor se dedica a um único ser, é grande a sua intensidade. A nostalgia do amor, a nostalgia dos poetas, a ilusão que se derrete. O sentir, o olhar, o nada. O amor, a doença. Os enamorados que se traem. Vazio.

'Spectrum of empathy' found in the brain

Ever wondered how some people can “put themselves into another person's shoes” and some people cannot? Our ability to empathise with others seems to depend on the action of "mirror neurons" in the brain. Mirror neurons, known to exist in humans and in macaque monkeys, activate when an action is observed, and also when it is performed. “Each time you crunch a potato chip you hear yourself crunching the chip, and now when you hear someone else crunching it activates your own action neurons.” The phenomenon has been exploited by advertisers for years – think of the Coca-cola commercials comprising of just the noise of a bottle of Coke being opened, the fizz of the drink and the sound of the drinking.

“How empathetic we are seems to be related to how strongly our mirror neuron system is activated”, “It’s exciting because we can start to look at the diversity of experiences of other people. Some people see others through themselves, and some are more objective about it.”

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart.

Current Biology Journal (vol 16, p 1824)

Snooze your way to high test scores

If you are trying to commit something to memory, take a nap. Even a short daytime snooze could help you learn. A good night's sleep is known to improve people's ability to learn actions such as mirror writing. REM sleep, when most dreaming occurs, is thought to be particularly important. It now seems sleep is "an important mechanism for memory formation".

From issue 2570 of New Scientist magazine, 23 September 2006.

Teenager and addicted to the net?

Youngsters getting afflicted by a whole new gamut of psychological diseases, thanks to the advancement of technology. Various studies have shown that those who indulge in excessive Internet use lack self discipline, have problems in getting along with their family and friends, or are trying to avoid facing frustrations in life. "This addiction, known as Internet Syndrome, can be defined as impulse control disorder".

O Suicídio é um Acto de Publicidade: Publicidade ao Desespero!

Um jovem de 16 anos, morador do bairro São Geraldo, em Porto Alegre (RS), planeou a hora e o local de sua morte e compartilhou o momento do seu suicídio com outras pessoas em um fórum virtual na Internet. A morte ocorreu no dia 26 de julho, na casa-de-banho do apartamento onde morava com os seus pais.
O plano de suicídio já havia sido anunciado pelo jovem no blog que mantinha na Internet. Além do blog, ele participava de fóruns virtuais de discussão, entre eles, grupos que discutiam o suicídio. Foi em um desses fóruns que o adolescente encontrou pessoas que o incentivaram a levar adiante a ideia de suicídio. Além de os participantes darem ao jovem dicas sobre a forma considerada mais eficiente para se matar, eles acompanharam, em tempo real, o momento de sua morte. Um mês antes da morte, o garoto pediu orientações sobre o método mais fácil para cometer o suicídio. O garoto e os integrantes do fórum continuaram a trocar informações até o dia do suicídio. Em seu blog, ele anunciou que se mataria a partir das 11h do dia 26. Três horas mais tarde, às 14h18min, o adolescente escreveu no site que tinha dúvidas.

"Eu tenho duas grelhas queimando no banheiro. Aqui está, alguém por favor pode me dizer ... quando eu posso entrar no banheiro e deitar? Por favor, me ajudem, eu não tenho muito tempo."
"Como você está se virando? Espero que você consiga o que você quer. Talvez você vá voltar em um momento tossindo."
"Eu não suporto esse calor. O que eu devo vestir para tornar isso mais suportável? O que eu posso fazer? ? ? Pelo amor de Deus alguém por favor me ajude."

Horas mais tarde, alguém conclui que o plano do jovem teve sucesso.
"Acredito que funcionou (o suicídio) já que ele não tem estado em contato..."


Uma internauta do Canadá, ao perceber que o adolescente ia mesmo matar-se, avisou a polícia canadiana, que contactou a brasileira, mas quando os polícias de Porto Alegre chegaram ao apartamento, o rapaz já estava morto. Está já a ser investigado pela polícia brasileira e pela Interpol.

Consumerism Leads to Depression.. oh Fuck!

Depression has become a part of everyday life with the process of urbanization and has developed into one of most common disorders seen by psychiatrists and psychologists. By 2020, depression is expected to become the world’s second major health problem, according to data released by the World Health Organization’s (WHO). Life in the cities and life styles increase the changes of developing mental disorders, adding that materialistic relationships can lead to greater dissatisfaction.

People used to be satisfied with what they had, now they need more and more and “if they can’t have more and more, they become unhappy. They feel relatively poor even when they are rich.” Consumption pushes people into a compulsory “competition” and these days, even young and children suffer from depression and cases of mental disorders, including chronic depression, schizophrenia and drug addiction are increasing rapidly.

You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.

'Special K' may fight Depression

Low doses of ketamine, a medication used as an anesthetic in humans and animals, relieves depression in just two hours and the effect may last as long as a week, new research shows. Ketamine is also sometimes abused as a "club drug." Known in slang as "special K," it can cause hallucinations and euphoria in higher doses.

By contrast, current antidepressants, including the popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) -- such as Prozac and Paxil -- can take weeks or months to kick in. Exactly how the anesthetic relieves depression is not fully understood, but animal studies have suggested that blocking a brain chemical receptor called the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor can reduce depression-like behaviors. Ketamine blocks the NMDA receptor. In its simplest terms, ketamine hits the cascade of brain chemicals that causes depression closer to home than available antidepressants. "There is no treatment for depression that works this rapidly and dramatically with a single administration", researcher says.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207346,00.html

If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?

http://www.tinysepuku.com/comics.html

Education is the transmission of civilization.

According to the Commission for the Prevention of Youth Violence, almost 40 children and adolescents are killed by violence each week in the United States.

Magic mushrooms really cause 'spiritual' experiences!!

“Magic” mushrooms really do have a spiritual effect on people, according to the most rigorous look yet at this aspect of the fungus's active ingredient. About one-third of volunteers in the carefully controlled new study had a “complete” mystical experience after taking psilocybin, with half of them describing their encounter as the single most spiritually significant experience in their lifetimes. However, psilocybin use has been associated with side effects such as severe paranoia, nervousness and unwanted flashbacks and so experts warn against experimentation.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/
dn9522-magic-mushrooms-really-cause-spiritual-experiences.html

Abortion drug could rapidly treat depression.. Uhmm.. really?

A hormone treatment used to induce abortion could provide a rapid-acting treatment for depression. The drug, called RU486, was one of two new rapid treatment strategies. Most antidepressants are thought to work by raising levels of the signalling chemical serotonin, which acts in the brain. But these drugs can take several weeks to take effect. The new treatments could be effective within days or even hours. The hormone treatment is based on earlier findings that stress plays a major part in triggering and prolonging depression. Stress hormones appear to damage a part of the brain called the hippocampus. The region is susceptible because it is particularly rich in hormone receptors, allowing it to regulate ongoing hormone release.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/
dn9516-abortion-drug-could-rapidly-treat-depression.html

Stress in pregnancy hits offspring's emotional brain

Stress experienced by a pregnant female can alter the structure of her offspring’s brain, particularly regions vital for emotional development, scientists have discovered. Furthermore, in rodents at least, the effects differ in male and female offspring. That might help explain the different susceptibilities of men and women to emotional and psychiatric disorders, says Katharina Braun, from the University of Magdeburg, in Germany.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/
dn9535-stress-in-pregnancy-hits-offsprings-emotional-brain.html

Innocence is Lost.

"Given the current social structures in American schools, serious violence and terrorism by youths is inevitable. Even if a student who is constantly degraded doesn't commit a serious crime at school, the chances for him or her becoming a violent offender later in life are increased. I use myself as an example. I am already active in the right-wing, and its only a matter of time before I will be willing to follow the example set by Tim McVeigh*. I plan to join the military to get the skills I need to take out my rage on others. I am probably a potential serial killer as well. I enjoy reading and listening to things that talk about the destruction of the standing social order. Sometimes when I am angry or lonely, I look at pornography and fantasize about raping the popular girls at my school. Other times I think about building bombs and lighting shit on fire. But soon, fantasies about rape and murder of teenage girls will no longer be sufficient. My interest in arson and explosives would also be troubling to anyone who knew of my inner thoughts. Currently, I am planning to torch an abandoned barn and then listen to the fire department on my scanner just to see what it would be like."

White, 18-year-old boy in New York

*Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the men responsible for one of the most shocking terrorist attacks within America - the Oklahoma City bombing.
(in http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/dawning_1.html )

Why teenagers should steer clear of cannabis

Adolescents' use of marijuana may increase the risk of heroin addiction later in life, a new study suggests. Researchers say the work adds to "overwhelming" evidence that people under 21 should not use marijuana because of the risk of damaging the developing brain. The idea that smoking cannabis increases the user's chance of going on to take harder drugs such as heroin is highly contentious.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/
dn9488-why-teenagers-should-steer-clear-of-cannabis.html

Romantic Breakups Change a Woman’s Brain.

When a romantic relationship ends, the emotional backlash for women can trigger brain changes visible on MRI scans, new research shows. This new window into women’s grief sheds light on the connection between normal sadness, grief, and depression, writes lead researcher Arif Najib.

http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=148734

Há dias de feira.

São vazias as horas, aquelas que passam por mim.
Deixam pegadas, como tu, para que não as esqueça.
Quando nada mais importa, o fim é uma porta que se fecha.
Olá. Adeus. Olho para mim e vejo o quanto me vendi.

Mother tongue may determine maths skills.

Our mother tongue may influence the way problem-solving circuits in our brains develop, suggest the researchers. But they add that different teaching methods across cultures, or genes, may also have primed the brains of Chinese and English speakers to solve equations differently. The findings may help educators to identify the best way to teach young students maths.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9422?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn9422

Men Assume Sexual Interest When There May Be None :P

Even when they're seated across a table from each other in a first-time, five-minute conversation, a man tends to sexualize a woman and incorrectly assume sexual interest on her part, new research finds.
For men: "Don't think every women you meet is attracted to you." This caveat especially holds true for men who think of themselves as sexy or sexual. For women, the best advice "may be understanding that more often than not he is going to be thinking in sexual terms. You may walk away thinking the conversation went well or not and he may still be thinking in those [sexual attraction] terms."

http://www.forbes.com/
forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/06/16/hscout533305.html

First official death from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome has been given as an official cause of death – apparently for the first time in the world. CFS, which is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), has a variety of devastating symptoms ranging from extreme weakness, inability to concentrate and persistent headache. Sufferers can have the disease for years, but its cause remains controversial, with fiercely opposing views from psychiatrists on one side and biologically minded physicians on the other.

http://www.newscientist.com/

Sleep position gives personality clue.

If you want an insight into somebody's true personality, then try to catch a glimpse of the way they sleep. Scientists believe the position in which a person goes to sleep provides an important clue about the kind of person they are. "What's interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3112170.stm

THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS!

When people think of "science," they naturally think of atoms, planets, robots — things they can touch and see. They know that subjective experiences such as happiness are important, but they believe that such experiences can't be studied scientifically. That belief is dead wrong.

http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/gilbert06/gilbert06_index.html

The hive mind is for the most part stupid and boring. Why pay attention to it?

"The Wikipedia is far from being the only online fetish site for foolish collectivism. There's a frantic race taking place online to become the most "Meta" site, to be the highest level aggregator, subsuming the identity of all other sites".

http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/lanier06/lanier06_index.html

Razão Pura

Die Handlung wird seinem inteligibeln Charakter beigemesen, er hat jetzt, in dem Augenblicke, da er lügt, gänzlich Schuld. (Kant)
A acção é atribuída ao carácter inteligível do homem e agora, no momento em que mente, ele é totalmente culpado.

«Mentia, mentia outra vez para desencadear essa espécie de loucura que lhe ia por dentro.»

«Os únicos paraísos verdadeiros são aqueles que perdemos.» (Bergson).

«Eu» finjo que morri...

«A maior realização do intelecto é deixar-se ficar para trás.» (Plotino)
«Eu» finjo que morri...

The best love affairs are those we never had.

We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.


Sonhar. Porque não sonhar é deixar uma casa ao abandono: a ruína é o seu destino. Todos os grandes génios são, no seu íntimo, loucos. Diria, portanto, que é um mecanismo de defesa, daqueles bem aperfeiçoados que nos safam das grades de um asilo. Aprisionar sonhos num corpo é fantasiar um mundo só seu; um mundo onde a imaginação e a fantasia necessita de ser desprendida do nosso eu... ou ficamos loucos! A curva da memória apanha-nos, porém, na esquina da consciência, onde a sábia sensação do desejo nos pisca o olho e se esconde vezes sem conta. Sem os sonhos, haveria o nada e o nada perturba; repleto de vazio, enche-nos de uma angústia sufocante.

Valide o seu titulo e tenha boa viagem.

Faco desenhos no ceu com o olhar.
Sopro as nuvens num tom malandro
E tinjo as estrelas de escarlate.
So aquilo que nao nos pertence nos completa.

Fraquezas.

Ja' nao ha' noites, para sofrer a noite, nem arados que rasguem o dia. Roubo palavras aos dicionários para descrever fraquezas que me assombram, aqueles ataques de loucura saudavel sempre escondidos na sujidade da mente. No desespero de ser descoberta, o medo escorria como lagrimas e perante a saudade que se esconde estupidamente, sucumbimos na almofada, sos, quando nao ousamos expressar aquilo que deveria ser dito. Fujo ao corpo que permanece em mim, na revolta cobarde de nao o ter possuido, de nao ter tocado o teu olhar com um sorriso.

The beginning.

Ninguém ainda o conseguiu igualar neste histerismo da nossa era. FP