Being Bilingual Protects Against Some Age-Related Cognitive Changes

"WASHINGTON — Most will agree that two heads are better than one in solving problems. The same logic may be true for language and retaining cognitive processes as we age. Being fluent in two languages seems to prevent some of the cognitive decline seen in same-age monolingual speaking persons, according to the findings of a study appearing in this month’s journal of Psychology and Aging."

Reading this brought to mind the blessed Prophet, upon him be Allah's peace and blessings, who was "given mastery of language"
"He learned the dialects of the Arabs and would speak to each of their communities in their own dialect and converse with them in their own idiom." From Ash-Shifa of Qadi 'Iyad, tras.by Aisha Bewley. Section 5, Chapter 2.

The prejudices of good people

Thought for the Day, Sidi Abdal Hakim Murad
"Perhaps religion is there to remind us that there can be no clones; there are no identical twins."

Global Warming

Health Impacts may be abrupt as well as long term.

A New Ice Age: The Day After Tomorrow?

Worried about global warming? Talk to a few scientists at Woods Hole. Oceanographers there are seeing big trouble with the Gulf Stream, which warms both North America and Europe.

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Why do the Japanese live so long?

Baby food could trigger meningitis

Powdered baby milk has been found to contain deadly meningitis causing bugs, it has been reported.

As many as ten per cent of samples tested by researchers were contaminated with stomach bacteria, according to the New Scientist.

The findings led experts to warn parents to take steps to ensure baby milk is properly sterilised.

Traditionally baby bottles are thoroughly sterilised with boiling water - but parents may assume that milk powder is safe.

False syllogisms, teddy bears, causality and MMR

Most parents are not trained in analysing clinical evidence, yet they can spend hours on the internet, and reach dangerous conclusions about whether to immunise their children.

"Many parents, wanting to do the best for their children, have been convinced by apparently logical arguments for a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Aristotle, the father of logic, introduced the concept of syllogisms: "An argument in which, when certain prepositions have been laid down, something distinct from these is seen to follow necessarily from their existence". Not all syllogisms are valid: an invalid, or false, syllogism is an apparently logical but in fact illogical argument, for example "All cats have four legs. This animal (a horse) has four legs. Therefore the animal is a cat".

How not to do science

The beautiful black seed flower. 

The Exam

I was attending a PGCE course about a month ago - trying to improve my teaching skills. However, as is often the case, my mind started wandering. My defence was that the spring board was something the lecturer said. He was describing the principles in the ideal exam - "the perfect exam should have clear criteria that the students know about, nothing else should be tested, it should be fair and take into account diversity of the student population". Criterion....furqan...And the perfect exam came to mind.
The rules are explicit and clearly set out for all to see. The Examiner is fair and diversity is always kept in mind.

Rose