Making an Asana of Myself
I am off to a naked yoga class, having decided if I am going to write a column on the burgeoning phenomenon, I sure better experience it firsthand. I have no idea what to expect, but I know for sure my bag is lighter that usual.
B.K.S, Iyengar, in his book, Light on Yoga says, “The word Yoga [means] to bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one’s attention on, to use and apply. It also means union and communion. It is the true union of our will with the will of God.”
For most of us, we understand Yoga to be a series of physical postures, designed to enhance strength and flexibility; to foster union between body, mind and spirit; to increase peace and well-being and decrease the physical and mental stress of daily life. Most of us, whether we do it or not, understand why yoga. But not all of us understand why naked.
The Hole Story
Feeling depressed? Lethargic? Shell-shocked by life’s little bombardments? You could try meditation. Or yoga. Or color therapy. Or herbal remedies. Or, if you prefer drastic measures, you could drill a hole in your head.
The practice of making a hole in the skull, known as trepanation, has been around since the Stone Age. Along with circumcision it’s one of our oldest surgical procedures — archaeologists have found trepanned skulls dating back to 3000 B.C. Hippocrates, in his classic medical text “On Injuries of the Head,” endorsed trepanation for the treatment of head wounds. During medieval times, the procedure was thought to liberate demons from the heads of the possessed and, later on, Europeans did it to cure a hodgepodge of maladies ranging from meningitis to epilepsy.
The procedure, from a technical standpoint, is simplicity’s model. An instrument called a trepan is used to make the hole. Throughout history, the trepanning tool has developed dramatically, evolving from a crude hunk of sharpened flint in prehistoric times to a hand-cranked auger in the first century to, nowadays, an electric drill. Anyway, the trepan goes into your skull and a chunk of bone is extracted. You bandage yourself up and eventually the skin heals over, leaving only a small indentation to show for the hole in your head.
Monster Sumo - Flash Game
Monster Sumo - Flash Game
What do you think this game is about?
Fly Sui - Flash Game
Fly Sui - Flash Game
Catch as many flies as you can with your chopsticks.
Fun Surfing - Flash Game
Fun Surfing - Flash Game
Surfs up! Its time to get wet in the surfing game.
Cancer-resistant Mouse Developed By Adding Tumor-suppressor Gene
Cancer-resistant Mouse Developed By Adding Tumor-suppressor Gene
A mouse resistant to cancer, even highly-aggressive types, has been created by researchers at the University of Kentucky. The breakthrough stems from a discovery by UK College of Medicine professor of radiation medicine Vivek Rangnekar and a team of researchers who found a tumor-suppressor gene called “Par-4″ in the prostate.
The researchers discovered that the Par-4 gene kills cancer cells, but not normal cells. There are very few molecules that specifically fight against cancer cells, giving it a potentially therapeutic application.
Rangnekar’s study is unique in that mice born with this gene are not developing tumors. The mice grow normally and have no defects. In fact, the mice possessing Par-4 actually live a few months longer than the control animals, indicating that they have no toxic side effects.
Flash Strike - Flash Game
Flash Strike - Flash Game
Shoot as many terrorists as you possibly can.
Just Sudoku - Flash Game
Just Sudoku - Flash Game
A Sudoku game with lots of different puzzles to solve offline without using pen and paper.
Just Sudoku - Flash Game
Just Sudoku - Flash Game
A Sudoku game with lots of different puzzles to solve offline without using pen and paper.
10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies
Why We do Dumb or Irrational Things: 10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies
“I have been primarily interested in how and why ordinary people do unusual things, things that seem alien to their natures. Why do good people sometimes act evil? Why do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things?” –Philip Zimbardo
Like eminent social psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, I’m also obsessed with why we do dumb or irrational things. The answer quite often is because of other people - something social psychologists have comprehensively shown.
Over the past few months I’ve been describing 10 of the most influential social psychology studies. Each one tells a unique, insightful story relevant to all our lives, every day.