"The excitement of learning separates youth from old age.
As long as you're learning, you're not old"
-- Rosalyn S. Yalow.
===========================================================
Today is Vijaya Dashami - Happy Dasarah !
/A
Monday, September 28, 2009
Vijaya Dashami - Maha's Thought for the day - 28 Sep 09
===========================================================
"The excitement of learning separates youth from old age.
As long as you're learning, you're not old"
-- Rosalyn S. Yalow.
===========================================================
"The excitement of learning separates youth from old age.
As long as you're learning, you're not old"
-- Rosalyn S. Yalow.
===========================================================
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Child Walks Out On Toy Non-Proliferation Talks
Child Walks Out On Toy Non-Proliferation Talks
"The Feits had hoped to walk away from the dinner-table summit with a
cap on the acquisition of new toys and a workable plan for the reduction
of those already in their daughter's possession," said Nancy Flemming,
the Feits' neighbor and friend. "But after less than half an hour of
talks, Corinne said she wished she was never born and stomped to her
room. It was nothing short of a meltdown."
The long-standing toy-related conflict between the Feits and their only
child came to a head last week when the Feits announced that the rate at
which Corinne was amassing toys was unacceptable, and that her new habit
of storing toys in the garage and living room was in direct violation of
household rules. The Feits suggested the two parties "have a serious
talk."
Flemming, who witnessed the summit from a breakfast-nook stool, said the
talks began amicably, with all parties enjoying a snack of Oreo cookies
and milk.
"The cookies were a show of good will on the part of the Feits,"
Flemming said. "They generally discourage between-meal snacking, but
they wanted to make it clear that they were willing to compromise in
order to arrive at a point of agreement satisfactory to both parties."
Indicating that they had no plans to strip Corinne of playtime
capabilities, the Feits opened with an offer to allow her to continue to
acquire outdoor toys—including balls, bikes, and water guns—provided
that she reduce her board games by half.
"Corinne conceded that her board games were in disarray, and agreed to
nearly eliminate them if she could double her doll acquisitions,"
Flemming said. "That's when things turned ugly."
The elder Feits raised concerns that Corinne had accumulated enough
dolls to entertain herself 10 times over, and certainly more plush toys
than could be safely accounted for. Corinne countered that she did not
have nearly as many Bratz dolls as her classmate Jenny Holmes, arguing
that she had the right to pursue a relative degree of parity in the toy
race.
"The Feits categorically rejected Corinne's proposed increase in doll
acquisitions," Flemming said. "Prior to this move, Corinne had
demonstrated a willingness to concede certain points to her parents.
That changed as soon as the Feits tried to exact a binding commitment
from Corinne on the doll point."
Corinne not only questioned her parents' jurisdiction over her, she
openly defied it.
"Corinne said she didn't have to do what they said and they should just
go ahead and try to make her," Flemming said. "Then she intimated that
she could acquire toys through back channels, such as her grandmother. I
can only speculate that Corinne was hoping to undermine her parents'
authority with that gambit, but it hurt her cause."
Adam responded with the mandate that no new toys were to be brought into
the house for three months, at which time the situation would be
reviewed to determine whether Corinne had developed a greater sense of
responsibility.
"Corinne responded to her father's sanctions by screaming, 'I hate
you,'" Flemming said. "I doubt the two parties can hope for a peaceful
solution anytime soon. Certainly, a cooling-down period is in order."
Flemming said the Feits were very disappointed that the talks broke
down.
"Donna pointed out that toy reduction would serve Corinne's own
interests," Flemming said. "She warned that amassing a stockpile of toys
without proper containment devices, such as shelves or a toy box, could
lead to the needless destruction of toys. And Adam noted that
undocumented toy stockpiles could fall into the hands of hostile
neighbors, such as the Peterson boy."
Toy-proliferation experts expect the impasse to last at least until
morning.
--
http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
love email again
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Links: GeoGebra, Munshi Premchand in English
* GeoGebra -- Geometry, Algebra
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/index.php
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/index.php
* Munshi Premchand -- 11 stories in English
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6309625/premchand11stories
--A
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rare audio tracks online (from British Library)
Go to British Library, Sounds:
http://sounds.bl.uk
http://sounds.bl.uk
Link to Story -- http://links.cbc.ca/a/l.x?T=jncickglgpffpjjaimincdpnmi&M=43
=========================================================
From: George Lessard <media@web.net>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 September, 2009 4:52:49
Subject: [Asiapacific-general] British Library releases 23, 700 rare
audio tracks online
British Library releases 23,700 rare audio tracks online
The British Library has made 23,700 rare music and sound recordings from
its massive collection, reputed to be one of the largest sound archives
in
the world, available for free online.
Full Story:
http://links.cbc.ca/a/l.x?T=jncickglgpffpjjaimincdpnmi&M=43
Archival Sound Recordings
Archival Sound Recordings is the result of a development project to
increase access to the British Library Sound Archive's extensive
collections. The British Library holds one of the world's foremost sound
archives with a collection of over 3.5 million audio recordings. These
come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded
sound
from music, drama and literature, to oral history, wildlife and
environmental sounds. You can search and browse information about all
the
sounds held in the British Library at our online catalogue.
This website delivers a selection of that rich audio heritage in the
form
of tens of thousands of digitised recordings and their associated
documentation. If you were to listen to all the recordings on this site
for eight hours each day, every day, it would take you around four years
to hear them all!
World and traditional music
Collections from Africa (general)
* Arthur Morris Jones Africa Collection
Collections from eastern Africa
* Kenneth Gourlay Uganda Collection
* Klaus Wachsmann Uganda Collection
* Peter Cooke Uganda Collection
Collections from southern Africa
* David Rycroft South Africa Collection
* Hans-Joachim Heinz Botswana Collection
Collections from western Africa
* Decca West African recordings
* Giles Swayne Senegal Collection
Collections from Asia (general)
* Colin Huehns Asia Collection
Collections from South Asia
* Guy Adam and Niel Nicholson Nepal Collection
* James Kippen North India Collection
* Music from India
* Nicholas Pierce Balochistan Collection
Collections from Australasia
* George Kingsley Roth Fiji Collection
* Raymond Firth Tikopia Collection
* Simon Seligmann Kiribati Collection
Collections from Europe
* Traditional music in England
Miscellaneous collections
* Ethnographic wax cylinders
Arts, literature and performance
* African writers' club
* Early spoken word recordings
* ICA talks
* St Mary-le-Bow public debates
Classical music
* Browse by repertoire
* Browse by performer
* Browse by conductor
* Browse by date
* Bach
* Beethoven
* Brahms
* Chopin
* Haydn
* Mozart
Environment and nature
* Amphibians
* British wildlife recordings
* Soundscapes
Jazz and popular music
* Oral history of jazz in Britain
Oral history
* Art, photography and architecture
* Early spoken word recordings
* Eminent scientists
* History of the Common Cold Unit
* Jewish survivors of the Holocaust
* Oral history of jazz in Britain
* Oral history of recorded sound
* St Mary-le-Bow public debates
--A
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Fwd: A Breath of Fresh Yoga
> A Breath of Fresh Yoga
>
>
> By Vicky Hallett
> Tuesday, September 8, 2009
>
> My favorite thing about yoga classes -- other than the part at the end
> when you get to lie down and act like a corpse -- is that the
> instructors always remind me to breathe. Pretty much without fail,
> whenever I get the cue "Don't hold your breath," I am. And as soon as I
> go for a deep, belly-expanding inhale, I feel amazingly able and at
> ease.
>
> It's no mystery why this happens. Stress causes us to tense up, while
> breathing brings oxygen to the muscles and allows us to relax. "It helps
> with concentration. It increases endurance. It slows your heart rate,"
> rattles off Alvaro Maldonado, co-owner of the FIT personal training gym
> in Dupont Circle. In short, full lungs do a heck of a lot more than just
> keep you alive, especially during strenuous physical activity.
>
> Any personal trainer worth his spandex knows the basic rules: You want
> to exhale on the exertion part of a movement, and inhale on the
> recovery. During cardiovascular exercise, short, shallow breaths are a
> clue that you're overdoing it. And if you can develop a pattern for your
> breathing, you're likely to last longer.
>
> But much of the time in gym settings, the breath takes a back seat to
> other concerns: what we're lifting, how we're squatting, when we're
> leaving. That may be why when Karen Sherman, a senior investigator at
> Seattle's Group Health Center for Health Studies, looked into treatments
> for chronic low-back pain in 2005, weekly yoga classes plus home
> practice appeared to be slightly more effective than weekly sessions of
> aerobic, strengthening and stretching exercises plus home practice.
>
> "What's the active ingredient?" asks Sherman, whose results were
> published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. No one knows why yoga was
> more effective than the other exercises, but Sherman believes part of
> the answer is attention to breath.
>
> "It's not that people don't think about breathing, but they don't give
> you the same language and imagery that creates more awareness," she
> says. "For someone with back pain, one of the possibilities is they
> haven't been paying attention to their bodies." If you're doing
> more-vigilant surveillance, there's a better chance you'll notice that
> you should stand straighter or move differently, and those tweaks could
> provide the treatment you really need.
>
> That bodes well for the future of the Mindfulness Center, a studio
> opening at 4963 Elm St. in Bethesda next week. (There's an open house
> this Saturday and Sunday -- find details on its Facebook page.) The
> concept is to blend meditation and fitness to create classes that focus
> on "mind, body and spirit, not just body," explains the center's
> founder, Deborah Norris, who is American University's
> psychologist-in-residence and a specialist in behavioral medicine. "You
> need to put it all together and pay attention to the fact that they're
> all connected."
>
> Scheduled classes include such offerings as "Mind Body Sculpt." Instead
> of merely telling students to lift a weight, Norris will tell them to
> also lift their hearts. Then she'll prod them: "Notice how it feels? How
> are your energy levels shifting?" "It's the workout of a traditional
> class, but mentally it's clarifying and puts you more at ease," she
> says.
>
> And part of that is done with -- you guessed it -- breathing. "When you
> focus on the breath, the brain focuses inward, and that seems to be good
> for us," Norris says. "The body speaks to us in feelings and sensations.
> We just usually don't listen until it starts screaming pain."
>
> When it comes to how to breathe, Norris is fairly nonpartisan. There are
> countless forms of breath control in yoga that have specific
> instructions about when to inhale, exhale and hold, and Pilates
> emphasizes a style of breathing that focuses on expanding the rib cage
> while keeping the abs fully engaged.
>
> "My approach is to tune into how the body chooses to breathe, watching
> the breath, allowing it to happen and observing every dimension," Norris
> says. "It's cool as it passes through the nostrils or mouth, warm as it
> enters the lungs. Is there movement in the chest or belly? Do your
> shoulders or back move? Do you feel it in your arms and legs?" No matter
> what your answers, you're likely getting the desired effect, which is a
> greater sense of self and a feeling of control.
>
> FIT's Maldonado taps into a similar approach with his weekly stretching
> and alignment class, which draws from Pilates, yoga and multiple dance
> techniques to enhance flexibility, coordination and performance. "The
> bottom line is, there isn't a specific way to breathe. We all have
> different rhythms, and we all have to find a way to send oxygen to the
> muscles," he says.
>
> Once you figure out how best to get air flowing in and out of your body,
> then you can attempt to master the sorts of moves he teaches. The bends,
> extends and reaches all rely on the power of the exhale to stretch your
> limbs farther. And if your tummy is bloated with air when you need to
> lean over, you'll block your own progress.
>
> There's also no cheating when it comes to breathing. "I can hear if
> they're relaxed and focused and the body is doing what it's supposed to
> be doing," Maldonado says. When they're not, his trick -- other than
> reminding them to inhale and exhale every few seconds -- is to tell them
> not to stiffen their faces. "If they're like this," he says,
> demonstrating a pained, tight expression, "they're not relaxed."
>
> Exercise can often seem like the opposite of relaxation. Our goal is to
> exhaust our muscles, shoot our heart rates up and overcome the
> competition (whether that be a person or a personal best). But
> performance actually improves when you figure out how to keep your calm
> while exerting yourself. "Breathing badly is something that's going to
> make you fatigued faster and hurts form, and that's what gets you
> injured," says Emory Land, a triathlon coach and assistant general
> manager of the Vida Fitness location at Logan Circle. "You'll never
> reach your potential."
>
> So, let this be a reminder to you -- and me: Don't hold your breath.
>
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - Accessible with your email software
> or over the web
>
>
>
> By Vicky Hallett
> Tuesday, September 8, 2009
>
> My favorite thing about yoga classes -- other than the part at the end
> when you get to lie down and act like a corpse -- is that the
> instructors always remind me to breathe. Pretty much without fail,
> whenever I get the cue "Don't hold your breath," I am. And as soon as I
> go for a deep, belly-expanding inhale, I feel amazingly able and at
> ease.
>
> It's no mystery why this happens. Stress causes us to tense up, while
> breathing brings oxygen to the muscles and allows us to relax. "It helps
> with concentration. It increases endurance. It slows your heart rate,"
> rattles off Alvaro Maldonado, co-owner of the FIT personal training gym
> in Dupont Circle. In short, full lungs do a heck of a lot more than just
> keep you alive, especially during strenuous physical activity.
>
> Any personal trainer worth his spandex knows the basic rules: You want
> to exhale on the exertion part of a movement, and inhale on the
> recovery. During cardiovascular exercise, short, shallow breaths are a
> clue that you're overdoing it. And if you can develop a pattern for your
> breathing, you're likely to last longer.
>
> But much of the time in gym settings, the breath takes a back seat to
> other concerns: what we're lifting, how we're squatting, when we're
> leaving. That may be why when Karen Sherman, a senior investigator at
> Seattle's Group Health Center for Health Studies, looked into treatments
> for chronic low-back pain in 2005, weekly yoga classes plus home
> practice appeared to be slightly more effective than weekly sessions of
> aerobic, strengthening and stretching exercises plus home practice.
>
> "What's the active ingredient?" asks Sherman, whose results were
> published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. No one knows why yoga was
> more effective than the other exercises, but Sherman believes part of
> the answer is attention to breath.
>
> "It's not that people don't think about breathing, but they don't give
> you the same language and imagery that creates more awareness," she
> says. "For someone with back pain, one of the possibilities is they
> haven't been paying attention to their bodies." If you're doing
> more-vigilant surveillance, there's a better chance you'll notice that
> you should stand straighter or move differently, and those tweaks could
> provide the treatment you really need.
>
> That bodes well for the future of the Mindfulness Center, a studio
> opening at 4963 Elm St. in Bethesda next week. (There's an open house
> this Saturday and Sunday -- find details on its Facebook page.) The
> concept is to blend meditation and fitness to create classes that focus
> on "mind, body and spirit, not just body," explains the center's
> founder, Deborah Norris, who is American University's
> psychologist-in-residence and a specialist in behavioral medicine. "You
> need to put it all together and pay attention to the fact that they're
> all connected."
>
> Scheduled classes include such offerings as "Mind Body Sculpt." Instead
> of merely telling students to lift a weight, Norris will tell them to
> also lift their hearts. Then she'll prod them: "Notice how it feels? How
> are your energy levels shifting?" "It's the workout of a traditional
> class, but mentally it's clarifying and puts you more at ease," she
> says.
>
> And part of that is done with -- you guessed it -- breathing. "When you
> focus on the breath, the brain focuses inward, and that seems to be good
> for us," Norris says. "The body speaks to us in feelings and sensations.
> We just usually don't listen until it starts screaming pain."
>
> When it comes to how to breathe, Norris is fairly nonpartisan. There are
> countless forms of breath control in yoga that have specific
> instructions about when to inhale, exhale and hold, and Pilates
> emphasizes a style of breathing that focuses on expanding the rib cage
> while keeping the abs fully engaged.
>
> "My approach is to tune into how the body chooses to breathe, watching
> the breath, allowing it to happen and observing every dimension," Norris
> says. "It's cool as it passes through the nostrils or mouth, warm as it
> enters the lungs. Is there movement in the chest or belly? Do your
> shoulders or back move? Do you feel it in your arms and legs?" No matter
> what your answers, you're likely getting the desired effect, which is a
> greater sense of self and a feeling of control.
>
> FIT's Maldonado taps into a similar approach with his weekly stretching
> and alignment class, which draws from Pilates, yoga and multiple dance
> techniques to enhance flexibility, coordination and performance. "The
> bottom line is, there isn't a specific way to breathe. We all have
> different rhythms, and we all have to find a way to send oxygen to the
> muscles," he says.
>
> Once you figure out how best to get air flowing in and out of your body,
> then you can attempt to master the sorts of moves he teaches. The bends,
> extends and reaches all rely on the power of the exhale to stretch your
> limbs farther. And if your tummy is bloated with air when you need to
> lean over, you'll block your own progress.
>
> There's also no cheating when it comes to breathing. "I can hear if
> they're relaxed and focused and the body is doing what it's supposed to
> be doing," Maldonado says. When they're not, his trick -- other than
> reminding them to inhale and exhale every few seconds -- is to tell them
> not to stiffen their faces. "If they're like this," he says,
> demonstrating a pained, tight expression, "they're not relaxed."
>
> Exercise can often seem like the opposite of relaxation. Our goal is to
> exhaust our muscles, shoot our heart rates up and overcome the
> competition (whether that be a person or a personal best). But
> performance actually improves when you figure out how to keep your calm
> while exerting yourself. "Breathing badly is something that's going to
> make you fatigued faster and hurts form, and that's what gets you
> injured," says Emory Land, a triathlon coach and assistant general
> manager of the Vida Fitness location at Logan Circle. "You'll never
> reach your potential."
>
> So, let this be a reminder to you -- and me: Don't hold your breath.
>
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - Accessible with your email software
> or over the web
>
--
http://www.fastmail.fm - Does exactly what it says on the tin
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
H1N1 and computer viruses
Fave topic of Amma's... but a Bunny got there first it seems:
http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2009/06/on-influenza-a/
http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2009/06/on-influenza-a/
--A
H1N1/Flu tips
(Please remove my email address if you choose to forward this further.
Thank you).
Thank you).
This is at:
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2009/08/very-practical-tips-for-countering.html
Disclaimer: Not offered as medical advise; use at own risk; No warranties, no liabilities.
-----:Forwarded Message:-------
Some tips for prevention from AIMS doctor, although bit lengthy but
worth reading..
Friends,
Thanks to media hype about H1N1, several people who trust me have either
approached or called me to advise. The hype in media about the utility
of face masks and N95 respirators as a tool for general protection
against H1N1 can't be deplored enough. Yesterday, a friend who listened
wanted me to write down briefly what I advised so that he could tell
others in similar words. Hence this short email to friends whom I have
advised recently (and others whom I haven't yet). Please realize that
this is not an official advice, especially the one about face masks or
N95.
Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ,
while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to
protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella
made of mosquito net.
Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation till
the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1,
like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract
and proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the
nostrils and mouth/ throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's
almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all
precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as
proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms
and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps – not
fully highlighted in most official communications - can be practiced
(instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official
communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/
nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple
gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected
one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful
preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti
(very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose
hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in
warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C
tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has
the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off
proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot
survive, proliferate or do any harm.
All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households,
and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside
Govt. hospitals.
Happy breathing!!
-----------
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