Monday, April 25, 2011

One Unique Way to Sing Nursery Rhymes...


Edward Reid brought down the house on "Britain's Got Talent" over the weekend, wowing the judges of the reality singing competition and scoring a standing ovation from the audience with his dramatic medley of nursery rhymes.

The crowd laughed and jeered when Reid opened with "Old MacDonald." But his undulating voice won them over as he moved into "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." By the time he concluded with "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands," every pair of hands in the room was, indeed, applauding wildly.

Reid set his medley to the tune of Snow Patrol's hit rock ballad "Run." The judges relished his take on the age-old songs. 


"Wow, really creative and very funny, thank God for you," David Hasselhoff crowed. "'Jack and Jill' will never be the same."

"I can definitely see you getting booked for Elton John's child's first birthday party," Michael McIntyre said.

The show's three judges voted "yes" to Reid, ensuring he'd soon croon for the cameras again.

Reid, a 35-year-old drama teacher from Glasgow, Scotland, follows on the heels of Boyle, the never-been-kissed 48-year-old church-goer who turned into an international sensation after singing "I Dreamed a Dream" during her "Britain's Got Talent" audition in 2009.

A YouTube video of Boyle's audition has been viewed more than 64 million times. Her 2009 debut album, also called "I Dreamed a Dream," hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 701,000 copies in its first week.

A YouTube video of Reid's audition has been viewed more than 370,000 times since it was uploaded Saturday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLy36DaBFNQ

Friday, April 22, 2011

Happy Earth Day 2011 American Experience Documentary "Earth Days"

Earth Day Greetings,


60's and 70's


...Back to Nature Movement without Technology as Technology was considered controlled/developed by Government and Big Business.


60's Generation was controlled by the Draft.


Outdoor Life Magazine


Conservation Pledge


"I give my pledge as an American

to save and faithfully to defend

the waste from Natural Resources

of my country - its soil and minerals,

its forests, waters and wildlife."

Stewart Brand

Whole Earth Catalouge ...Creator/Futurist


What went wrong folks?

---Today's Generation embraces Technology, however Government and Big Business are even more controlling.

American Experience..."Earth Days" Documentary....

http://video.pbs.org/video/1463378089/

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Caroline Casey....Inspirational....Follow Your Dreams!


From recent Ted Talks...

http://www.ted.com/talks/caroline_casey_looking_past_limits.html

How blueberries can slash body's fat cells by up to three-quarters

The slimming super-fruit:
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:09 AM on 11th April 2011



Fruit: Blueberries cut fat cells by up to three-quarters, researchers found

Fruit: Blueberries cut fat cells by up to three-quarters, researchers found

Slimmers should start snacking on blueberries, as they slash the number of fat cells in the body by up to three-quarters, say scientists.

Researchers found the fruit can break down existing fat cells and prevent new ones from forming, making them a potentially powerful weapon in the fight against rising obesity.

Blueberries, which have already been lauded as a superfood for their ability to help prevent heart disease and Type-2 diabetes, contain high levels of polyphenols – groups of chemicals with potential health benefits.

Tests revealed polyphenols can cut the number of fat cells in the body by 73 per cent with a large dose and 27 per cent with the smallest dose, the American Society for Nutrition’s Experimental Biology 2011 meeting heard.

Using tissue taken from mice, scientists looked at what effect the polyphenols in blueberries might have in fighting the development of fat cellsand inducing lipolysis, the break down fats within the body.

Results, presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting for the American Society for Nutrition, showed that the highest dose of blueberry polyphenols caused the lipids in the mouse tissue to decrease by almost three quarters at 73 per cent, with even the lowest dose cutting the amount of lipids in the tissue by over a quarter at 27 per cent.

Study author Shiwani Moghe, a graduate student from Texas Woman’s University, claimed the findings showed ‘promise’.

She said: ‘We still need to test this dose in humans, to make sure there are no adverse effects and to see if the doses are effective.

‘The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce fat tissue from forming in the body.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1375565/Blueberries-slash-bodys-fat-cells-quarters.html#ixzz1JJjJUpXF

Monday, April 11, 2011

10 Hindu Environmental Teachings



...Hinduism contains numerous references to the worship of the divine in nature in its Vedas,
Upanishads, Puranas, Sutras and its other sacred texts. Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals and the earth. Although the Chipko (tree-hugging) Movement is the most widely known example of Hindu environmental leadership, there are examples of Hindu action for the environment that are centuries old.
Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and
regional manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important themes emerge. The diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest that:
• The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the goddess, and must be treated with respect.
• The five elements -- space, air, fire, water and earth -- are the foundation of an interconnected web of life.
• Dharma -- often translated as "duty" -- can be reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth.
• Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies.
• Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma.
Gandhi exemplified many of these teachings, and his example continues to inspire contemporary social, religious and environmental leaders in their efforts to protect the planet.
The following are 10 important Hindu teachings on the environment:

1. Pancha Mahabhutas (The five great elements) create a web of life that is shown forth in the structure and interconnectedness of the cosmos and the human body. Hinduism teaches that the five great elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) that constitute the environment are all derived from prakriti, the primal energy. Each of these elements has its own life and form; together the elements are interconnected and interdependent. The Upanishads explains the interdependence of these elements in relation to Brahman, the supreme reality, from which they arise: "From Brahman arises space, from space arises air, from air arises fire, from fire arises water, and from water arises earth."
Hinduism recognizes that the human body is composed of and related to these five elements,
and connects each of the elements to one of the five senses. The human nose is related to earth, tongue to water, eyes to fire, skin to air and ears to space. This bond between our senses and the elements is the foundation of our human relationship with the natural world. For Hinduism, nature and the environment are not outside us, not alien or hostile to us. They are an inseparable part of our existence, and they constitute our very bodies.

2. Ishavasyam -- Divinity is omnipresent and takes infinite forms. Hindu texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita (7.19, 13.13) and the Bhagavad Purana (2.2.41, 2.2.45), contain many references to the omnipresence of the Supreme divinity, including its presence throughout and within nature. Hindus worship and accept the presence of God in nature. For example, many Hindus think of India's mighty rivers -- such as the Ganges -- as goddesses. In the Mahabharata, it is noted that the universe and every object in it has been created as an abode of the Supreme God meant for the benefit of all, implying that individual species should enjoy their role within a larger system, in relationship with other species.

3. Protecting the environment is part of Dharma. Dharma, one of the most important Hindu concepts, has been translated into English as duty, virtue, cosmic order and religion. In Hinduism, protecting the environment is an important expression of dharma.
In past centuries, Indian communities -- like other traditional communities -- did not have an
understanding of "the environment" as separate from the other spheres of activity in their lives.
A number of rural Hindu communities such as the Bishnois, Bhils and Swadhyaya have
maintained strong communal practices to protect local ecosystems such as forests and water
sources. These communities carry out these conservation-oriented practices not as "environmental" acts but rather as expressions of dharma. When Bishnois are protecting animals and trees, when Swadhyayis are building Vrikshamandiras (tree temples) and Nirmal Nirs (water harvesting sites) and when Bhils are practicing their rituals in sacred groves, they are simply expressing their reverence for creation according to Hindu teachings, not "restoring the environment." These traditional Indian groups do not see religion, ecology and ethics as separate arenas of life. Instead, they understand it to be part of their dharma to treat creation with respect.

4. Our environmental actions affect our karma. Karma, a central Hindu teaching, holds that each of our actions creates consequences -- good and bad -- which constitute our karma and determine our future fate, including the place we will assume when we are reincarnated in our next life. Moral behavior creates good karma, and our behavior toward the environment has karmic consequences. Because we have free choice, even though we may have harmed the environment in the past, we can choose to protect the environment in the future, replacing environmentally destructive karmic patterns with good ones.

5. The earth -- Devi -- is a goddess and our mother and deserves our devotion and protection. Many Hindu rituals recognize that human beings benefit from the earth, and offer gratitude and protection in response. Many Hindus touch the floor before getting out of bed every morning and ask Devi to forgive them for trampling on her body. Millions of Hindus create kolams daily -- artwork consisting of bits of rice or other food placed at their doorways in the morning. These kolams express Hindu's desire to offer sustenance to the earth, just as the earth sustains themselves. The Chipko movement -- made famous by Chipko women's commitment to "hugging" trees in their community to protect them from clear-cutting by outside interests -- represents a similar devotion to the earth.

6. Hinduism's tantric and yogic traditions affirm the sacredness of material reality and contain teachings and practices to unite people with divine energy. Hinduism's Tantric tradition teaches that the entire universe is the manifestation of divine energy. Yoga, derived from the Sanskrit word meaning "to yoke" or "to unite," refers to a series of mental and physical practices designed to connect the individual with this divine energy. Both these traditions affirm that all phenomena, objects and individuals are expressions of the divine. And because these traditions both envision the earth as a goddess, contemporary Hindu teachers have used these teachings to demonstrate the wrongness of the exploitation of the environment, women and indigenous peoples.
7. Belief in reincarnation supports a sense of interconnectedness of all creation. Hindus believe in the cycle of rebirth, wherein every being travels through millions of cycles of birth and rebirth in different forms, depending on their karma from previous lives. So a person may be reincarnated as a person, animal, bird or another part of the wider community of life. Because of this, and because all people are understood to pass through many lives on their pathway to ultimate liberation, reincarnation creates a sense of solidarity between people and all living things.
Through belief in reincarnation, Hinduism teaches that all species and all parts of the earth are part of an extended network of relationships connected over the millennia, with each part of this network deserving respect and reverence.

8. Non-violence -- ahimsa -- is the greatest dharma. Ahimsa to the earth improves one's karma. For observant Hindus, hurting or harming another being damages one's karma and obstructs advancement toward moksha -- liberation. To prevent the further accrual of bad karma, Hindus are instructed to avoid activities associated with violence and to follow a vegetarian diet.
Based on this doctrine of ahimsa, many observant Hindus oppose the institutionalized breeding and killing of animals, birds and fish for human consumption.

9. Sanyasa (asceticism) represents a path to liberation and is good for the earth. Hinduism teaches that asceticism -- restraint in consumption and simplicity in living -- represents a pathway
toward moksha (liberation), which treats the earth with respect. A well-known Hindu teaching -- Tain tyakten bhunjitha -- has been translated, "Take what you need for your sustenance without a sense of entitlement or ownership."

One of the most prominent Hindu environmental leaders, Sunderlal Bahuguna, inspired
many Hindus by his ascetic lifestyle. His repeated fasts and strenuous foot marches, undertaken to support and spread the message of the Chipko, distinguished him as a notable ascetic in our own time. In his capacity for suffering and his spirit of self-sacrifice, Hindus saw a living example of the renunciation of worldly ambition exhorted by Hindu scriptures.

10. Gandhi is a role model for simple living. Gandhi's entire life can be seen as an ecological treatise. This is one life in which every minute act, emotion or thought functioned much like an ecosystem: his small meals of nuts and fruits, his morning ablutions and everyday bodily practices, his periodic observances of silence, his morning walks, his cultivation of the small as much as of the big, his spinning wheel, his abhorrence of waste, his resorting to basic Hindu and Jain values of truth, nonviolence, celibacy and fasting. The moralists, nonviolent activists, feminists, journalists, social reformers, trade union leaders, peasants, prohibitionists, nature-cure lovers, renouncers and environmentalists all take their inspirations from Gandhi's life and writings.

(Acknowledgement: Adapted from the essays by Christopher K. Chapple, O. P. Dwivedi, K. L. Seshagiri Rao, Vinay Lal, and George A. James in Hinduism and Ecology: The Intersection of Earth, Sky, and Water and Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life, both published by Harvard University Press. Thanks also to the essays by Harold Coward and Rita DasGupta Sherma in Purifying the Earthly Body of God: Religion and Ecology in Hindu India, published by SUNY Press. I am also indebted to
kind comments by Reverend Fletcher Harper and for his invitation to write this article.)

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Maple syrup joins the ranks of broccoli and blueberries as new 'one-stop shop' superfood

Blueberries, broccoli and fish rich in Omega 3 are among the best known superfoods.
But now something rather sweeter can be added to the list of healthy foods containing high levels of antioxidants that boost the immune system.
Maple syrup is even being described by scientists in America as a ‘one-stop shop’ for beneficial compounds.
Tests on the syrup, which is made by boiling sap from the maple tree, found that it contains compounds which could help manage Type 2 diabetes, as well as acting as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents.
'Superfood': Maple syrup is packed with compounds that could help fight Type 2 diabetes
'Superfood': Maple syrup is packed with compounds that could help fight Type 2 diabetes
Researchers identified 54 compounds, twice as many as the syrup was previously thought to have. Five were found to be unique to maple syrup.
Several of the syrup’s polyphenol, or water-soluble, compounds inhibited the enzymes that convert carbohydrates to sugars, raising the prospect of a new way of managing Type 2 Diabetes.
They also found that many of the antioxidant compounds, which prevent the oxidation and ageing of the body’s cells, aren’t found in other natural sweeteners.

Dr Navindra Seeram, who led the research at the University of Rhode Island, said: ‘We don’t know yet whether the new compounds contribute to the healthy profile of maple syrup.
‘But we do know that the sheer quantity and variety of identified compounds with documented health benefits qualifies maple syrup as a champion food.
‘It is a one-stop shop for these beneficial compounds, several of which are also found in berries, tea, red wine and flaxseed, just to name a few.’
Maple Syrup Graphic
Explaining the science behind the findings, he said: ‘We found a wide variety of polyphenols in maple syrup. We discovered that the polyphenols in maple syrup inhibit enzymes that are involved in the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar.
‘In fact, in preliminary studies, maple syrup had a greater enzyme-inhibiting effect compared to several other healthy plant foods such as berries.’
‘By 2050, one in three people will be afflicted with Type 2 diabetes, so finding a potential anti-diabetic compound in maple syrup is interesting for the scientific community and the consumer.’
The findings of Dr Seeram’s team were presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in California.
Genevihve Biland, marketing director for the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, one of the sponsors of the research, said: ‘Given its amazing potential for human health and great nutritional value, maple syrup is a natural choice for a healthy lifestyle.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1372549/Maple-syrup-joins-ranks-broccoli-blueberries-new-stop-shop-superfood.html#ixzz1J2JWfhGS