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The ability to understand and evaluate the various claims we see on the news, in advertisements, and on social media is an important life skill. Similarly, being able to weigh up conflicting arguments and assess whether they are adequately supported by facts is part of academic work. Although we are all entitled to have an opinion, not all opinions are equal. Some are well reasoned and logical. Others may sound believable, but actually be built on shaky foundations.

Being able to see the logic of an argument is a very good way to help determine whether it is something you should take at face value or be a bit more careful about. Arguments that are based on faulty logic are called “logical fallacies”. They are surprisingly common, but being aware of them will make it a bit easier for you to see when arguments don’t quite make sense. Here are just a few of the most common ones:

Ad populum

This refers to an argument based on popularity. It may sound convincing at first, but just because many people believe something does not make it right. In the past, many people believed the Earth was flat, but we now know it is round. Similarly, the popularity of something does not prove its quality.

Ad hominem

This is the rejection of a point of view because of who said it. It often takes the form of an attack on someone’s skill or character. For example, saying “You can’t take John’s point about management seriously. He’s never run a business,” would be dismissing John’s opinion because of his (lack of) experience, not because his argument was weak. People often use this kind of argument when discussing politics—but even a politician you dislike may say something you agree with occasionally.

Straw man

The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting someone’s point of view to make it easier to attack. Darwin’s theories on evolution were once attacked for saying humans evolved from apes. This idea was easy to make fun of, but it was not actually what he said. You may have seen this kind of tactic in the run-up to the American election when the candidates try to influence public opinion about their opponents.

False dilemma

This kind of fallacy presents a problem as having only two (usually opposing) solutions. The statement, “If you’re not for me, you’re against me” is an example of this. Another example would be “The Tokyo Olympics should either go ahead as planned or be cancelled completely.” While these are two possibilities, they are not the only two. (The Games could be postponed again, for example, or held with no audience.)

A little knowledge of these kinds of fallacies can make discussions more interesting and give you greater confidence in your own ability to assess the way others present their opinions. Making informed decisions about the information and views we see is even more important now that ideas spread so quickly online: we all need to develop the skills to separate fact from fiction.

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Blog Quiz

1. A logical fallacy is …

a. an argument you disagree with

b. an argument which is logical

c. an argument that is based on faulty logic

d. an argument that is based on inaccurate facts

2. Which of these is an ad hominem argument?

a. I don’t think this is right: Donald Trump never says anything I can believe.

b. I agree with this. Most of the people I discussed this think so too.

c. I can’t decide until I’ve researched it more thoroughly.

3. What kind of logical fallacy is contained in the following statement? Gasoline causes too much pollution, so all cars in the future will be electric.

a. Ad hominem

b. Straw man

c. False dilemma

d. Ad populum

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

A1. C

A2. A

A3. C

It is dead, but it is alive. It has no mind, but it is coming for you. There are thousands, but they move together. One bite and you become one of them. Zombies are one of the scariest monsters our pop culture has created. But why? And why are they becoming more popular recently?

The answer is in the real world and digital world that we live in. Zombies have been around for a long time. In books, movies, comics, games, or television, we cannot escape this popular monster. George Romero’s movie, Night of the Living Dead, made the genre famous in 1968, and it is more popular now than ever. Many people are familiar with TV and video game series like The Walking Dead and Resident Evil (Biohazard, in Japan). But get ready—the zombies are coming, and they are going to be more popular than ever.

Movies, television, music, video games: pop culture and media are always connected to the time and events when they were created. The current events, news, and feelings of people always flavor and affect the art and media we create. Famous events and happenings have an influence as well. Godzilla rose from post-war Japan, just like the popularity of superhero movies grew from a post-9/11 United States. Public health issues have always had a strong connection to the horror genre. A growing concern over the spread of HIV/AIDS fueled a boom in vampire movies that lasted over a decade. Outbreaks of Ebola, SARS, and other diseases pushed World War Z, Resident Evil (Biohazard), and The Walking Dead to the front of popular culture. When pandemics and diseases lead the news, the result is often horror movies, television, and games that focus on infection (by blood: vampires, by virus: zombies, etc). With the spread of COVID-19, it is likely that zombies are on the rise again.

However, there is another theory about the popularity of zombies. Some people believe that zombie entertainment becomes popular when people are afraid of losing their individuality or personal views. During election years, when there are large social movements, when there is social pressure to be the same, when there is a push to join a group: these are times when the zombie genre rises up. Recently, many people point to social media (SNS) as something that is pushing people to become part of trends, groups, and to copy other people. So maybe 2021 is the Year of the Zombie? Social media is more powerful than ever, elections and social movements across the world have split people into groups, and COVID-19 has deeply changed our world. The situation is perfect for the zombie to rise, spread, and become king again.

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https://filmdaft.com/why-are-zombie-movies-so-popular/ https://www.dmdraper.com/zombies/why-are-zombies-so-popular/

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Blog Quiz

Q1. What was the first famous zombie movie?

Q2. According to the author, what are two reasons that cause zombies to become popular in pop culture?

Q3. What is the Western name for the Biohazard franchise?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. Night of the Living Dead

Q2. Current events (e.g., war and public health crises). Times when people feel like they might be losing their individuality (e.g., elections and social media)

Q3. Resident Evil

Where are you from? For me, where I was born is very much a part of who I am. Some people view their hometown as just the place they grew up. I think it is more than that. It is the place that helped make you the person you are today. I was born and raised in the New Orleans area of Louisiana in the United States. It is a city with a rich history, beautiful architecture, and some of the best and most unique food in the world.

Food is one of the most important parts of the New Orleans culture. The food often takes hours to cook. Influenced by French and African cuisine, the food is a mix of local ingredients and traditional cooking methods. New Orleans is often called “the melting pot” of the U.S. This means that cultures and people all come together here to create something different and new. This is the same for the food. It is a place where rice and bread are equals. A place where people love meat as much as seafood. In New Orleans, you learn the history of food, not just how to cook. Every time you cook, you can remember the stories and background of the food you are cooking.

New Orleans is a musical city. You can hear music everywhere you go. The history of jazz began in New Orleans. It has evolved over the years in New Orleans, and it is where some of the best musicians perform. Jazz holds an important position in the culture of New Orleans. Slow smooth jazz to upbeat fun jazz, jazz music shows off the charm of the city. A place to relax, but also a place you can have fun, dance, and party.

However, it is not the perfect place, but the people have learned to adapt and adopt its flaws. Some of its history’s worst parts are remembered and used to make it and even better place. The people are some of the kindest and most patient you will meet. Being from such a place, adopting the bad and creating good, is one reason some people might label me as an optimistic person. I like to see the good in things.

Your hometown follows you everywhere. It is important to learn as much as you can about where you are from and carry respect and love for your hometown, even if you think it is not the most exciting place. Maybe you will be surprised by how much more interesting it is than you think. Take a look at the people and history one more time. You never know what beautiful stories you will find.

Photo Credit: Oliver_Weidmann@Pixabay

nicolebauer3004@Pixabay

Blog Quiz

Q1. What city is the blog about?

Q2. What places influence New Orleans’s food?

Q3. New Orleans is the hometown of what kind of music?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. It is about New Orleans.

Q2. It is influenced by Africa and France.

Q3. It is the hometown of jazz music.

Most people are guilty of procrastinating at some point. It is quite common among teenagers as well as university students and the occasional university teacher. Procrastinating is the act of deferring action or to put things off until a later day. Why do things now when you can do them later? It isn’t a new thing, with some people tracing the existence of procrastination back more than two thousand years to Socrates’s investigations into Akrasia or deficient personal control. Modern psychology takes a different perspective on procrastination suggesting that it is often associated with a very different problem - perfectionism.

Perfectionists are people who have a psychological tendency to only set themselves and others extremely high expectations or goals. Viewed as a healthy form of behaviour, this can be highly motivating with some perfectionists achieving high levels of success. Such healthy perfectionists, known as adaptive perfectionists or positive perfectionists, can live highly successful and happy lives. The problem is that many perfectionists will not recognize that success when they achieve it. This is where it can become unhealthy as such maladaptive perfectionists drive themselves towards ever higher goals or put themselves firmly in reverse. One example of maladaptive perfectionism is procrastination.

Procrastination is a maladaptive behaviour because it prevents the perfectionist from ever achieving their goals. However, it serves a psychological need because it reduces the impact of failure. Maladaptive perfectionists are driven by a fear of failure and low self-esteem. By putting off the pursuit of a goal, ultimate failure to achieve the desired perfection can be assigned to a lack of effort or action on the part of the individual. The perfectionist has not invested their time and effort into the activity, so it is not their fault. They have chosen to delay action, so they have avoided feeling bad about themselves. The problem is that such procrastination becomes a regular feature of life and is associated with lack of success and increased anxiety. 

Procrastination does not really solve any problems because it diminishes the person’s sense of self-worth. They know they delayed taking action to avoid failing. Better to avoid comparison with others and revel in the little everyday successes. Do things today so you have more time to make corrections. Start the homework now, so you can spend more time on getting a better score rather than guaranteeing failure 5 minutes before the deadline. Getting into a routine and keeping to it will bring much more success and fewer failures.

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Blog Quiz

Q1. What word in the text means 'delaying action'?

Q2. In this context, if 'adaptive' means 'positive', what does 'maladaptive' mean?

Q3. According to the writer when should perfectionists not do homework?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. Procrastinating

Q2. Negative

Q3. Five minutes before the deadline

For centuries human beings have noticed unusual phenomena in the skies such as comets and shooting stars. In ancient times people called them 'signs' which could predict the future. In modern times we call them ‘UFOs’ or 'Unidentified Flying Objects.' Many people believe they are spaceships piloted by aliens who are visiting our planet from distant galaxies. However, UFOs have a natural explanation: belief in alien visitors is caused by the influence of popular culture and mass psychology. In addition, there is no reliable evidence for alien visitation.

The study of popular culture shows that science fiction entertainment is a major cause of belief in UFOs. In the early 20th century, ‘aliens’ were originally thought to be from the Moon or Mars. But after those planets were visited by spacecraft and no ‘little green men’ were found, we started to look at more distant galaxies. As technology improved, the 1930s saw an explosion in science fiction writing and movies about space travel and alien visitations. As paranormal investigator Joe Nickell explains, when people reported seeing aliens, their descriptions were similar to those portrayed in the movies - small creatures with large heads and big eyes - the "official alien." For example, UFO reports increased dramatically after the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), especially reports of alien abductions. 

Are you a dog person, or a cat person? If you had asked me this question three years ago, my answer would have definitely been that I was a dog person. I believed that cats never felt attachment towards humans but rather their houses. Moreover, I was scared of cats and couldn’t even touch them, but now I’m a typical cat person living with three cats. 

Two years ago, when I got home after work, my daughter and her friend showed me one tiny kitten in a cardboard box. The kitten was under the wooden deck in my garden with my dog. I couldn’t hold the small monster, which was meowing and had a thin and dirty body. I had no idea what I should do, so my daughter and I left her in the bush of a temple in front of my house. Keeping cats was out of question to me at the time. In a couple of hours, we heard a cat meowing again; she had returned to my house. Fortunately, one of my coworkers wanted a female cat, so I took care of her fearfully for several days until my coworker adopted her. After she left, I was suddenly sad and realized the cat was something special to me. That was the beginning that opened the door to my new world of cats.

Cats are independent, clean, and soft, and they don’t bark like dogs. Whenever I go upstairs, my three cats follow me. We sleep in the same bed during winter. They are definitely affectionate toward their owners, which went against my expectations. In addition, their body parts, eyes, tails, ears, and paws etc., are extremely cute. Among all of them, I like their tails which are very different from dogs’. They move flexibly, slowly, and elegantly. Every cat has a different tail with a different color and shape. My third cat has an unusual tail called “a kinked tail” (see the photo). It is said that genetic mutation causes kinked tails. When I saw her for the first time, I thought she might be a defective cat with a meandering tail. Afterward, I learned that since the shape was similar to a hook, some people in Western countries believed that cats with kinked tails could hook you good luck. If you find cats with a kinked tail, the cat might bring you good luck and happiness.

Sometimes we judge people or animals based on our preconceived ideas or by their appearance. I had never thought something I disliked would have made me happy. You can easily understand how soothing three cats are under these tough coronavirus outbreak conditions. My everyday life is full of joy and smiles thanks to them. Now I’m waiting for more happiness and good luck, which might be brought about by the kinked tail. Setting aside and overcoming our preconceptions can lead to greater happiness.

Photo Credit: Author

Blog Quiz

Choose the best answer.

Q1. How did the author get to like cats?

A. She started keeping a stray cat.

B. She temporarily took care of a stray cat.

C. She was attracted by cats’ eyes.

Q2. Kinked tails are considered to bring happiness because…

A. they are caused by genetic mutation

B. they are popular in western countries.

C. they are said to hook good luck

Q3. What is the key to becoming happy?

A. Having a cat with a kinked tail as a pet 

B. Sticking to our ideas we already have.

C. Not being haunted by fixed ideas

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. B

Q2. C

Q3. C

Based on a true experience.

It was 10 AM on October 3.

His 13th birthday. 

Andy was alone in the house. His parents were at work. He was upstairs, lying in bed. He had just woken up and he was wondering what kind of birthday it would be.

Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the driveway to the house. 

“Who could that be?” he thought. 

Then he was surprised to hear someone open the front door.

Andy called out, “Mum? Dad? Is that you?” His parents were at work and he wasn’t expecting anyone.

Then, “Is anyone there?”

There was no reply.

He then heard the sound of footsteps slowly coming up the stairs and began to feel afraid. Someone was approaching his bedroom. They stopped outside the door. 

Andy was breathing heavily. He pulled his blanket over his face, shaking with fear.

The door opened and someone walked into the bedroom. Andy pretended to be asleep, his eyes closed tight. Suddenly the mysterious visitor sat on the bed. Andy was terrified. He could feel their eyes peering down at him.

Then he was astonished to feel the blanket being pulled down from his face. He squeezed his eyes closed, trapped in absolute fear.

Moments passed, but it seemed an eternity. After a minute, the blanket was pulled back over his face. The visitor stood up and walked out of the bedroom. Andy heard them go down the stairs and out of the front door. He heard steps walking back up the driveway.

Andy immediately jumped out of bed and ran out of the house. Wearing only his pajamas, he found himself standing at the top of the driveway, looking up and down the street.

But there was nobody there.

He was sure someone had visited him. But who? 

Andy ran back into the house, picked up the telephone and hurriedly called his mother at her workplace. Still shaking with fear, he told her what had happened.

“Oh don’t worry,” his mother said, “You don’t need to be afraid.”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“It was only your grandmother’s ghost. She came to wish you a happy birthday.”

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Blog Quiz

1. Which of the following came first?

A. Andy got out of bed.

B. Andy pulled his blanket over his face.

C. Andy called his mother.

2. In the sentence, "he could feel their eyes peering down at him", the word peering is closest in meaning to:

A. To look intently

B. To look briefly

C. To look with only one eye

3. Who visited Andy that morning?

A. His mother

B. His father

C. His deceased grandmother

 Scroll down for the answers to the quiz.

 Quiz Answers

Q1. B

Q2. A

Q3. C

Do you have a good sleeping habit? How many hours do you sleep every night?

A lot of people may think academic studies, jobs, and relationships are often more important than sleep. However, you shouldn’t take sleep lightly. Sleep actually has a very important role for both human bodies and minds, and even for learning. Let’s have a closer look.

First, as for bodies, lack of sleep can cause daytime drowsiness and low energy. It hurts the body’s ability to stay healthy because the immune system can be impaired by poor sleep quality. The immune system goes to work recharging itself and fighting infection while you’re in the deepest levels of sleep. If sleep time is cut short, the immune system doesn’t get the time it needs to stay healthy.

Second, lack of sleep can also affect your mood significantly. It causes irritability and anger, and you may find it difficult to cope with stress. Chronic sleepiness can put you at greater risk for depression. Depression is closely linked to sleep deprivation.

Third, sleep also plays a significant role for memory and learning. Let’s see some effects of sleep on memory and learning. Sleep has been considered very important for memory and learning, but until recently, there was no proof. A research team at Rutgers University recently discovered a type of brain activity that happens during sleep. The activity is important for memory and learning as it transfers new information from the hippocampus to the neocortex. The hippocampus is a part of the brain which plays a key role in memory and how knowledge is obtained. The neocortex stores long-term memories. As for long-term memories, it’s a type of memory which relates to memory and learning. The biggest categories of memory are “short-term memory (or working memory)” and “long-term memory,” based on the amount of time the memory is stored. As you would imagine, long-term memories are much more complex than short-term ones. We store different types of information such as procedures, life experiences and language, with separate memory systems.

Back to the study at Rutgers University, the team showed how we create long-term memories. The wave activity transfers short-term memories from the hippocampus to the neocortex. Then the neocortex turns the sharp wave ripples into long-term memories. Sleep encourages this brain activity. Therefore, the new information doesn’t have a chance to leave the hippocampus and go to the neocortex if sleep is deprived. In other words, short sleep has negative effects on memory and learning. According to current research, most undergraduates need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep, and most adults, 7 to 9 hours. So, university students need to sleep for at least 8 hours if they want a healthier body and mind, and greater chances for academic success!

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Blog Quiz

Read the following sentences. Choose T(true) or F(false).

1. Sleep has an import role in learning.

2. A type of brain activity that is important for memory and learning happens during sleep.

3. Most university students need 6 to 7 hours of sleep.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. T

2. T

3. F