Latest news with #essays
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Regina Poet & Artist launches new Sketches
Regina Poet & Artist launches new Sketches In honour of pride month, Regina Poet and Artist Zachari Logan launches a new collection of sketches and essays . Get to know more about his projects here.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Study: ChatGPT may be eroding critical thinking skills
(NewsNation) — A new study led by researchers at MIT reveals that using OpenAI's ChatGPT could be negatively impacting the brain's critical thinking skills. Researchers divided 54 students into three different groups and asked them to write essays using ChatGPT, Google's search engine and nothing at all. Using electroencephalograms (EEGs), they recorded each participant's brain activity and found that ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and 'consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.' Teens with 'addictive' phone use more likely to be suicidal: Study The study also revealed that over the course of the several months the study was conducted, the people who used ChatGPT put much less effort into the essays by just typing the prompt into the AI software and having it do all the work. ChatGPT users also retained less information from the essays that were written. The effect was termed 'cognitive debt' by researchers, highlighting how constant reliance on AI systems may impair the cognitive processes underlying independent thinking. The brain-only group showed the highest neural connectivity in areas of the brain responsible for language comprehension, creativity and memory. The group that used Google had moderate brain engagement throughout the course of the study. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Appreciation: Dr Denis Sampson
Dr Denis Sampson, the noted biographer, critic and essayist who died earlier this month, was born in Whitegate, Co Clare, but made his home for the last 30 years in Montreal, Canada. Born in 1948, he received his secondary education at Mount Saint Joseph's College, Roscrea, and went on to take a BA in English at University College Dublin. A period working in the Department of Finance followed, during which time Denis also studied for an MA in English from UCD. In 1969, he took up further study in English at McGill University, Montreal, where he earned his PhD. It was then that he began his 30-year teaching career at Vanier College, Montreal, then began and where Denis and his family made their home. READ MORE Although he wrote in many forms, Denis's most notable accomplishments are in the field of literary criticism and scholarship. His deft and thoughtful combination of these two related areas of inquiry was already fully formed in his first book, Outstaring Nature's Eye: The Fiction of John McGahern (1993), a work which is not only a model of criticism but which also effectively pioneered serious research into the mind and art of its subject. Another first followed, a biography of Brian Moore – The Chameleon Novelist (1998). Subsequently, Denis began to sound other strings of his literary bow, most notably in personal essays, many of which appeared in such eminent venues as The Dublin Review and the leading Canadian journal, Brick . These essays may be seen as both a consolidation of the homecoming implicit in Denis's McGahern work and an embrace of the wider world of international experience signposted by Moore. This latter sphere also led to Denis's numerous residences at Canada's internationally renowned Banff Centre, while he also maintained a regular presence as a valued speaker at Irish studies conferences. And in time, Denis's Irish origins and interests found a means of speaking to his Canadian life and work in the memoir A Migrant Heart (Montreal, 2014), a noteworthy contribution to the literature of the Irish diaspora (though, strangely, it still lacks an Irish edition). McGahern's continuing output claimed a good deal of Denis's critical energy, with substantial accounts of late-style McGahern appearing in leading Irish studies outlets. Additionally, the study Young John McGahern: Becoming a Novelist (2012) proved a fitting capstone to Denis's many years of thought and research about a writer whose canonical status Denis helped establish. The theme of becomings and beginnings also prompted Denis's most international book, The Found Voice: Writers' Beginnings (2016). Denis's many friends within and beyond academia found him a genial, open-minded, generous man who had as one of his finest traits a great gift for friendship. An excellent host, first-rate conversationalist, venturesome traveller, and devoted family man, Denis will also be fondly remembered for his genuine interest in his students, his scrupulous attention to their education, and to the helping hand he unfailingly extended to younger scholars. Denis Sampson died on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, after a long illness at his home in Montreal. He was 77. His wife, Gabrielle, and their children Conor, Robert and Anna survive him, as do three grandchildren.
WebMD
09-06-2025
- Health
- WebMD
My Advocacy Bookshelf: Eczema Reads that Changed My Life
If I had to list every book that has shaped my journey as an eczema advocate, we would be here all day. Narrowing it down to just three wasn't easy, but I wanted to highlight the ones that profoundly impacted me. These books didn't just teach me something new, they shifted how I approach my own life with eczema and how I support others living with chronic conditions. Disability Visibility by Alice Wong I remember first reading about a book that was listed in books that help people understand their chronic illness better. I'll admit it, I thought the title was pretty catchy, too, and I always love reading essays from people regardless of the topic. Reading Disability Visibility was a transformative experience for me. This powerful collection of essays by disabled writers offered insights that challenged my previous perspectives. It taught me that disability encompasses a vast range of experiences and highlighted how our society often imposes unnecessary challenges on disabled people. These writings truly stood out to me. It was so incredible, I had to keep my notes open on my phone to jot down all the impactful quotes. One quote from the book that particularly resonated with me is by Liz Moore, who writes: 'People ask me, 'Have you tried yoga? Kombucha? This special water?' And I don't have the energy to explain that yes, I've tried them. I've tried crystals and healing drum circles and prayer, and everything. What I want to try is acceptance. I want to see what happens if I can simply accept myself for who I am. … ' Moore's words capture the exhausting cycle of trying countless unsolicited advice, which is all too familiar. I found relatability with people whose stories, while different from mine, echoed familiar themes of resilience, advocacy, and self-acceptance. It challenged me to think about eczema not just as a medical condition but as a lived experience that shapes identity and community. This book helped me reclaim the narrative around my skin, giving me the courage to speak more openly about the challenges and triumphs that come with managing eczema. The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World by Tiffany Yu Last October, I attended Chronicon in NYC, and as I walked in, a bright orange book was placed on every chair. I hadn't heard of it before, but I was instantly curious and eager to dive into its pages. The book was written by Tiffany Yu, who shared her powerful story of resilience and advocacy. At just 9 years old, she was involved in a car accident that left her with a brachial plexus injury, resulting in permanent paralysis of her right arm. Tragically, the accident also claimed her father's life. Despite this life-altering experience, she went on to build a successful career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, then became a disability advocate. Her manifesto is a bold call to action, challenging not just systemic barriers but also the way society perceives disability. This book dives into topics like workplace accommodations and the subtle everyday microaggressions people with disabilities often face. I found myself connecting deeply with the sections about how ableism intersects with chronic illness. It made me reflect on my own experiences with eczema, particularly the ways health care conversations can impact self-worth. She teaches us that change doesn't always come in big, sweeping gestures; it's often rooted in the everyday actions of those who dare to speak up and support one another. How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness: A Mindful Guide by Toni Bernhard This is an older book that I read some time ago, and I can't quite recall how I came across it, but I do remember how profoundly it moved me at the time. Toni Bernhard, a lifelong educator who was teaching at UC-Davis, discovered that her immune system was in overdrive due to chronic fatigue syndrome, now referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Toni talked about her spiritual connection to Buddhism and how, once she got sick, she had to set that aside to focus on her health. Her book shared practical ways to cope with the unpredictability of chronic illness while nurturing a sense of calm and acceptance. As someone living with eczema, I know firsthand how some days my skin feels like it's on fire, while other days, I barely notice the flare-ups. Reading her words was a gentle reminder to make peace with my body, even on tough days. Managing my skin's unpredictability calls for self-compassion. Toni's insights taught me to be kinder to myself and to understand that living well doesn't always mean being symptom-free, it's about finding small moments of peace even in the midst of discomfort. These three books have shaped how I advocate, how I heal, and hold space for others. While I continue to add to my bookshelf, these three will always hold a special place. I hope to one day contribute my own voice to the conversation by writing a book that shares my realities of living with eczema (and food and environmental allergies). Until then, I'll keep reading, learning, and advocating, one page at a time.
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
This Interim Time by Oona Frawley: Moving essays by the daughter of Irish actors in New York
This Interim Time Author : Oona Frawley ISBN-13 : 978-1843519225 Publisher : Lilliput Guideline Price : €16.95 'I did not understand that the approaching loss would affect me, or how; I did not know that as the years passed I would begin to see him from different perspectives and rue that he did not live long enough to know that.' Academic and novelist Oona Frawley's collection of essays deal with grief and memory and how our perspectives on both shift as we gain both age and experience. Rooted in the writer's own experience as a daughter of an Irish immigrant actor couple in New York , these essays offer the intriguing viewpoint of a person neither truly here nor there. The sense of otherness makes the writer's work of piecing together information about her parents' lives all the more gripping. Those with an interest in Ireland's rich theatre history will relish the details of her parents' lives as actors in New York. In spite of her father's alcoholism, and the resulting difficulties in their family life, there is an air of glamour here. If anything, I would have relished a little more detail about certain aspects of the story – we discover the writer's father's shame over the loss of a job at an insurance company, but not how he and the writer's mother made the transition to becoming actors in New York. But perhaps this would have skewed the focus of these essays, which map the loss of the writer's father to cancer, then her mother to dementia, then finally the untimely loss of a close friend. READ MORE Though the book deals with the anger and frustration of grief, there are moments of aching tenderness, such as when the defeated writer cries at her mother's bedside in her final days: 'One day I broke off, put my head down on the edge of her bed and sobbed, unable to speak. After a few moments her hand fumbled awkwardly near my hair, trying to console me.' [ My father's friend who knew nothing about his alcoholism surprised us at his funeral Opens in new window ] The fragmentary style of the essays lends depth and vividness to the memories unearthed and juxtaposed. This is an absorbing and moving read for those who have enjoyed essay collections such as Katie Roiphe's The Violet Hour: Great Writers at the End.
