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How Poverty Taxes the Brain - Emily Badger

Human mental bandwidth is finite. You’ve probably experienced this before (though maybe not in those terms): When you’re lost in concentration trying to solve a problem like a broken computer, you’re more likely to neglect other tasks, things like remembering to take the dog for a walk, or picking your kid up from school. This is why people who use cell phones behind the wheel actually perform worse as drivers. It’s why air traffic controllers focused on averting a mid-air collision are less likely to pay attention to other planes in the sky. We only have so much cognitive capacity to spread around. It's a scarce resource. This understanding of the brain’s bandwidth could fundamentally change the way we think about poverty. The finding further undercuts the theory that poor people, through inherent weakness, are responsible for their own poverty – or that they ought to be able to lift themselves out of it with enough effort. This picture of cognitive bandwidth looks different. Related:  Poverty

Top 10 Subtler Forms of Discrimination While society has not completely discarded racism, sexism and homophobia, at least there’s some public awareness of those issues; other forms of discrimination occur every day and are recognized only by the victims. While we praise our open-mindedness on the ‘big’ issues, could we still be harboring unfair—and perhaps unconscious—prejudices against friends and neighbors? Submitted for your approval are 10 Subtler Forms of Discrimination, and it might open your eyes a bit. Remember, it’s okay to hate people: just do it one son of a bitch at a time. NOTE: I’m not the subtlest of human beings. Before taking offense, understand I’m not demeaning anyone, belittling their situation, or exploiting their victimhood. Bias against bald people started early. The 20th century’s youth-obsessed culture viewed baldness as old age incarnate, and fueled a billion dollar hair care and restoration industry. But, there is hope. So bald men can be sexy now. So having hair solves all your problems, right?

New Study finds that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome don’t lack empathy – in fact if anything they empathize too much | seventhvoice Art work by Aegis Mario S. Nevado “A ground-breaking theory suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger’s do not lack empathy – rather, they feel others’ emotions too intensely to cope.” “People with Asperger’s syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, are often stereotyped as distant loners or robotic geeks. This idea resonates with many people suffering from autism-spectrum disorders and their families. “I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling,” Kamila Markram says. Virtually all people with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, report various types of over-sensitivity and intense fear. If hearing your parents’ voices while sitting in your crib felt like listening to Lou Reed‘s Metal Machine Music on acid, you, too, might prefer to curl in a corner and rock. But, of course, this sort of withdrawal and self-soothing behaviour – repetitive movements; echoing words or actions; failing to make eye contact – interferes with social development. Like this:

Poverty, Unemployment, Enriching the Few: The 2008 Economic Crisis and the Restructuring of Class Relations in America The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis released a report Friday showing that, after adjusting for inflation, the average US household has recovered only 45 percent of the wealth it lost during the 2008 crash. This undermines claims that the US is experiencing an “economic recovery,” and points to the vast effects of the collapse in home values, falling wages, and mass unemployment. After noting that 62 percent of the increase in aggregate wealth since 2009 has come from increasing share values—which are overwhelmingly owned by the rich—the report notes with understatement, “Considering the uneven recovery of wealth across households, a conclusion that the financial damage of the crisis and recession largely has been repaired is not justified.” A principal factor in the collapse of household wealth beginning in 2007 was the collapse of the housing market bubble. Even the St. Now, the ruling class has turned to cutting social services that keep millions out of poverty.

Dating with Asperger’s There are two things you should know about me: 1. I have autism. 2. There is more of a connection between these two things than you might think. Of course, one of the twists of having AS is that you tend to develop an outsider’s perspective on social rules in general, and the world of dating is no exception. 1. I recently had a conversation with a friend who commented that people with AS should “just use common sense” when navigating the dating scene. While the merely awkward are at least subconsciously aware of these variables when they’re engaged in an interaction, someone with AS is wired to assume that (a) if someone finds us attractive, they will directly and immediately state it from the get-go and (b) they would want us to do likewise. 2. There is a great quote by Bertrand Russell that helps illustrate what I mean: Couldn’t exactly persuade one of my exes to be included here, so my close friend Samantha had to do. This isn’t to say that there is no hope if you have AS.

US poverty to hit highest level since 1965 Poverty in the US is projected to spread at record levels unseen since the 1960s, affecting many groups including underemployed workers, suburban families and the poorest of America's poor. As unemployment aid dwindles and workers grow increasingly discouraged, poverty is reaching every corner of the US. In 2010, a family of four with a pre-tax income of $22,314 was considered below the poverty line, while an individual with a pre-tax income of $11,139 would have the same status. The Associated Press surveyed economists, think tanks and nonpartisan academics to estimate the rapidly escalating poverty rate. 2010's poverty rate of 15.1 per cent would only need to increase by 0.1 per cent to surpass what Americans faced in 1965 – but this year, the poverty level is estimated to grow to 15.7 percent.US poverty reached 22.4 per cent in the late 1950s, and steadily declined throughout the 1960’s. You can share this story on social media:

Attachment Style What is your attachment style? These surveys are designed to measure your attachment style--the way you relate to others in the context of close relationships. There are two surveys you can take. Survey Option A This survey is designed to provide you with in-depth information about your attachment style and your personality. Survey Option B This survey provides a quick assessment of your attachment style. Ohio Bank Forecloses On Wrong Home, Sells Owner Katie Barnett's Belongings Katie Barnett only wants her stuff back. She says all her possessions in Vinton County, Ohio, disappeared when Wellston First National Bank confused her home with the house across the street, foreclosed on it, changed the locks, and then sold or trashed everything -- all while she was out of town for two weeks. “They repossessed my house on accident, thinking it was the house across the street,” Barnett explained to Ohio's 10TV. “They told me that the GPS led them to my house. Worse still, Barnett says an itemized list requesting the bank pay her $18,000 so she can replace everything has only been met with ridicule from the bank's president. The bank has not responded to a request for comment from The Huffington Post but told 10TV it was working to resolve the situation. Sadly, stories like this are all too common. UPDATE: Monday, July 29 -- In a statement published on the First National Bank of Wellston's website, Anthony S. WATCH a followup piece by 10TV, below:

The High Cost of Care For the first time in our history, we are devoting the entire feature section of the magazine to a single story by one writer: a powerful examination of America's health care costs. The 24,105-word story, reported and written by Steve Brill, inverts the standard question of who should pay for health care and asks instead, Why are we paying so much? Why do we spend nearly 20% of our gross domestic product on health care, twice as much as most other developed countries, which get the same or better health outcomes? One answer is that health care is a seller's market and we're all buyers--buyers with little knowledge and no ability to negotiate. Brill, the founder of Court TV and American Lawyer and the CEO of Journalism Online, is one of America's premier--and most dogged--journalists. If the piece has a villain, it's something you've probably never heard of: the chargemaster, the mysterious internal price list for products and services that every hospital in the U.S. keeps.

Causes of Poverty Author and Page information by Anup ShahThis page last updated Sunday, September 28, 2014 Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day). Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Poverty Facts and Stats Poverty Around The World

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