A revolution in thought

[davidm]

The party's over. Let's call it a day.

Also, somebody pissed in the punchbowl.

[thedoc]

On a brighter note, for all you diehards.

YouTube - The Best Is Yet To Come - Peggy...

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[thedoc]

Remember who made this all possable.

YouTube - Peggy Lee - 'Till there was you

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[thedoc]

Originally Posted by davidm

The party's over. Let's call it a day.

Also, somebody pissed in the punchbowl.

I don't swim in your toilet, please don't pee in my pool.

[davidm]

Originally Posted by thedoc

On a brighter note, for all you diehards.

YouTube - The Best Is Yet To Come - Peggy Lee 1962

Well, it wouldn't surprise me if the indefatigable Peacegirl drove this thread to 200 pages, so The 200-Page Parteh promises to be twice as good as the blast we just had.

[Kael]

Originally Posted by davidm

Peacegirl?

She can't even get the quote function right. Good user titles should go to people who appreciate them.

[peacegirl]

Originally Posted by thedoc

Remember who made this all possable.

YouTube - Peggy Lee - 'Till there was you

Thanks for the entertaining videos Doc to make this 100th day with ff memorable. And the cake and ice cream were delicious too. But where is Wildernesse, the hostess with the mostess?

[Pyrrho]

YouTube - Rusty's Learning to Listen: Part...

[davidm]

Originally Posted by peacegirl

Thanks for the entertaining videos Doc to make this 100th day with ff memorable. And the cake and ice cream were delicious too. But where is Wildernesse, the hostess with the mostess?

It looks like she missed the party.

[thedoc]

I think she's about 8 or 9 ?

YouTube - Connie Talbot - Ave Maria

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[thedoc]

YouTube - Connie Talbot - You raise me up...

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She lives to sing. Her transitions are almost flawless, as good as any professional.

[thedoc]

Just trying to raise the level of culture around here.

YouTube - Connie Talbot "I Will...

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[wildernesse]

I did miss the 100 page party, but it looks like a good time was had and there is some afterglow going on. Excellent. Very proud.

For those of us who missed the main bash or need some refreshments before moving on, let me present something appropriate for the season.

[Iacchus]

Originally Posted by davidm

Also, somebody pissed in the punchbowl.

Pissing in the well at least anyway. But it's been like that the whole thread.

[peacegirl]

Originally Posted by thedoc

I think she's about 8 or 9 ?

YouTube - Connie Talbot - Ave Maria

Unbelievable!!!! Thanks for sharing.

[peacegirl]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

I did miss the 100 page party, but it looks like a good time was had and there is some afterglow going on. Excellent. Very proud.

For those of us who missed the main bash or need some refreshments before moving on, let me present something appropriate for the season.

Well I saved you some of my cake and ice cream, so all is not lost.

[Pyrrho]

Originally Posted by peacegirl

Unbelievable!!!! Thanks for sharing.

I'll see your cute little tyke with the syrupy off-tune voice and raise you an Italian tenor

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Shubert version...in the Colosseum no less

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[thedoc]

How about 3 tenors,

YouTube - Ave Maria, Dolce Maria

and 2 countertenors,

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

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YouTube - Slava Ave Maria

That would really be a full house.

[davidm]

We do have some leftover sammiches from last night's party. Please help yourself.




And some cake:



We also have a bunny with a pancake on its head:



On a down note, people left this place in a shambles last night. In addition to somebody pissing in the punch bowl, the gay buttsex monkeys left feces on the source code page and someone spilled champagne in the smilie popup box. Also, someone else stuck his dick in the mashed potatoes. (You know who you are. )

[peacegirl]

I just found this article that says the eyes are not as well developed as the other four senses in infancy. This definitely supports Lessans' theory (?) that the eyes do not function in the same way as their counterparts, or their sight would be just as developed at birth. The explanation that the ciliary muscle is not developed is not an adequate explanation. There's a loophole. Another article said the brain isn't developed, which is a more likely explanation since the brain needs stimulation from the other senses in order to focus. Interestingly, why is the brain fully developed at birth when it comes to smell, which comes from the limbic area, touch which comes from the parietal lobe, taste which comes from the cerebellum, and hearing which comes from the auditory cortex, but not to sight which come from the occipital, temporal and parietal lobes? Doesn't that make you wonder at all? For one moment could you consider the possibility that Lessans could be right, or is this too difficult? If you were true investigators, you wouldn't conveniently ignore this important evidence just because it's in Lessans' favor. Please don't do what you say I do, which is to immediately get defensive and say this doesn't prove anything, end of story.

The Importance of the Senses for Infants

Cindy McGaha Associate Professor of Child Development,
Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
Published in Focus on Elementary, Fall 2003, Vol.16, #1

How do infants begin to make sense out of the world into which they are born? This is a question that philosophers have debated for centuries. We are beginning to discover that babies are born with many abilities that help them begin to organize their world almost immediately. The basis for learning in infants is the sensory systems of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. Knowing what babies are capable of can help caregivers begin to structure the environment to support infant learning. So, what can babies do?

Taste

The sense of taste actually begins to develop prenatally. Taste buds emerge at around 7 to 8 weeks' gestation, and the amniotic fluid is rich with different taste experiences. These early experiences set the stage for later taste preferences. Once babies are born, they show a preference for sweet tastes. In fact, sugar in combination with a pacifier has a calming effect on newborns. On the other hand, newborns do not like sour flavors and do not show a reaction to salty substances. Children do not usually show a salt preference until around 4 months of age. All in all, this suggests that babies come into the world with a well-developed sense of taste that can serve as a foundation for infant learning.

Smell

The sense of smell is also well-developed at birth. As with tastes, the amniotic fluid is rich with smells. Within hours after birth, babies respond much like adults to a variety of odors. For example, infants prefer and smile at odors like bananas and vanilla, but they frown at and turn away from smells such as rotten eggs and fish. Infants also quickly begin to develop preferences for certain smells. They prefer the smell of a lactating woman over a nonlactating woman and they prefer the smell of their mother to the smell of other women. The sense of smell is something that infants continue to use throughout infancy. In fact, one study showed that infants selected and manipulated a vanilla scented toy more frequently than ethanol-scented or unscented toys. These preferences for certain smells can be used to make activities and objects more engaging for infants.

Touch

Touch is a very important sense that has been found to affect parent-infant attachment, cognitive development, sociability, ability to withstand stress, and immunological development. Touch and massage therapies for infants have emerged as a popular method of enhancing growth and development, reducing pain, and increasing attentiveness. Infants are born with a fairly well-developed sense of touch. For example, they respond to pain in similar ways as adults. Touching infants can have both positive and negative effects on development, depending on the type of touch. Infants who are stroked, as opposed to tickled or poked, spend a greater proportion of time making eye contact, smiling, and vocalizing and less time crying. In general, preferences for touch vary from infant to infant. It is important for caregivers to explore different types of touch, such as stroking, bouncing, tickling, etc. to see which types of touch an infant prefers. Since touch is such an important foundation for other skills, it is important to provide frequent opportunities to use this sense.

Hearing

Although it was originally believed that infants were born deaf, we now know that infants have a fairly well-developed sense of hearing at birth. In fact, recent research findings indicate that infants are hearing and learning about the world in utero. In fact, infants are born with a preference for their mother's voice. Infant hearing is not as refined as adult hearing, but hearing does develop rapidly throughout the period of infancy. Infants are born with the ability to discriminate between sounds (an important foundation for language), and this ability continues to develop. Exposure to sounds in infancy is critical. In fact, infants soon begin to show a preference for the sounds of their own language. The conversations we have with and around babies contribute to the development of language skills. A sound-rich environment is important for supporting infant learning.

Vision

Vision is the least developed sense at birth. Vision, like hearing, develops rapidly over the early years. Infants are essentially born legally blind, but do have some visual preferences that lay an important foundation. Infants are born with a preference for looking at light/dark contrasts. Fortunately, most environments naturally have contrasts, such as dark furniture against a light wall or light pillows against a dark couch. Even the human face is endowed with such contrasts. The hairline, eyes, and mouth provide such a contrast. Research shows that these are favorite areas of focus for infants. Infants are also born with a preference for looking at human faces. These preferences indicate that infants should have many opportunities for face-to-face interactions with caregivers. These interactions enrich the child's visual environment.

Implications

Research supports the theory that infants are capable of making sense of the world from birth. We, as caregivers, need to provide an enriched environment that uses abilities that children already have and enhances those that are emerging. The senses of taste, smell, touch, and hearing are well-developed at birth and can be used as a foundation for supporting learning, whereas we need to provide stimulation for vision—the least developed sense at birth. Fortunately, many forms of stimulation can be found in our everyday environment. However, we can also enhance the environment by increasing our own awareness. To enhance sensory development, we need to do the following:

Provide a safe environment for exploration
Provide materials that infants can explore, using all their senses
Call the infant's attention to stimuli in the environment
Provide frequent opportunities for social interaction
Provide a variety of stimulation, including toys and environments (take field trips)
Put pictures and mirrors on the walls and floors
Move infants around the room during the day
Be aware of sensory overload
Remove items when infants lose interest.
Remember, awareness and responsive caregiving are critical in supporting
sensory development.

[thedoc]

Originally Posted by davidm

the indefatigable Peacegirl

The 'HMS. Indafatigable' was a WWI British Battlecruser. Did you just insult peacegirl, , , again?

[The Lone Ranger]

*Sigh*

I know it won't do a bit of good, but do you read even the articles that you cite?

First of all, "legally blind" is not blind and "least developed" does not mean "undeveloped." Infants can't focus well -- they need time to strengthen and to refine their control over their voluntary ciliary muscles; other senses aren't dependent on muscle control.

More to the point, as the article points out (you even quoted it), infants can see, and even recognize faces. They simply can't focus well when right out of the womb. Giving them interesting things to look at helps them to develop that control. That's hardly news, nor is it in any way support for Lessans' notions.

[The Lone Ranger]

Originally Posted by thedoc

The 'HMS. Indafatigable' was a WWI British Battlecruser. Did you just insult peacegirl, , , again?

The Indefatigable was destroyed in only 3 minutes at the battle of Jutland. Hmm ...

[thedoc]

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

The Indefatigable was destroyed in only 3 minutes at the battle of Jutland. Hmm ...

Yes, Hmmmm, so Peacegirl is more Indefatigable than the 'HMS Indefitigable'?
Lost At Jutland (from the British perspective) along with several others, compaired with 1 German lost by scuttling, rather than blowing up from gunfire. I believe the Germans refered to the battle by another name but I forget what right now.

[Angakuk]

Götterdämmerung?