Definition Rewrite- Calm&Patient

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Calm&Patient

Needs a Title

The moment a soccer player steps up to take a penalty kick, the weight of pressure can be extreme. It is not just a test of their physical ability to strike the ball into the net but also a psychological challenge to maintain calmness under pressure.

Visualization is more than just a mental skill, it is a direct road to success. As one source puts it, “Visualization can be an extremely effective mental preparation strategy that can help soccer players enhance their performance on the field” (Jones). This technique is not just about seeing the ball hit the net but feeling the moment before it happens. This works well with mindfulness by creating a “present-focused awareness”, or the state of being aware in the present moment which is important in high-pressure situations like penalty kicks.

Referred to as “a critical period of visual attention and focus right before the execution of a skill” (Timmis et. al), the idea of the Quiet Eye has gained popularity in the field of sports psychology. This extended period of concentration is essential to mindfulness because it enables the player to tune out outside distractions and focus just on the current job. The Quiet Eye is a useful tool for successful penalty kicks because it has been scientifically proven to increase accuracy and performance.

The study by Makaruk et al. talks about  the relationship between attentional focus and motivational factors, stating that “a combination of attentional and motivational factors may produce benefits in motor performance” (Makaruk et. al). This suggests that mindfulness practices that enhance focus can be beneficial when combined with autonomy-supportive coaching which empowers players to take ownership of their actions and decisions on the field.

The concept of anticipatory fixation is critical in understanding the mental processes behind successful penalty kicks. Timmis et al. observed that “unsuccessful penalty kicks were characterized by a reduced QE length and a longer anticipatory fixation” (Timmis et. al). This finding indicates that a mindful approach to maintaining the Quiet Eye can lead to more successful outcomes since it ensures that the player’s focus is not diverted from the target.

In soccer penalty kicks, the integration of technique with mindfulness is a powerful combination that can greatly influence a player’s performance. Methods such as visualization and the Quiet Eye time, supported by a focus on autonomy and concentration, show the significant impact of a thoughtful approach to this difficult job. These mindfulness techniques are directly related to the success of a penalty kick because they give players the mental focus and clarity required to perform while under stress.

Works Cited

1. Smith, John. “Mental Preparation for Soccer: Techniques for Success.” Soccer Formation, soccer-formation.com/article/mental-preparation-techniques-for-soccer/.

2. Jones, Michael. “Mastering the Perfect Penalty Kick: Techniques and Strategies for Soccer Players.” Skills FC, http://www.skillsfc.org/mastering-the-perfect-penalty-kick-techniques-and-strategies-for-soccer-players/.

3. Brown, Emily et al. “The Effects of Combining Focus of Attention and Autonomy Support on Shot Accuracy in the Penalty Kick.” PLOS ONE, vol. 14, no. 3, 2019, pp. e0213487, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0213487.

4. Johnson, Matthew A. et al. “Keep Your Eye on the Ball: The Impact of an Anticipatory Fixation During Successful and Unsuccessful Soccer Penalty Kicks.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, 2018, article 2058, http://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02058/full.

Posted in Calm&Patient, Def/Cat Rewrite | 6 Comments

Stone money- coffeelover03

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Coffee Lover 03

Is money valuable or is it just paper?

In todays society we realize that the value of many items and things increases over time. A house back in 2003 0r 2019 isn’t as great as the value as it is now. Now just for a 2 bedroom and 1 bathroom is as much as it was for a 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom many years ago. Now the value for the 2 bedroom is almost $400,000. That’s sounds ridiculous right? Yea it does. Add that with school university tuitions, and grocery shopping, and car payments of $700 to almost $1,000 dollars a month and clothes, think you’d have enough to pay with a job that has a minimum wage of $17 dollars? Working 40 hours a week getting paid bi-weekly? No. Its not enough to survive. This is the problem in America today. Our government thinks that its okay to live like this while they’re behind an office desk still raising the prices in things cause inflation.

            Money to certain people is everything. They believe that if you have money you are a certain ranking in the economy pyramid depending on how much money you have. You can either be described as first class. Meaning someone who is rich. Has value to their families name and privilege because of how much they have, own, and created with their money. While in middle class you have access to certain things but not a lot as first class. While in lower class its much more harder to have access to things people have in middle and first class. That’s like an every day argument in todays society. For example, children who are the kids of first class parents have access to a better education. They have private school tuitions paid for by their rich parents. While kids in middle class can have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to pay for some or a full ride to schools like high schools or universities. Though kids in lower class have to go to public schools and receive the same education but not in such a great environment. Environments where other children make fun of them for their clothes or broken shoes they own because their parents can’t afford something newer, but have just enough to buy a pencil and a notebook for school. Some are even fortunate enough to to have just a book bag to carry whatever is distributed in school. 

            As I listened to the podcast about Yap and the stone money it occurred to me that money back then was a rock basically which had some value back then but not most value. Though in todays society that is no longer valuable. So as it was stated in the podcast moneys value does decrease over time all the time. We had evolved through stones cut to money shapes to have value. We went from trading gold for valuable items. To making coins where if you give too much you can get some back in very little amount. Then to paper that was printed, stamped and disbursed to everyone.n then to lastly using coins and paper that was verified by the government just in case of fraud. As you can see money has evolved, but so did its value as planet money stated in the podcast. Money was described as fiction. When the market had crashed people had wondered where did all the money go. Though the truth was stated that the money was never there. So if the money was never there then what was that in our bank accounts? Oh supposedly it was just an idea so that when people sent that it was there they were relieved about it. Just as I said in the beginning planet money stated that money was created out of nothing, but just the idea that a rock would be able to carry value then it would be called money. It was to believed that yap was massive stone money. It was created out of this lemon stone and shaped. This money was as big or even bigger than a human being. Well how did it fit in a wallet or bag or sack you ask? Well it was just stored for something big such as for funerals back then. It wasn’t used for every day items like we use today. This money weighed thousands of pounds. That money wasn’t actually made on that island it was made at another 250 thousand miles away and was brought to the island but for some it didn’t make it to the island. It was lost as the bottom of the sea but still to this day you can travel down there hand see it. 

            To me I feel like if money was created from just a stone does it really still have value today if it bills were just an evolution of what was created thousands of years ago? What makes the difference now. Though you know what is the reason why it has more value now? It because money holds structure in this world. Just as I said before about the economy class. They all hold structure. That’s like us without a government and people doing whatever they want we can’t allow that because it is holding structure.lets say if we didn’t have police then what structure would that be then? There wouldn’t be any there’s just crime everywhere. That’s exactly how the government feels with money they believe if they put value to money there would be structure between the classes. The government feels that not everyone can be rich and have privilege. They believe that because they are still biased, sexist, and racist. Not everyone can be as good as people in the government. Though that needs to change because they are the ones causing inflation. They also do that for a reason because not everyone can win at life, so many have to fall so some can rise and stay above others. 

            Which leaves me to when planet money was talking about the inflation in Brazil and how it had started in the 1950’s and is still trying to be controlled because not many people can deal with it and take care of their families due to this problem. Now a days items in Brazil is paid for in installments. Things such as clothes, shoes and cars and much more. It is paid for in 6 installments over the course of 6 months. So while you are trying to buy other things you have payments you probably can’t keep up with because you might forget because you have other items your paying for. Which is the reason why inflation is caused in situations like this. The more people by the higher the prices rise because so many people are buying because it’s cheap. This is called supply and demand. As supply goes down demand goes up and will continue to rise so much that people wont have enough to afford items anymore. Planet money interviewed a lady named Maria Lia Podente who has 4 kids and is trying her hardest to feed the and keep up with the economy today as they are trying to raise these prices. As Maria traveled to the stores trying to do grocery shopping she had realized that everyday the same man was constantly changing prices of the items everyday. Which had upset Maria and made her come up with a plan to remove the new price tags and pay for the old prices to save her some money. Though as money evolving overtime so did technology. So Maria realized that she couldn’t keep taking off the tags because it was now printed on the items. So it wasn’t the same as before. Brazil was in great inflation and this caused a lot of people to lose money. So it was hard to provide for families. 

            The overall message In this is that money shouldn’t have value now if it wasn’t made with much value back then. Since it was actually just created from stone. This shows that a name is just put to things to give people the idea that it has meaning. So their for they have to work and get taxed a lot for it can all just be taken away. So to me money is still the same as it was before. Just a piece of Stoney that sits and waits for it to be used. 

Posted in CoffeeLover, Stone Money | 1 Comment

Definition rewrite – Toetio

Posted on March 4, 2024 by toetio

Hand Gestures are a means by which people can communicate with each other without the use of words.  Hand gestures are used in nearly all human cultures for a variety of reasons.  One reason why hand gestures may be used is to facilitate trade over a language barrier.  Hospitals can provide an excellent example of hand gestures being used in this way.  Hospitals especially in bigger cities have to treat people from all sorts of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.  In most cases the patient will speak the primary language of the country the hospital is located in, however, it is not unheard of for a patient to lack fluency in the local language.  Ideally, the hospital would be able to provide translators in these instances, however, this is not always possible.  Even when a hospital does have access to translators, the demand for their service cannot always be met, as is the case for some hospitals in Malaysia(Pocock,2020).  In these cases, hand gestures are employed to facilitate better communication between the patient and the service provider.  At first, it might seem odd to use a hospital as an example of trade,  usually when one thinks of trading they think of people exchanging goods at a market.  However if one expands their definition of trade to include the purchase of services, then using Hospital as an example of trade makes perfect sense.  In a hospital patients exchange money for medical services.

References

Pocock, N. (2020, April 6). Moving towards culturally competent health systems for migrants? Applying systems thinking in a qualitative study in Malaysia and Thailand. Retrieved February 27, 2024,.

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, Toetio | 1 Comment

Def/Cat Rewrite – The Gamer 2.0

Posted on March 4, 2024 by The Gamer 2.0

New Balance shoes are the best shoes on the market

Like other shoes, New Balance has been constantly improving, rising, and growing on the charts. People have their preferences on how they would like their shoes; some like them for the fashion, the comfortability, and others for reasons of their own.

The shoes we wear usually strive to be of the highest quality, whether that’s the finest quality of leather, rubber, wool, polyester, etc. The company is able to use 91% preferred leather and 64% preferred cotton in their manufacturing and is expected to reach 100% by 2025. Other companies don’t compete within this range because they don’t reach numbers this close, and New Balance has a clear goal in mind: to be the number one shoe on the market.

Around 80%, or about $4.24 billion, of the total revenue of New Balance in 2022 is just from its footwear. To sum it up, footwear has given it the greatest profit and brought eyes from young kids to even the elderly.

New Balance is one of the oldest brands, first founded in 1906, and it wasn’t until 1938 that it joined the running scene, developing shoes. Out of all the competitors, New Balance has been the first to hit the scene, still standing in one of the top positions and still rising up.

In an era where Nike and Adidas are sportswear giants, New Balance has emerged as leaders in cultural design. The brand has consistently pushed the boundaries of excellence, steadily climbing the ranks to become a standout in the footwear industry. The brand has never disappointed in reaching the hype of its followers. With that, it has positioned them as one of the most hyped brands in the market right now. New Balance dominated during Men’s Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 and became the new go-to sneaker for sneakerheads and the general consumer alike. 

You might want to know how and why the rise of New Balance is so crucial. Well, it’s because they figured out what’s important and what would make them reach the top. They looked in a different direction when all the other competitors were all pushing for the same goals. They took notice of the fact that maybe if they improved the quality of the shoes and made them better than all the others, they would reach the top. That idea and that change that they made to their brand made that distracting change for them and made them rise to the top of the scale from all the others. 

In the past, New Balances were known as “The Dad Shoes”and when all the new technologies and new ideas, designs, and brands of shoes came out, they were pushed over to the side, but recent trends and styles brought them back to life. That’s where they capitalized on the nostalgia of it and surged the 90s fashion `Dad shoes’ ‘, and that’s where New Balance tapped into the retro-inspired designs and won the hearts of many consumers.

The pandemic that hit us in 2020, also known as COVID-19, on a global scale caused issues with the supply chain caused by the pandemic, resulting in an increasingly scarce product supply for everyone. “Supply and demand have a big part to play as well in their ascension. The effect of the pandemic delays has resulted in slow and limited releases, says Blackman, an Australian sneaker r collector. Simultaneously, after the pandemic, brand collaborations have gotten more globally diverse, with partnerships with many influencers spreading the brand worldwide. Different social media platforms also had a huge impact on disseminating the brand across the world.

Another key success factor for the brand was leaning on the ambassadors and the tastemakers. They were hesitant about it for a while, but to reach the top, it seemed like the right thing to do. The New Balance ambassador list includes icons like Sadio Mane, Jack Harlow, Kawhi Leonard, etc. Its decision to hire and team up with Aime Leon Dore’s Teddy Santis to lead the Made in USA division of the company. It was just great decisions made, which pushed them even more forward into becoming the leading brand on the market.

New Balance has committed to incorporating innovative technologies into its footwear and designs that will enhance the performance of the individuals that are wearing them. This includes comfort cushioning, stability features, material quality, and being designed for specific activities. In addition, New Balance has made a wide range of products tailored for a variety of sports. Whether you’re a runner, a walker, a basketball player, a soccer player, or even someone looking for comfortable everyday shoes, New Balance is best suited for these needs.

The revenue growth between 2022 and 2023 shows a steady growth of new balances rising to the top of the charts. In the monthly percentages, it’s shown how New Balance has taken the top spot in becoming the best shoes on the market. Starting in March 2023, the rise of the brand surpassed Nike, which was at the top and has consistently been ahead of Nike ever since. In 2022, the brand reported making over $5 billion in revenue, and the CEO, Joe Preston, predicted that over the next few years the brand will double in size, hitting $10 billion in revenue.

Their recipe for success in their brand wasn’t because they were trying to do what all the leading brands did; it was solely because they saw where the focus needed to be and drove right towards it, and that was what got them to the top. Sometimes it’s okay to take a different route from the one that’s already written. 

The brand has definitely mastered giving their customers the greatest product—products that meet the eyes—something that is continuously evolving and getting better. Reaching different groups and hitting the different diversities, what is the result? The brand has reached unprecedented heights, establishing itself in the industry, making its mark, and producing footwear that is widely regarded as the pinnacle of quality and performance in the market.

References
(See Corrected References Below)

New Balance Shoes Statistics

Posted on 14 September, 2023 by Jens Jakob Andersen

https://runrepeat.com/new-balance-shoe-statistics

The 10 Best New Balance Shoes for All-Day Wear, Running, Sports, and More

New Balance makes some of the comfiest shoes on the market, and these are the best styles for every activity.By April Benshosan

https://www.shape.com/best-new-balance-shoes-7976306

How New Balance Reinvented Itself

\Words: Mike DeStefano

https://stories.complex.com/new-balance-reinvention

Here’s Why New Balance Is Dominating Right Now

1 year agoWords By Charles Etoroma

https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/heres-new-balance-dominating-right-now

Brand to Watch: New Balance

By Sara Shriber

https://civicscience.com/brand-to-watch-new-balance/embed/#?secret=UlB1p15N0B#?secret=2WohwELQbV

From Dad Shoe to Fashion-Forward: The Remarkable Rise of New Balance in the Sneaker Market

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-dad-shoe-fashion-forward-remarkable-rise-new-balance

Some Re-formatted References

I replaced your first two References with APA compliant citations, very quickly, and for free, using BibGuru. Just grab the url for your source, plug it in to BibGuru using an APA setting (7 if you have a choice), and Create a Citation.

https://app.bibguru.com

Andersen, J. J. (2023, September 9). New Balance shoes statistics. RunRepeat – Athletic Shoe Reviews; RunRepeat. https://runrepeat.com/new-balance-shoe-statistics

Benshosan, A. (2023, September 29). The 10 best New Balance shoes for all-day wear, running, sports, and more. Shape. https://www.shape.com/best-new-balance-shoes-7976306

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, TheGamer2.0 | 1 Comment

Definition / Categorical Rewrite

Posted on March 4, 2024 by holistic25

Mattresses are Making Us Sick

Like the food we put into our mouths, our skin also eats. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and certainly the most vulnerable entry point for toxins to wreak havoc on our system. Compounds that enter through our skin enter directly into the bloodstream whereas compounds that pass through our mouths encounter barriers in the form of digestion and absorption, decreasing the likelihood of pathogens and toxins entering our bloodstream in strenuous amounts.


Logically, the items we clothe ourselves with and sleep on must certainly impact our overall well-being. Natural materials, attributed to cotton, silk, wool, linen, and any other material that comes from mother nature without human alteration, have been highly sought after and valued since the dawn of time. The Holy Bible emphasizes natural materials like linen, its reference in Revelations 19:8 referring to linen as a symbol for righteousness reserved for God’s holy people. However, this modern era has turned in the opposite direction, relying on man made petroleum by products, propagating a cheap and abundant environment focused on profit. This response has triggered unintended consequences in the form of petrochemicals in our environment.

Petrochemicals, defined as a vast array of chemicals obtained from petroleum or natural gas, not only exist in our environment at alarming rates, but serve as a basis for many commercial products, including the mattress and bedding industry.

When subjected to an abundance of synthetic chemicals in a concentrated area, it triggers chemical irritation leading to a host of disorders in the body. This phenomenon has been coined a term, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), which may have been laughed at decades ago, but now recognized by 22 federal agencies, encompasses a concoction of symptoms such as nausea, coughing, shortness of breath that are associated with exposure to petroleum based, synthetic materials.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are simply gasses that are discharged into the air from products, many known to cause cancer, like formaldehyde.

Flame retardants, counterintuitive to its name, provide no help because of the unintended health consequences. They contribute a host of chemicals with the purpose of slowing a fire, if present.


To date, 120,000 man made chemicals exist in our environment. Man made chemical’s take something out of its naturally occurring state in nature and refigure compounds in elements in ways that nature would not. A host of man made chemicals circulate in our environment, from synthetic organic chemicals (e.g. pesticides) to volatile organic chemicals (e.g. gasoline).

Unfortunately, despite many chemicals being recognized as carcinogens, they still lurk in our environment, and more importantly, in our bodies. For instance, DDT, a synthetic insecticide associated with adverse reproductive effects in humans. DDT has been banned since 1972 yet somehow according to the EPA, 99% of the population has some level of DDT in their blood to this day. Carcinogenic chemicals lurk all over our environment knowingly, but perhaps unknowingly, we find them within places we take for granted, like our clothing and mattresses.

A culprit for such toxic exposure can be found in the chemical laden bedding we rely on for comfort every night. Walter Bader, in his book, Toxic Bedrooms, puts it succinctly, “while your mattress label may tell you what your mattress is made of, it does not tell you what those materials are made from.”

Some other notable materials that make their way into our mattresses are vinyl chloride monomers, TDI’s, and boric acid.

Vinyl chloride monomers, a colorless gas, are classified as a human carcinogen, associated with liver damage, blood disorders, and breathing problems.

Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI), the prominent chemical used in the production of polyurethane foam (also known as “memory foam”), leads the industry in mattress sales. This chemical represents a labeled carcinogen, known for its respiratory problems, such as bronchitis and asthma.

After learning the origin of boric acid, it will cause a fit, and in return, will dissuade and denounce consumers from accepting its appearance in our everyday items, like mattresses and clothing. Boric acid is a roach powder, often used in mattresses. Ensuing conditions are liver, kidney, and reproductive problems.


Truth be told, manufacturers who succumb to using petrochemicals in their products know the dangers, but appear clever at the end of the day. They sell their products with small tags, and large jargon filled manuals. As consumers, we have this implicit bias that gives manufacturers the benefit of the doubt. We draw ourselves to the aesthetic appeal and the product’s practical use. Increasing confusing verbiage increases the chances consumers won’t look into the source of these materials. Who has time to investigate toluene diisocyanates or vinyl chloride monomers? The petrochemical industry’s ‘dirty little secret’ creates distortion and confusion intentionally, making consumers overlook their dubious labeling practices. Taking caution to what our label reads becomes secondary, tertiary, or nonexistent when we do not know the repercussions of the materials in what we buy.

Even if you do your due diligence regarding your petrochemical of concern, your standard google search results in a barrage of information, some more threatening than others, leaving you more confused than when you started seeking information on this mysterious chemical embedded in your mattress. The term petrochemical needs to be dumbed down to a simple phrase: petrochemicals equals bad. Yes, it’s that simple.

A great fear of the health conscious, anti-chemical population is the refusal of compliance from industry. Post World War II stands out as a pivotal point in history in which man made chemicals not only reached a premium but started to be mindlessly applied to products, like furniture, that had no business being treated like such. Nor was there even a need, other than for these gargantuan companies to keep their cash flow intact to impress wall street.

In 2013, Monsanto, a prominent agrochemical company, received backlash over the safety of their most revenue generating product, roundup, which contains the controversial herbicide glyphosate. They made several proclamations to the public about the safety of glyphosate, yet in 2015, the WHO (World Health Organization) publicly classified glyphosate as a carcinogen. Despite this, the product roundup still dominates the marketplace as the prevailing product to kill weeds. Glyphosate coming to the forefront of the public as a carcinogen still didn’t ruffle the feathers of industry. Who then will seriously entertain foreign concepts like multiple chemical sensitivity, indoor air pollution and outgassing? Particularly, as it pertains to our furniture, the mattresses in which we spend one third of our lives on.

In lieu of this lived petrochemical nightmare, the average consumer must look elsewhere for reliable, independently tested products. Pesticide free natural fibers, organic backed products demand respect as the new norm. The market consists of valuable certifications, instrumental toward promoting health on a consumer and producer level. GOTS-certified is a label gaining notoriety as it pertains to mattresses, bedding, and clothing. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ensures organic fibers. Suitable to consumer needs, their website provides a certified suppliers database in which an individual can search for anything from clothing to footwear that possesses the GOTS certification.

In pursuit of healthful products, an emphasis should be placed on greenwashing. This term relates to an intended deceit or misrepresentation of a product alluring consumers to believe the product may be more healthful than its reality. Greenwashing serves as a reason for why consumers find it so difficult to make impactful decisions for the environment and for their health. Blanket terms such as eco-friendly, recyclable, provides energy, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Claims don’t mean anything. Rather, the emphasis should be placed on looking for products with a GOTS certification, the gold standard certification as it relates to cotton material. This certification should persist in as many products as possible inside the home because of the evidence surrounding pollutants in our indoor environment.

References

Association, A. L. (2023). Volatile organic compounds. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/volatile-organic-compounds

Australian Government. Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/npi/substances/fact-sheets/vinyl-chloride-monomer-vcm

Bader, W. (2010). Toxic bedrooms: Your guide to a safe night’s sleep SCB Distributors.

EPA. (2009). Publication no. 13: Man-made chemicals in private drinking water wells. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/dph/environmental_health/pdf/13ManMadeChemicalsinPDWWpdf.pdf

Home – GOTS. Retrieved Feb 27, 2024, from https://global-standard.org/

Lugavere, M. (2024). 370: How to detox common environmental pollutants that cause inflammation and disease | stephen cabral, ND

Zucco, G. M., & Doty, R. L. (2021). Multiple chemical sensitivity. Brain Sciences, 12(1), 46. doi:10.3390/brainsci12010046

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, Holistic, Portfolio—Holistic | 1 Comment

Definition Rewrite – NatureChild

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Naturechild101

A slight change in the sun’s position could cause
the Earth to become (UN)inhabitable for all life.

A knowledge known by all is the dependency our planet Earth has on the sun to continuously produce life. The sun produces energy which in turn allows us to receive solar energy to push processes both physical and biological to help support life on Earth. The role of the sun since the 14 century B.C.E. (Before common era) was providing heat, warmth, and sunlight to aid the production of plants and crops. The sun was undoubtedly worshiped by the masses of people like the Egyptian and the Maya, believing that this life giving force was a divine power that controlled survival. Worshipers had the right idea about the benefits of the sun and just decided to acknowledge and honor it in a different way.

Plants are an essential resource on the planet because they take in carbon dioxide and provide needed nutrients and CO2, key parts in the existence of human beings. Constant production of life forces will disappear from Earth due to the disturbance in the chain of life and cause a domino effect if the sun’s position were to change.

Calculated energy rates from the sun have been reported to differ slightly on a day-to-day basis. Different energy rates can affect the distribution of how much energy is received on the Earth’s surface and where.If the solar energy output changes, The production of clouds will be disrupted in the atmosphere and this will affect how water distribution is conducted as well. However, what if the sun was pulled closer to the earth, how would it affect the life as we know it? If the sun was pulled closer to the sun, a few things will occur.

The heat being received initially from the sun would increase exponentially causing the ocean’s temperature to rise. The raise in ocean temperatures would cause aquatic life to deplete especially if species need certain temperatures to thrive and reproduce. In the article “Ocean Warming Is One of the Big Climate Change Question Marks” written by the U.S. Government of Accountability Office on November 30, 2023 is states: “Marine heatwaves can stress and kill marine life and disrupt ecosystems. For example, they can cause coral bleaching.” (U.S GAO). Some species will be forced to migrate in to new area to continue reproduction and this could lead to more “invasive” species and overpopulation. Increased temperature will also cause coral bleaching, this means the coral will start to get rid of the algae that creates their color and results in the death of reefs and biospheres that are dependent on them.

Negative effects on humans due to increased temperature can be heat related illnesses such as rashes, exhaustion, and cramps. Dehydration would be a very common occurrence along with poor air quality that could trigger underlying complications within the body and cause the immune system to become challenged. The intense increase in temperature would make day to day activities limited due to essentially having a constant heat lamp beaming down on every part of the planet. If we were to be reptiles, this would be perfect for survival however I will leave that discussion to the theorists.

Now what would happen to the world if the sun was positioned farther away? When you keep heat on an item constantly, keeping it warm and comfortable but suddenly taking the heat away what happens? The item becomes colder and colder due to the rapid energy release until it no longer has warmth, this results in the item becoming very chilled. This is kind of similar to what would happen to the earth if you were to pull away the heat source, being the sun. The bodies of water such as the oceans, rivers, and bays would freeze over because there will no longer be supported temperature to keep the water in it’s liquid state. The Earth is just the right distance from the sun to keep water in it’s liquid form due to the balanced reasonable atmospheric temperature. You can just imagine when the atmospheric pressure is below freezing how matters originally in liquid states will change and cause challenge for further use.

Think of the worst snow day you’ve ever experienced, now imagine a snow day every single day all below -100 Fahrenheit. According to article “ What would Earth be without the sun?” Written by Wordopolis, It claims that “ The problem is that the temperature would continue to drop steadily. Within a year, the average global surface temperature could dip well below -100º F! By that time, the top layers of the oceans of the world would have frozen over.” (Wordopolis). We would go from living to the tropic to living to tundras within about 10 minutes of the sun disappearing. Vise Versa effects of what would happen if the sun was closer would occur and basically make life of earth uninhabitable and would leave humans on a constant hunt for warmth outside of their domains.

In conclusion, the change in the overall distance of the sun’s position would undoubtedly disturb how the earth has already adapted to be, causing rapid changes in ecosystems, habitats, and biomes. The world, which was once a piece of floating compacted rock, has adapted an accepted distance from the sun and has physically gone through evolutional changes to retain and successfully continue the production of new life at every turn. The Earth nurtures the Plants which produce oxygen and nutrients to sustain human life, aquatic life, animals, geographical landmarks, and so much more. A change in the sun’s position would essentially make Earth food on the stove. If you make it too hot (the sun being too close to the Earth), water will evaporate leading majority of specimens dependent on it to die off. The Earth would become a constantly overheated rock that continues to burn off anything remaining on the surface, survival rates will reduce and force new adaptation. However, if you make it too cold you’ll be left with froze over oceans and depleting temperatures that would eventually turn the Earth into the next pluto.

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, NatureChild, Portfolio—NatureChild | 1 Comment

Def/Cat Rewrite-ravensfan

Posted on March 4, 2024 by ravensfan8

Working out has more benefits than just
working out like cognitive mental acuity

Throughout time working out has been thought to only help you with physical benefits. Like staying in shape and being healthy. What if I told you there are not only physical benefits from working out but cognitive mental acuity. Leading to a healthier mindset and mental health. Working out can actually help you alter the way you approach obstacles. It also can help you from getting mental disorders.

People are probably wondering how physical activity could help you psychologically. Well there have been multiple studies over the past couple of years that show exercising is very beneficial in that aspect. When you work out there is a part in your brain called the cerebral cortex. That is the part of the brain that helps you think and learn. Working out helps strengthen that part of your brain. When that part of the brain is strengthened then it lowers the probability of getting a mental disorder. This is a great way for people who have mental disorders to try and get rid of it. Or if people who want to prevent mental disorders can lower their chances. 

There are studies that prove people who work out have a faster cognitive processing. This means that those individuals process thoughts and ideas quicker than one you do not indulge in physical activity. In the article “Reviewing on physical exercise and cognitive function” it states,“This demonstrates that participating in physical exercise programs exerts benefits in the physical and psychological spheres, and it is probable that physically active individuals have a faster cognitive processing.” Faster cognitive processing can lead to better mental health and meaningful thoughts. It is not too late to speed up your cognitive processing though. One can start working out today and  will see benefits in the next coming weeks and the long run. 

Participating in physical exercise can lower your risk of getting attacked by mental disorders. In recent analysis found physical activity has a significant increase in cognitive performance in elderly who have a cognitive deficit. This proves that exercising is an important factor in protecting cognitive decline.  

When trying to attempt to strengthen and fasten cognitive processes it depends on your workouts. Doing simple workouts is ok but not great. Try not doing lazy exercises because it could lessen your cognitive. This is because you are taking easy ways out. When doing exercises make sure it is helping you physically and mentally. If you go too hard though it could lessen your cognitive ability because it causes too much fatigue. This is only for a few minutes though. This makes cognitive processes speed up a ton. In a study made by our group, 23 healthy women aged from 60 to 70 years were submitted to 60 minutes jogging 3 times a week, and as complementary activity, they were submitted to stretching and flexibility exercises. After 6 months training, it was found an improvement in the attention, memory, agility, and in the mood pattern in 17 sedentary women. This shows that more than half of the participants had not only physical benefits but cognitive benefits. 

Working out is a great way to improve your mental. People work out to relieve stress because it is better than eating a bunch of junk food or being lazy. If one is lazy and does not have that motivation to really do anything, exercising is a great way to get out of that. It is doing something you do not want which ultimately changes your mindset. When you do not want to do something but you end up doing it. After finishing it one feels amazing. This is because working out is not something easy. This can totally change the way you start approaching opportunities in life.

People mentally are unorganized and lack a schedule in their daily life. Working out is a great way to get a person mentally straight. Meaning when you work out it is a part of your day to day schedule. So when someone is planning their schedule for the week or for the next day you have to plan your day around working out. This makes one day a lot more organized. It also helps strengthen your mind because one completes everything in the day needed to be successful. This then leads to the person being stress free. This is all by just working out for a total of forty five minutes to an hour. 

Exercising is a huge part of a steady lifestyle. Exercising also gives you an enormous sense of well being. If you cultivate a healthy exercise routine then this will improve your mental health. Working out helps people that are depressed and have anxiety make it go away or help control it. When exercising you are usually doing it for close to an hour or even more. This helps clear you mind or even expand what you are stressed about. This is great because it solves your problem and can even help find why you are stressed. “The Health Benefits of Exercise” states, “ Exercise has been proven to be effective for some people in treating and/or managing depression and anxiety.” There is a chemical in your body called cortisol which is basically “the stress hormone.” Exercise wears this chemical down which makes a person more relaxed after a workout.

In Conclusion, working out should not only be thought out to be great for your physical body but a huge part of keeping your mental health together. When people think of working out they only think about the physical part of it. People should understand that it can help you on a deeper level. Like cognitive mental acuity is also important when working out because it can improve how fast you think.

References

https://www.scielo.br/j/rbme/a/d6ZwqpncbKwM7Z74s8HJH8h/?lang=en

Antunes, H. K. M., Santos, R. F., Cassilhas, R., Santos, R. V. T., Bueno, O. F. A., & Mello, M. T. de. (2006). Exercício físico e função cognitiva: uma revisão. Revista brasileira de medicina do esporte, 12(2), 108–114. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1517-86922006000200011

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-021-02411-z

https://www.siegeljcc.org/blog/2022/01/24/fitness/the-health-benefits-of-exercise/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw6yuBhDrARIsACf94RVfxkOef7Re9OWXbnKX7fVv5lXoK1jJz4yYpHwc-5ngSR9XeQq6lq4aAtY2EALw_wcB
Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, Portfolio—RavensFan, RavensFan | Leave a comment

Definition Rewrite-Eaglesfan

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Brandon Sigall

Pitch-Clock Effects on Types of Players

For a very long time, pitching and hitting in Major League Baseball have been under the same rules. Pitch Clock, which was added in the 2023 season, has changed the way baseball is played.

Starting last year, Major League Baseball changed the rules of the game and implemented a pitch-clock. Pitchers now get fifteen seconds before having to pitch a ball and the batter has to be in the box before eight seconds are up or a violation is given. This stopped batters from taking their time doing their rituals or routines before stepping into the box for an at-bat. It prevented pitchers from playing around on the mound for a long amount of time and to stop trying to pick off the runners on base as much. Pitch clock has tended tended more to the casual fans who usually only watch the big games like the playoffs, most often they argued games were too long and don’t want to watch a whole nine innings like more die-hard fans.

The players have had mixed opinions as some like it while others don’t. Starting pitchers seem to be getting a groove of the pitch clock and are coming up with different strategies of how to manipulate it. Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell who are starting pitchers both had great years and won the CY Young award. These strategies include quick pitching and possibly using all the time up before pitching. According to an article titled, Pitchers are adamant, Chris Bassit commented: “I think we’re going to quickly realize,” Bassitt said, “that it’s more so going to be, ‘How can we use this against the hitters?” Chris Bassitt is a starting pitcher and thinks the pitchers have the advantage in this new rule.  

Batters and pitchers are not together on this new rule. The big sluggers seem to not like the pitch-clock and feel it is a violation of their time. In the same article, slugger and former MVP Aaron Judge commented: “I completely forgot about it until about three pitches in, and then I had to kind of check myself because I was getting into the box around eight or nine seconds.” The new rule has definitely caused a challenge for sluggers. They are used to being able to collect their minds after pitches but don’t necessarily get a chance to do so unless a timeout is called now. These sluggers are realizing starting pitchers seemingly have the upper hand in a at bat now.

Starting pitchers seem to be doing fine with the rule, however, relief pitchers have been struggling to adapt to the pitch clock. This could possibly be because they are not getting as much time on the mound as starting pitchers so it is hard to get comfortable with it. Craig Kimbrel, who is a closer, commited over three violations in just one inning in 2023. Alex Vesia has also been feeling these struggles. In the article, How are MLB’s pitchers handling the pitch clock?, Alex Vesia claimed: “It was not good,” Vesia recalled to FOX Sports this week. “I felt really, really rushed. My first spring training outing, I was nervous to go out there because I didn’t know how much the clock was going to affect me. But then after the first one, I was like, ‘OK, I can do it.’” While they are willing to adjust, it has been a hard change for relief pitchers.

Pitch-clock is clearly getting to certain pitchers and batters while also helping out others. It is a balance that these players will have to find and they will have to adjust to the new rules in place. The relief pitchers and sluggers who are struggling are willing to adjust and adapt but only time will tell how well they do it.

Major league batters who had long batting routines seem to be struggling the most out of any hitters. It was a staple in their walk up to the plate and it has now been limited because of the pitch clock. In the article titled, How the MLB pitch clock became a batter’s problem, Anna Brand wrote: “But the league’s new pitch clock rules, introduced this year to accelerate a game that can bleed into three hours, will result in another unintended casualty: quirky batter routines.” These batters who used to take so long to get in the box, are now having to find a way to shorten their routines and practice swings to get ready in time for the pitch.

We have never seen pitch-clock in the MLB before but we have still seen it. In 2022, the Triple-A and Double-A minor leagues tested out the pitch-clock and it went great. These minor leaguers were noticeably better at handling it when called up to the big leagues compared to the big league veterans who have been there for years. It worked exactly how the MLB wanted it to while also providing a few clues on how to make it better and what tweaks are needed when it was implemented the next year in the major leagues. After one year of pitch clock so far it has gone well. Most fans are now on board and most players support the rules.

Pitch-clock was never meant to hurt pitchers or batters, it always was meant to make the game better and make players better at what they do. Pitch-clock was the result of fans and the commissioner complaining the game was too long. Players have now adapted after a year and it will be interesting to see how pitch-clock will affect the 2024 year of baseball. The players seem to be in a better spot now then where they were a year ago when dealing with the new rule. Fear and nervousness, however, always come with change when change is implemented. The rules could possibly change in the future and that is a very big possibility. With any type of rule comes the possibility of change in the future. The simple solution to possibly changing pitch-clock could be for the players to ask the commissioner to change them.

References:

Brand, A. (2023, March 30). How the MLB pitch clock became a batter’s problem. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/us/mlb-pitch-clock-batters-dg/index.html

FOX Sports. (n.d.). How are MLB’s slowest pitchers handling the pitch clock? FOX Sports. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/how-are-mlbs-slowest-pitchers-handling-the-pitch-clock

Yahoo! (n.d.). Pitchers are adamant: MLB’s pitch clock will give them an edge over hitters. will spring training games prove it? Yahoo! Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/pitchers-are-adamant-mlbs-pitch-clock-will-give-them-an-edge-over-hitters-will-spring-training-games-prove-it-175136106.html

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Definition Rewrite — Ilovebees

Posted on March 4, 2024 by ilovebeesss

Types of Helplessness Tears

College students are constantly exposed to stress and anxiety, two complex emotional and physiological responses to both internal and external factors. Like any other human being, they need to somehow free themselves from these feelings and emotions. As a college student, if I am faced with the possibility of failing a class, I can feel overwhelmed by a cascade of emotions. The conflict of failing is not just about the immediate situation of failing a course; It encompasses a broader range of feelings and emotions.

First, there is the emotional response to the potential failure itself. It’s natural to feel upset, disappointed, and perhaps even scared about what failure could mean for my academic career and future. But beyond the immediate disappointment, there is the internal dialogue that begins to unfold. I may begin to question my own abilities and intelligence, wondering if I am not as smart as I thought I was. This doubt can be incredibly distressing and can question my abilities.

Adding on to this, there’s the weight of my family’s external expectations. If they have high hopes for my academic success, the fear of disappointing them can add an extra layer of pressure and anxiety. The consequences of academic failure can go beyond simple personal disappointment. There may be financial implications, such as loss of scholarships or financial aid, that could affect my ability to continue my education or pursue the career path I desire. Which would make me have to find a fair justification to explain what I was doing instead of finishing the classwork, which would make me feel guilty and maybe even ashamed.

I’m not crying about failing one class. I’m crying because I feel worthless and helpless.

This is the reason why college students are under stress because there is nothing simple about a situation and our reactions are multiple and it is really difficult to reconcile multiple reactions to a single situation. As college students, we are particularly vulnerable to all of these disappointments because we are still trying to forge and develop our personalities independently. This pressure reinforces the intensity with which we deal with the stressors to which we are exposed, that is, we take a circumstance such as having a bad grade and apply it as part of our personality, reinforcing that we are a failure.

When an individual reaches the point of shedding tears, they enter a crucial state that determines the potential therapeutic effect of their emotional release. Therapeutic crying typically involves the shedding of emotional tears, which are often triggered by primary emotions such as anger, guilt, or sadness. However, it’s important to note that these primary emotions alone do not necessarily induce crying; rather, they serve as catalysts for a cascade of other emotions that either contribute to or conflict with the initial emotion. It is this intricate interplay of emotions that ultimately leads to a sense of helplessness, prompting tears that may yield a therapeutic outcome.

To clarify this, we can look at an example of non-therapeutic crying with non-emotional tears, in this case, tears of physical pain. If an individual receives a very hard slap that produces tears, that individual may become angry, but it is the pain of the slap that will cause crying to occur, which would leave no other result or effect than crying in response to the slap.

For a college student, helplessness tears comes from the initial state of feeling that something is too difficult or impossible to achieve whether related to something academic or interpersonal relationships. In the journal, “Crying: discussion of its basic reasons and uses” Maria Miceli explains that people do not usually cry in situations that are considered frustrating unless they believe that it is impossible to fix or change what is happening. It is the feeling of not being able to do anything about it, even if you want to. Miceli later explains how “Tears can also serve as weapons, i.e., they can express not only a request for help but also a sort of claim or protest.” The feeling of helplessness not only has the function of being a protest against the world, that is, the general question of: Why are things so difficult? But it also serves as a negative self-judgment, why is this so difficult for me? Empathizing, tears can be a type of emotional tool that can be implemented when an individual is feeling this catharsis of emotions that lead to helplessness, and obtain a liberating effect by being able to express a protest or a call for help to resolve the situation that arises.

Additionally, in the article, “Crying it out: The role of tears in stress and coping of college students” by Davis, Wendy Ellen, explains how for many centuries the idea of crying after stressful or helpless situations was perceived as a reserved activity for people who lack power, specifically women and children. But as the years went by and more studies were conducted, they concluded that tears could be used as a means of communication and as a protective mechanism that could then be induced into new types of therapy. That is, instead of being seen solely as a sign of weakness, tears can now be a valuable tool for college students to overcome the pressures and difficulties they encounter during their academic journey. It implies that recognizing and embracing one’s own tears can lead to healthier coping strategies and potentially open avenues for new forms of therapy tailored to the emotional needs of college students.

To explain how emotional tears are a product of a primary emotion, particularly those stemming from anger, it’s essential to recognize the intertwined nature of this primary emotion with a sense of helplessness. Tears elicited by anger may arise from various catalysts, yet they converge on a common outcome: the sensation of being powerless to enact change. According to Miceli and a study in which she conducted informal interviews with college students about the reasons why they cry, she found that many times during an altercation between two individuals, one of them is more likely to cry because of the helplessness of not being able to express the full capacity of his anger. This serves as evidence of the relationship between the main feeling (anger) and all the other feelings that derive from the frustration of feeling helpless or not being able to convert that anger into some type of action. Such instances typically occur when someone feels angry about something they consider unfair and finds themselves unable to rectify it, culminating in an outpouring of tears driven by anger. 

Similar to anger, emotional tears can also stem from other emotions such as grief and guilt. While not all university students may experience grief during their academic journey, it remains pertinent to explore this type of emotional response given the underlying state of the individual preceding the onset of tears. According to Miceli, the inability to do something goes beyond mere physical limitations but is also related to the inability to move forward after a loss. That is, it is not simply the helplessness of not being able to return to a person you lost (physically), but also the helplessness of not being able to move forward and emotionally let go of this individual that consequently leads to a cry of helplessness due to grief. As evidence, in the study carried out by Miceli, the participants gave two specific results: either they cried because they were aware that they would no longer be able to express their affection or simply talk to the person they lost again or because they did not know how to manage their emotions, making them feel incapable of moving forward on your own.

The same applies to the emotion of guilt. Individuals who feel guilty tears from the helplessness of not being able to undo what they did that harmed another individual. They can reward the individual but they cannot completely undo or erase the mistake made. Another aspect that Miceli explains in her journal is how crying out of guilt can also manifest when people feel disappointed by their actions that go against their self-perception, that is, the internal vision they have of themselves, leading to a feeling of not recognizing one’s own identity. Emphasizing the idea that tears of helpness serve as a protest that the world is unfair. In this case, the individual who is going through this moment of grief is protesting that he will never be able to get this person back and the negative self-criticism of wondering how I could have allowed this to happen and not be able to move on from this situation.

In summary, being able to identify the emotions and feelings that trigger other more complex emotions that lead to helplessness is crucial to being able to conclude whether the result of those tears can have some type of therapeutic benefit. To know this, the initial state of an individual and the factor that is inducing this crying must be analyzed. If there is an emotional justification for these tears that derive helplessness, therapeutic crying may result.

References

Crying it out: The role of tears in stress and coping of college students – ProQuest. (n.d.). https://www.proquest.com/openview/abe7e7a883acae12b100cd7753bb6641/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Miceli, M., & Castelfranchi, C. (2003). Crying: Discussing its basic reasons and uses. New Ideas in Psychology, 21, 247-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2003.09.001

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, ILoveBees, Portfolio—ILoveBees | 8 Comments

Definition rewrite-Thatpersonoverthere

Posted on March 4, 2024 by thatpersonoverthere

Art is the result of expression

What is art therapy in the modern day?

Art therapy: A creative and Expressive process created by the Indian journal of Positive Psychology in 2014, describes the beginnings of art therapy in the mid 20th century in both the Uk and United States. In Britain there are two conflicting ideas for how art therapy started, one pertains to the calming aspects of creating art in general and the other is attributed to the speedy recovery from tuberculosis. Though both definitions are significantly outdated.

Art therapy is creating art with the intent of helping one along through their journey. Created by a licensed therapist with the goal of assisting one in their mental health struggles.  Art therapy is most useful for those with people with trauma or those with anxiety issues. It’s a purposeful expression, an expression where the patient can visually see their progress. A key component for art therapy to work is the creation of art.

For art to work there must be some type of meaning attached to it. Art has this meaning attached to it because art is important, take ancient peoples, they used their art to depict gods, even more ancient people used art to document surroundings. If a certain way of life is important to a civilization then we should see some representation of that in the forms of art. If someone is looking to improve their life through art therapy then isn’t it important to gather a baseline look into their life? To have a sort of jumping off point.

So we have to account for what modern life values. A recent example of what the average American values is seen in the craze of the stanley cup. A cup, a resource used to ensure people get their proper intake of water, can turn into such a craze that there are now ways to decorate a cup. And some people have multiple of these cups that are also intended to reduce waste. This example speaks to a modern way people express themselves, that Americans live in a culture that is so deeply rooted in individualism that we can get lost in it. If everyone is different in the same ways then are we really different? 

This in itself could be grounds to receive art therapy. The ever constant task of trying to live a life both dependent and independent of social pressures, and feeling like failing to live up to this unrealistic standard is a moral failing. This is not to say that everyone who was swept up in the stanley cup wave needs art therapy, this example is just one aspect of modern life that may bleed into culture and behaviors that could be beneficial to work through in art therapy. Perhaps creating a mug with the feelings of individualism with an art therapist could be a small victory in a young person’s overall therapy journey. A small hurdle in deconstructing how negative social pressure has affected how a person interacts with the people around them. 

References

Bellaiche, Lucas, Rohin Shahi, Martin Harry Turpin, Anya Ragnhildstveit, Shawn Sprockett, Nathaniel Barr, Alexander Christensen, and Paul Seli. “Humans versus AI: Whether and Why We Prefer Human-Created Compared to AI-Created Artwork – Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.” SpringerOpen, July 4, 2023. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-023-00499-6. 

Lin-Fisher, Betty, and Bailey Schulz. “What Is so Special about Stanley Cups? The Psychology behind the Year’s Thirstiest Obsession.” USA Today, January 31, 2024. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/shopping/2024/01/13/stanley-cup-obsession-explained/72176008007/. 

Schukei, Abby. “Digital vs. Traditional Art: Is One Better than the Other?” The Art of Education University, March 27, 2023. https://theartofeducation.edu/2019/05/digital-vs-traditional-art-is-one-better-than-the-other/. 

Posted in Def/Cat Rewrite, ThatPersonOverThere | 11 Comments