In modern psychology, there is a common saying, “the neurons that fire together, wire together.” This was first shared by Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb almost 70 years ago. The quote means memory or focus is increased on a subject when there is emotion attached to it. The brain has been said to have a negativity bias (an emotional attachment to all things negative) which is why when someone crosses us, we latch on to that memory and stew on it all day or longer. But happy

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world, yet its size changes as the ice flows along the coast can often double the continent’s size in the winter. (6) The highest mountain in Antarctica is the Vinson Massif that is about 4,892 meters tall. Antarctica also has about 100 volcanoes, some of which are active. The most southern volcano is Mount Erebus, that is 3,794 metres tall, and it is also active. As wild life goes Antarctica is home to many different anima

In the 1700's France began to explore and claim many areas of land in, and to the west of, the Mississippi River Valley. (1) By the beginning of the 19 th Century the French controlled more of the modern United States than any other European nation. This made France a very important asset in acquiring the modern American territories. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson sent U.S. Minister, Robert Livingston, to France in an attempt to obtain the port of New Orleans from th

In modern psychology, there is constant talk about why American children are not learning as effectively as those in other cultures. The answer might be shocking. In the United States and other Western cultures, children are being oversaturated with high-intensity stimuli. The constant flow of intense stimuli on a child’s brain becomes the norm. When a child is overexposed to stimuli, they become bored quickly and more often. These children are not able to sit down and pay at

Deep in the historical Blarney Castle, in County Cork, Ireland, lies a 330 million year-old slab of limestone built into the castle wall. This stone is the Blarney Stone, or the Stone of Eloquence. According to legend, by kissing the stone you receive, “the gift of gab.” In simpler words, it makes you good at talking. (11) Blarney Castle is a 15 th century building in the notably small town of Blarney. The first castle was made of wood, and later reinforced with stone. Fi

Admiral Yi Soon Shin was one of the greatest Naval Admirals of all time. Yi was born on April 28, 1545 on in what is now Seoul, South Korea. As a child, he and the other boys his age played war games in which he showed great leadership. As he grew he developed a strong longing to join the military. Joining the military wasn't a very popular job choice at the time, most men of his rank joined the Confucian court because of the power that could be gained from it. In 1576, he to

Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh was not like other children, in fact he was quite different. This was due to the fact that Kavanagh was born without arms or legs. (5) This of course was a great blow to his parents who were well to do, but they did not give up hope for him, neither did the doctor whom they entrusted Kavanagh too. The doctor believed that the young Arthur could still live a happy and productive life, so he trained the child to ride horses and to fish at a youn

You may have heard this story before. Three little pigs venture out on their own, build houses of weak materials and get eaten by a big bad wolf. Overall a great story, but what does it have to do with retention in learning? Well, hold on to your seats, I’m about to tell you more. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." there lived three little pigs who left for school. The first little pig, let’s call him Curly, went to class and his teacher gave him a wheel barrel f

The country of Ireland is an island off the coast of the United Kingdom. It is mostly a flat country, with some hills and mountains, and giant cliffs that drop straight to the ocean. Ireland has a unique feature called bogs. These wetlands accumulate s dead plant material called peats, and cover 1/6 th of Ireland’s surface. (1) The flat lands of Ireland are perfect for farming and the people of Ireland are traditionally a farming community. Ireland has vast areas uninha

It's the beginning of May, which means Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner. However, for many folks the importance of Cinco De Mayo goes unnoticed. Some say that Cinco De Mayo celebrates Mexico's independence. This is a misnomer. Mexico's Independence Day is September 16th. May fifth celebrates Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla during the Second Franco-Mexican war, And while we may have a monolithic view of Mexican culture at times, Mexico as it is