Whether or not you are into snorkeling, scuba diving, vacationing in exotic places, you must have heard of Hawaii some time or the other. Snorkeling in particular you must of heard of the numerous and wondrous adventures that there are to be had in the Bahamas in that part of the Caribbean. Another thing you will also find out is that there a scarcely any other place in the world that offer the grand snorkeling opportunities that are offered in the Bahamas. This is a place that offers the clearest waters out there, a sundry of marine life and underwater picturesque sights that are there for your enjoyment. Sites that is literally breath-taking.

No need to venture from shore

If you as a person are really intrigued with the idea of snorkeling in the Bahamas then you can take to mind that the islands that make of Bahamas offer their own specially made snorkeling tours that allow for snorkeling closer to shore so that there is no need to go out too far in the ocean for a good experience. One of the best things about it is that the coral reefs are not too distant from the shore and in turn there also is amazing marine life just swimming around these areas which really means that you as snorkeler in the Bahamas has all you could want right next to the shore.

One thing you should keep in mind before choosing you favorite spot you should go around examining the underwater sites so that you can prepare properly. Only with good preparation can you really have the experience you should have while snorkeling in the Bahamas.

The Bahamas offers hundreds of islands so it easy to get carried away in the search for a great snorkeling spot, sometimes it is like choosing between the sea and the ocean, lots of choice is it not. Luckily there are some islands that stand out like a diamond in the rough and such is Bimini. Bimini being a district in the Bahamas made up of a chain of islands offers a sanctuary of oceanic and marine beauty. A place best known for being one of the world’s most renowned fishing spots is also regarded as an excellent place for snorkeling just below the waves. If you anymore convincing just type in Bimini in Google search bar and see for yourself, beautiful does not begin to explain it.

Do not think for one moment that Bimini is the only one, there is also New Providence Island or also called Paradise Island, yes Paradise Island, does that not speak for itself. Paradise Island linked to Nassau the capital of the Bahamas by a bridge and most populous island is home to luxurious beaches, a world class golf course, the most plush hotels in the Caribbean, gigantic casinos and of course world class entertainment. It also houses places such as Lost Ocean Hole, Rose Island Reefs and Gambler Deep Reef as well as Booby Rock Channel and even Goulding Reef Cays are ideally suited for snorkeling. In addition, there is also Love Beach on New Providence Island.

Another major plus along that line is that the capital Nassau offers countless operators and first class hotels in addition to resorts where all that is possibly needed for snorkeling can be found, there are even rental shops the offer snorkeling gear, so there really is nothing lacking there. Also if you are a novice to the snorkeling world no need to worry there are numerous instructors around to show you the ropes. Now, really, there is no wonder this place is so popular.

Your Heart is an amazing organ, unique for both its physical functions and energetic properties, and therefore needs some extra special attention, and definitely some tender loving care.

Aside from the well-known fact that the heart is the first major organ to develop in the fetus after conception, it is also impossible to live without one beating brightly within each of our bodies. In addition, the heart’s ability to tell us when we fall in Love, experience Joy, feel Gratitude, and appreciate Beauty, is without question, the tour de force for our passions in the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment throughout our lives.

While these statements are nothing new, Neuro-physicists have recently been astonished to discover that the Heart is more an organ of intelligence, than merely the bodies’ main pumping station. In fact, these new discoveries include intriguing evidence that more than half of the Heart is actually composed of neurons of the very same nature as those that make up the cerebral system. Not only that, but the heart also emits a 5,000 times stronger electromagnetic field than the brain. Joseph Chilton-Pearce, author of The Biology of Transcendence, calls the heart “the major biological apparatus within us and the seat of our greatest intelligence.”

According to the Institute of Heart Math, “the heart and brain maintain a continuous two-way dialogue, each influencing the other’s functioning. The signals the heart sends to the brain can influence perception, emotional processing and higher cognitive functions; neuro-cardiology researchers view this system and circuitry as the “heart brain”. In a specific comment regarding intuition, HeartMath goes on to say; “Heart intuition or intelligence brings the freedom and power to accomplish what the mind, even with all the disciplines or affirmations in the world, cannot do if it’s out of sync with the heart.”

The HeartMath Institute has also conducted additional research studies relating to our emotions and more, which they call, “Emotional Energetics Research” and publish the following statement on their website:

“The heart produces by far the body’s most powerful rhythmic electromagnetic field, which can be detected several feet away by sensitive instruments. Research shows our heart’s field changes distinctly as we experience different emotions. It is registered in people’s brains around us and apparently is capable of affecting cells, water and DNA studied in vitro. Growing evidence also suggests energetic interactions involving the heart may underlie intuition and important aspects of human consciousness.”

This newly emerging scientific evidence has the enormous power and potential to open the minds of anyone willing to stop long enough and reflect on what this truly means to each and every one of us. Not only are we discovering the true potential of every individual should they begin to live from their heart, rather than solely from their logical mind, but also to fully grasp the truth that we are all intimately connected and collectively one.

Additional evidence was found to support this truth when researchers looked a little closer and revealed an even more astonishing discovery; that each heart cell is unique in that it not only pulsates in synchrony with all the other heart cells, but also produces an electromagnetic signal that radiates out beyond the cell. An EEG that measures brain waves shows that the electromagnetic signals from the heart are so much stronger than brain waves, that a reading of the heart’s frequency spectrum can be taken from three feet away from the body, without the need to place electrodes on it.

This next bit of news is one of the most interesting, as the geometric shape that the Heart’s electromagnetic frequency creates is in the form of a torus field. Similar to the shape of a donut, the heart’s torus field radiates out from the chest for as far as twelve to fifteen feet from the body, and then wraps around and returns in through the back, creating the ‘hole in the donut’ in the middle. The axis of this Heart torus extends from the pelvic floor to the top of the skull, and the whole field is holographic, meaning that information about it can be read from each and every point within the torus’ energetic field.

Even more intriguing is that the Hearts’ torus electromagnetic field is not the only source that emits this type of electromagnetic field. In fact, all atoms emit the very same energetic torus field. Earth also emits it’s own (well documented) electromagnetic field in the same form of a torus. And so does the solar system, and even our galaxy. And, all are holographic.

Scientists believe there is a good possibility that there is actually only one Universal torus encompassing an infinite number of interacting, holographic tori within its spectrum. And, because electromagnetic torus fields are holographic by nature, it is more than likely that the sum total of our Universe is present within the frequency spectrum of a single torus.

This means that each one of us is connected to the entire Universe, in a very real and observable way, and as such, each one of us has access to all of the information within this Universal field of energy, at any given moment. When we get quiet and access what we hold in our Hearts, we are literally connecting to the limitless supply and wisdom of the Universe, thereby enabling what we perceive as “miracles” to enter into our lives.

This amazing organ that we often times ignore, neglect, and build walls around, is where we can find our greatest strength, our faith, our courage and our compassion, enabling our higher emotional intelligence that can, if we allow it, guide us throughout our lives.

Anyone today can begin living from their Heart, easily and simply by learning to meditate, as meditation will enable you to easily access your Heart’s inner wisdom and that of the Universe.

As each one of us begins this ‘quiet revolution of living from the Heart’, we will begin to see it reflected in our lives and in our world. It is also how each one of us will create real and lasting change in our personal lives, and as a direct result, also be co-creating a new and better world in the process.

Gold & Silver Forecast:

Gold and Silver will see sharp rises early in the first quarter of 2012. But surprising and contrary to many, Gold and silver inflows may increase from 2012 onwards, thereby reducing the demand. Huge corrections in these can be expected in 2012. Gold may finally end its Bull Run of the past 8-10 years in 2012 for sometime giving a golden opportunity to very long-term investors. This process will take place in stages and the actual momentum picks up from February 2012 onwards. The U.S. $ will also witness an extremely Massive downfall, contradictory to the extraordinary rise seen in the same in the last few months of 2011.

The sensitivity of nations to FOOD Shortages will be one of the major sources of unrest in the developing world in the coming period. Large scale revolutions will surely be seen in almost all parts of the world but especially in the so-called developed nations.

These developments could prove to be a fatal Red alert for any further Economic growth in the developed nations and also for India, China, Russia and Brazil. 2012 onwards can also bring fears of Epidemics, but in the long run this influence is sure to bring wonderful advances in medicine.

Putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying luxuries or gifts.

2013 is the year when the pain really kicks in. The need for a transformation of existing state, business and banking structures will be strong, but nobody is going to use democratic methods to ask anybody for their point of view. This is emergency surgery, performed by powerful rulers through secretive and autocratic methods. Taxes will be ruthlessly imposed with a view to alleviate the social disasters of the time leading to the further lowering of living standards, a lot of homeless people and huge areas of vacant real estate. The impositions of more and more taxes will finally trigger large & violent revolutions. There will also be large waves of crimes triggered by the hard times.

There will be corruption and the rooting out of corruption. Industry barons will do all within their power to maintain their advantages at this time through strong links to government. The awareness of the suffering of the underprivileged has scarcely begun. What we will see over the next few years is the extreme polarization of right-wing solutions. Finally by 2024, there will be little that remains of the autocratic structures that are currently being put in place to safeguard the banks and corporations whose survival is currently threatened.

Fiscal issues that instilled large fear in the developed nations, especially U.S.A., in 2008, will come back to haunt in a more fearsome Avatar. Emergency surgery (Bail outs) methods for immediate relief will prove to be the undoing for many governments.

Among these complications, the most dreaded would be of spiraling debt through credit cards which would seem to keep on piling up on the now jobless, homeless and fate-fully also could be hit by epidemics. Who all and how do we bail out now?

The million $ question thus answered now: Do you now invest in Gold or in Food due to the expected shortages & inflation? Can Gold rise further when there will be so little to invest in terms of money and also in terms of interest when so much of negativity is going around. Gold will actually be sold to overcome fiscal burdens & also for immediate liquidity to support life. And so the mention above that, Gold and silver inflows may increase from 2012 onwards…..

In response to shortages, harvesting the sea will also be undertaken on a vast scale in this period, and with mass production of factory fish, a much greater awareness of the ecological downsides of the process will dawn, leading to more humane standards for fish. Extraction of oil from the ocean will play an even greater role, and as a shortage of oil begins to threaten the smooth functioning of industry, vast undersea reserves will be exploited in previously pristine environments around Greenland and in the Arctic.

People will withdraw from the small comfort of a Facebook universe – and seek privacy and seclusion. Suffering will be too real for dabblers in spirituality, and true solidarity will be found in helping people who are in situations where – but for the grace of God – you could find yourself.

2012 will see the beginning of the ascendancy of Africa. It is likely that the growing worldwide food shortages can be alleviated by more effective farming in Africa, which currently is very inefficiently cultivated, and the riches found in agricultural, mineral and oil reserves will finally bring prosperity. India can also be benefited to a large extent by the same.

Are you planning an adventurous trip with your friends or family? Are you still looking for a place that is both adventurous and full of nature with a safe environment? Costa Rica can offer you a full-on entertainment to enjoy the trip with both your friends and family.

Costa Rica is a country, officially called the ‘Republic of Costa Rica’, in Central America. Almost 5% of the world’s different species are present here. It is considered to be the safest place on Earth because of its stable political environment and the kind people, who are willing to share their country and culture with the guests, wholeheartedly. It is the place with a mixture of culture, adventure, tasty cuisines and almost everything a fellow tourist is looking for.

There are diverse environmental attractions in Costa Rica; active volcanic regions which are safe to visit, cloudy and rainy forests, diversified flora and fauna and beaches. The country is divided into six regions namely, Caribbean, Central Valley, Central Pacific, Guanacaste, Plains of the North and South Pacific. Many tourist accommodations, beaches and natural parks are situated in the Central Pacific region. Plains of the North is famous for its active volcanoes.

There are beautiful mountainous regions, volcanic lakes and hot springs surrounding the active volcano. The cloud forests in Costa Rica, which is abundant in moisture, holds tremendous bio-diversity, which attracts most of the nature-loving visitors and even scientists. These forests are cooler than the lowlands, so you are advised to carry a sweater or jacket to protect yourself from cold.

Another attraction of Costa Rica is the variety of beaches in the Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. There are more than 300 beaches, each with different and distinct features. Some beaches are filled with shells, while some are full of rocks and some are known for its distinct soft sands. The beaches are diversified with white, black and brown colored sands. If you are an adventure lover, choose the beach with more waves, which are good for surfing. Or, if you want to enjoy the beach water more, go for the calmer one, which is good for swimming.

All the region of Costa Rica is filled with and rich in biodiversity. You can feel the nature and can see much-diversified flora and fauna throughout the country. There are unique habitats in this country, which support these species. For nature-loving enthusiasts, these destinations will be the most eye-catching ones.

Costa Rica is one of the best tour plans with your family and friends, for this holiday.

Holidays in the Caribbean are always filled with natural beauty – gorgeous white sandy beaches lined with palm trees, gently breaking waves from the clear blue waters and of course the perfect tropical sunshine. But with a holiday to St. Lucia, there is even more to see. The stunning coastline has been created by volcanic activity, and the rugged beauty of the Caribbean is all the more dramatically evident on a St. Lucia holiday. To get the most out of your holiday, here are a few tips on planning a holiday of a lifetime on this idyllic island.

• St. Lucia is well known for its jazz festival, held in early May. It has attracted many famous jazz musicians over the years, and is famous throughout the Caribbean, itself a jazz mad region. Music enthusiasts may well wish to time their trip to coincide with this festival. Indeed, all types of people, even with no interest in jazz could be attracted by this festival, with its colour and chilled out street party atmosphere.

• Quite apart from the jazz festival, May is an excellent time to plan your St. Lucia holiday for. The Caribbean high season for tourism runs generally from December to April, and accommodation and flights tend to be at their most expensive in this period. In addition, the hurricane season begins in June and runs to November – making May easily the most attractive month to travel in, combining beautiful weather with cheaper prices.

• Make sure to sample the local culture on your St. Lucia holiday. This tiny island has a unique combination of different cultural heritages, with both British and French colonial pasts as well as African and indigenous cultures. The main language spoken among locals is a form of Creole based on French, and there is a vibrant culture worth seeing in this language – the most accessible form to tourists naturally being music. Taking time out to try some real local culture will make the trip feel all the more worthwhile.

• Safety is not a concern for most tourists travelling to St. Lucia. A hepatitis A jab is required, but this is standard procedure across the Caribbean and does not represent any risk other than the short pain of the injection! Crime has risen slightly in St. Lucia in recent years, but still remains low by any standards, and tourists have nothing to worry about in general.

The word “confrontation,” makes some of us very uncomfortable. When we contemplate talking to a friend about something they did that upset us, we’re filled with dread. We believe that confrontation is a recipe for disaster but in reality, the opposite is true. Sharing our concerns with our friends can actually improve our relationships, while holding back our feelings usually leads to greater problems.

Many of us don’t have a positive model of inter-personal confrontation. We grew up watching unproductive arguments between family members and in the media. We observed pointless nagging or explosions of tears; petulant tantrums or vicious contempt. We saw few problems being resolved and much pain being generated. No wonder we’re afraid of talking to our friends about how we feel.

Still, it doesn’t help to avoid dealing with the things that bother us in our relationships. When we hold back our feelings they accumulate internally, transforming into resentment and then into anger. Eventually, the anger begins to leak out as nasty remarks or passive-aggressive behaviors. Sometimes, it even explodes outward in a tirade against the friend. Our intention was to prevent conflict, but suppressing our needs and feelings tends to back-fire on us.

Another result of avoiding confrontation is that we become emotionally disconnected from our friends. When we aren’t honest with them about what’s bothering us, they don’t get to know who we really are. Not sharing our true feelings causes our relationships to stagnate or to break apart. Again, not the outcome we were hoping for when we chose to keep things to ourselves.

Obviously, the ideal is to learn how to communicate effectively, but this is not always easy: It’s one thing to tell our friends how much we care and how happy we are in the relationship; it’s another to express dissatisfaction or worse yet, anger.

We fear rejection, believing that if we’re not “nice” or “pleasing,” our friend will abandon us. We forget that a real friend won’t disappear at the first sign of difficulty; especially if we express ourselves in a reasonable and respectful manner.

If we were frustrated as children in our attempts to express our needs to the grown-ups in our life, we will grow to expect this in our adult relationships. If the people we grew up with were hostile, defensive or unreasonable when we tried to tell them that something was wrong, we become convinced as adults that our friends will behave similarly. Of course, this isn’t the case.

In fact, talking to our friends about the things they’ve done to upset us is one of the best ways for us to discover who they really are. If our friends are compassionate and responsive to what we tell them and are willing to change the problematic behaviors, it’s proof that they truly care about us.

If, on the other hand, they deny what they’ve done, get angry at us for bringing it up, or tell us that we’re over-reacting, this demonstrates that they aren’t willing or able to negotiate the relationship in good faith. Confrontation, for this reason, is an ideal way of distinguishing between our real and false friends. The only relationships at risk from confrontation are the ones not worth maintaining.

So, a few pointers on how to go about the scary business of confrontation: Most importantly, start by being affirming. Let your friend know how much you value the relationship, and that this is why you’re sharing your concerns.

Rather than being accusatory, simply tell them how their behavior made you feel. Make statements like, “When you were texting while I was trying to talk to you, it hurt me. It felt like you didn’t care about what I was saying.”

Avoid saying things like, “You always…” or “You never…” Likewise, it’s not a good idea to engage in name-calling. Remember, confrontation is supposed to resolve a problem; not to create another one.

Choose an appropriate time and place where you can have a meaningful conversation without any distractions, and where your friend isn’t likely to get embarrassed or become defensive; that is, not in front of other people.

Then, be quiet and pay attention to your friend’s reaction. How they respond will provide you with invaluable information. If you have confronted them in a loving, respectful and reasonable way, a good friend should respond similarly. Any other type of response will show you that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to resolve any issues with this person.

Confrontation is initially a daunting proposition but like anything else, the more often you try, the easier it will be and the better you’ll get at it. After a few successful attempts at talking to your friends about your needs and feelings, it will become second nature. Your friends will know where you stand, and you’ll be in the privileged position of knowing who your true friends really are.

(C) Marcia Sirota MD, 2010

Fun and games are always an inevitable part of entertainment for the young and the old alike. People in America celebrate this festival of charitable giving through their avid participation in the game of football that brings in waves of sheer joy and pleasure in the hearts of multitudes of fanatic football fans who are driven mad by football mania during this festive season. Over the years, football has become synonymous with this joyous festival of Thanksgiving.

Many interesting traditions permeate deep into the festival of Thanksgiving such as the game of football compliments this festival of merrymaking. Professional football was the last of the contemporary trends of celebrating the spirit of Thanksgiving. In 1874, eleven years after Lincoln’s proclamation, the first intercollegiate football game was played. Two year later the Intercollegiate Football Association was formed in the northeast, which instituted a championship game principally to amuse the people on Thanksgiving Day. Every year, strong competitors like Princeton and Yale would vie with each other to bag the most coveted winner’s trophy. Players, students and fans would wear their school colors as a mark of representation with banners flying high from carriages, hotels and business establishments of New York City. On Thanksgiving Day church services would wind up early to accommodate the fans, with the game kicking off the season of festivity for the social elite in New York. It had gained such popularity that soon by mid-1890s, 1,20,000 athletes from colleges, clubs and high schools partook in 5,000 Thanksgiving Day football games across the nation.

The custom of watching a match of football on Thanksgiving Day has evolved during the early decades of twentieth century. As football paved its way into the heart of the people winning hearts of millions, giving it a huge popularity as early as 1920s and 1930s and earning itself the much prestigious position that it enjoys at present, many people began to visit the football stadium to watch the same. Renowned teams playing for the world famous football league of America eventually established the tradition of playing nationally televised games on Thanksgiving afternoon. Besides the conventional competition organized by the nationally recognized football league in America, many high schools and colleges also organize “Turkey Day” football games over Thanksgiving weekend, often between regional or historic rival. However, Thanksgiving football played in schools and colleges of America, has now more or less faded into oblivion in most sections of the country with it being kept alive only in two franchise cities of this globally recognized football league of America, namely Detroit and Dallas, where Thanksgiving football is very much a way of life.

Thanksgiving football more often than not is associated with the team of Lions and a tradition that has been popular since 1934 in the city of Detroit. The game has been the idea of G.A. Richards, the first owner of the team with ferocious lion like quality players comprising the team. In fact four generations of Detroiters have been a proud part of the American celebration of Thanksgiving. Some 71 years later, fans residing in the state of Michigan have transformed a local event into an annual holiday event, giving it the shape of single greatest tradition in the history of American professional team sports. In fact no other team in professional sports can claim to be so much a part of an American holiday as that team with ferocious lion like players’ team with Thanksgiving. This team has hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934, with the exception of 1939-1944 due to World War II. The Dallas have also hosted football matches every Thanksgiving Day since 1966.

We thus find that it all saw its genesis in 1934 when a local radio executive, G.A. Richards, had purchased the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans and moved the team to Detroit, the Motor City. The Lions being nouveau arrive in town had taken a backseat to the Baseball Tigers in the sport pages. Richards had practical reasons for scheduling the game on Thanksgiving Day as he was also wise enough to figure out that the best way to give publicity to the team would be opting for the Thanksgiving Day contest for attracting the Motor City fans during the teams’ first season. The fierce clash between the Lions and the invincible World Champion, meaning the robust Bears of Chicago proved to be an all time classic. The Lions were exceptionally good with eight wins backing them, leading them to their entry alongside the Bears with a 10-1 record. But Chicago had even a better record holding a commanding position with 11 straight wins. The match then reached an interesting phase where a win in the sole fateful game would ensure whether the Lions will get the first-place tie with the Bears. Two weeks in advance of that fateful match, 26,000 tickets were sold out for the “Turkey Day” clash in the University of Detroit Stadium. Richards was not disheartened over the last two losses rather pretty content the way his team performed in its very first year. His faith and confidence in the team was well rewarded when Lions won the 1935 America’s popular football league Championship. The final match was scheduled on Thanksgiving Day when the Lions defeated the Bears 14-2 to bag the west Championship trophy. Radio with its huge publicity potential was used as a bait to capture the audience. Richards along with the nationally recognized broadcasting radio company, set up a 94-station network to broadcast the Lions-Bears showdown. Since then the league conventionally schedules two nationally televised games on Thanksgiving, usually featuring the famous football players of Dallas, one of the most successful and popular franchises in the sport and the players of Detroit, one of the least successful.

2006 will be the 87th season of globally acclaimed American football and is presumed to run from September 7 to New Year’s Eve, December 31. Three games have been ideally scheduled to be played on Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the traditional annual game between the world renowned American football players of Detroit and Dallas home games during that day, the Kansas City Chiefs who hosted games during their days in the football league of America, will relive that tradition in 2006 by hosting the players of Denver on Thanksgiving. All these games are scheduled to be broadcast in prime time.

Friends and family all over America usually prefer to huddle around their radio or TV sets to catch the live telecast of the match while munching on the special dishes prepared to commemorate Thanksgiving. Thus each Thanksgiving would actually revive the old, classic tradition of enjoying a match of football as a part of the celebration. Over decades, football and Thanksgiving has established a strong bond, leading to a high adrenaline rush.

Bikram Yoga is one of the newer forms of yoga fitness regimes to have taken off in popularity in recent years.

Also know as ‘hot ‘yoga’ it draw on aspects on traditional Hatha yoga and aims to improve your physical and mental strength, as well as overall flexibility and balance.

Named after it’s founder Bikram Choudhury, Bikram Yoga is practiced around the world with people flocking to classes for many reasons including general fitness, healing and physical therapy.

Bikram was a yoga practitioner and weightlifter back in his native India when he sustained an injury which stopped him fro competing. After a lot of determination he developed a system of yoga exercises which helped him to recover fully from his injuries. This system evolved onto Bikram Yoga.

The name ‘hot yoga’ comes from the fact that classes are held in a controlled but heated environment with a constant temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. At first this takes some getting used to, especially for people living in countries where they are not accustomed to such heat.

The concept of working in a heated environment is that you will be much less prone to injuries from stretching. Because your muscles are in a ‘warmed up’ state you can attempt to push yourself a bit further in the various asanas or poses. The likelihood of pulling a muscle in a Bikram class is greatly reduced as your body is relaxed and all your muscles, joints and tendons are moving with greater flexibility and range.

The heat also has a detoxifying effect on the body, due to the amount of sweating you are likely to do. It is not uncommon for attendees to lose several liters of fluid in one class due to the heat and the sustained exercise. The combined effect of the hot conditions and the structured set of exercises is designed to bring a range of holistic health benefits. Many people experience a euphoric- like wave of energy after each class.

Each Bikram class follows a strict set of procedures which does not deviate no matter which school or teacher you have. The class is based around 26 separate poses or asanas. The instructor guides the class through each exercise twice in a 90 minute period.

The asanas are designed to give the body a complete workout and include standing, sitting, and floor exercises. Each part of the body is worked on in turn, and the focus is on stretching of the muscles and tendons, as well as compression exercises which massage the internal organs and glands, releasing hormones and regenerating neglected tissue throughout the body.

The exercise helps to replenish the cells, flushing out toxins in the body and also oxygenating the blood supply keeping the body clean and healthy.

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love has it. Many in San Francisco want it…

Wireless broadband Internet access (WiFi) seems too good to be true. At

relatively low cost, anyone can get on the Internet anywhere in a city. All the city

needs to do is install WiFi antennas.

An argument in favor of citywide WiFi is that it will reduce the digital divide:

the poorer you are, the more limited your access to the Internet and its information

resources. Cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco are actively trying to close the

digital divide. One option is WiFi.

Yet in weighing the options, virtually nothing is heard about the potential health

risks. Saturating an entire city with WiFi adds to the existing burden of nonionizing

radiation. That burden, called electrosmog by some, consists of long-term

exposure to low-level concentrations of nonionizing radiation from familiar sources

like radio and TV signals, electronic and electrical devices, and the ubiquitous cell

phone.

Wireless Internet Access

Local area networks (LANs) link computers, printers, modems, and other

devices. Traditional LANs make the links physically using wire cable. Messages

between computers and the other devices on the network are managed by a device

called a router.

A wireless LAN does away with the wire cable by using a router that transmits and

receives radio signals. To use a wired LAN, you have to plug the computer or other

device into a wall socket. A wire leads from the socket to the router, which manages

signal traffic between the devices on the network.

With a wireless LAN, each device on the network is built so that it can send a signal

to the router and receive signals back. Wireless routers typically have a range of a

hundred to several hundred feet. The range can be increased by adding a booster

that increases the signal strength.

As with all radio signals, the closer you are to the transmitter (the router) the

stronger the signal. Cell phones work on the same principle. The difference is that

cell phones work at a different frequency and put out a stronger signal than wireless

LANs.

Radio Frequencies

Cell phones operate at frequencies in the 3 to 30 GHz range, similar to microwave

ovens. Wireless LANs operate at one tenth of that range–0.3 to 3 GHz, the range of

UHF television broadcasts. GHz stands for gigaHertz, a standard measure

of radio frequency radiation (RFR)–electromagnetic radiation created by

sending an alternating electrical current through an antenna. The higher the GHz,

the faster the current alternates.

Frequency by itself does not measure the potential effect of RFR. As you would

guess, the strength of the signal also matters. The strength of a signal is measured

in watts, a standard measure of electrical energy. For example, a 100 watt

light bulb is brighter because it puts out more energy than a 60 watt bulb.

Think of the effect of waves at the beach: small waves far apart (low strength, low

frequency) versus large wave close together (high strength, high frequency). The

former is likely to have less of an effect than the latter.

The exposure to RFR is measured using SAR–specific absorption rate. SAR is

expressed either in milliwatts/kilogram (mW/kg) of body weight or milliwatts/cubic

centimeter (mW/cm2) of exposed body area: the size of the wave and how much of

your body it strikes.

Health Risks

WiFi enthusiasts dismiss health risk concerns because the power output and SAR

exposure is significantly below the minimum standard set for cell phones. But cell

phone standards are set for the short term exposure of a cell phone in use pressed

to your head. In addition, the standards are set based on the thermal (heating) effect

of the radiation.

Nonthermal effects of cell phones are documented at exposures below the current

US standards, including

– memory loss,

– sleep disruption,

– slowed motor skills and reaction time,

– decreased immune function,

– spatial disorientation and dizziness,

– headaches,

– lowered sperm count,

– increased blood pressure and pulse,

– DNA breakage and reduced DNA repair capacity, and

– cell proliferation.

A second problem is that cell phone exposure is intermittent, whereas WiFi

exposure is constant. A more accurate comparison is to the effect of cell phone

broadcast antennas. These antennas send and receive radio frequency signals

constantly.

The signal strength from an antenna is comparable to a cell phone only at very close

range. The exposure is not a cell phone’s brief blast but a persistent bath of low-

strength RFR. In addition to the health effects documented for cell phone use,

exposure to cell phone antennas include

– increased blood pressure and pulse,

– sleep disruption,

– emotional effects such as increased depression and irritability,

– memory loss and mental fog,

– fatique and vertigo, and

– increased cancer risk.

Because of these effects, the International Association of Fire Fighters (AFL-CIO)

decided in 2004 that they will not permit cell phone antennas on fire houses.

RFR Hypersensitivity

Much of the discussion of RFR health effects is framed as a concern with people

who are hypersensitive. Hypersensitivity is the technical term for allergies

and similar immune system overreactions. But instead of pollen, RFR

hypersensitivity is a reaction to nonionizing

radiation. It seems that an unlucky few are affected while the rest of us are off the

hook.

Research by Olle Johansson and Örjan Halberg of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

suggests otherwise. They looked at the incidence of cancer in Europe and the US

and found a striking association between the increase in certain cancers during the

20th Century and exposure RFR as measured by radio and TV broadcasts.

What the hypersensitive really represent is one extreme in a complex landscape of

effects and risks. Just like any other environmental stressor, RFR will affect some

people more than others. And as with other environmental stressors, the greater the

overall burden, the greater the risk of becoming one of the the “unlucky few.”

Wireless LANs add to the existing burden of RFR. Just as burning more fossil fuels

adds more smog, adding more RFR adds more electrosmog. You don’t have to

expose your home or your city to the increased burden created by WiFi. There’s a

viable alternative: a wired LAN. The hype might make it seem less convenient and

more expensive. But what’s a good night’s sleep worth? Or reducing your risk of

cancer?

Resources

International Association of Fire Fighters. 2004. Position on the Health Effects from

Radio Frequency/Microwave (RF/MW) Radiation in Fire Department Facilities from

Base Stations for Antennas and Towers for the Conduction of Cell Phone

Transmissions. Access at http://www.iaff.org/safe/content/celltower/

celltowerfinal.htm.

Johansson, Olle and Doug Loranger. 2005. Electrosmog. Your Own Health And

Fitness. Broadcast November 29, 2005. http://yourownhealthandfitness.org/

radiation.html.

Sage, Cindy. 2005. Comment on San Francisco TechConnect Community Wireless

Broadband Initiative. Sage Associates: September 2005.

If you own a kayak then you know how important it is to keep it in good working order. One of the ways to do this is with garage storage. There are many different kinds of kayak storage systems to choose from, but you want to find one that will keep your kayak up and off the ground, out of the way, and one that is easy to use.

One of the things you need to do when using kayak garage storage systems is prepare your boat for storage. You need to clean out the unit itself, check all the seams for wear and tear, clean the surfaces down carefully so any build up doesn’t stay on and damage your kayak while storing it. Kayak storage also means prepping your unit as well, applying the right sealant to the outside, covering it with a tarp or specially made kayak cover, and making sure that there is no moisture inside the boat itself.

Other things to keep in mind when setting up garage storage is make sure that is is in a dry place, making sure that you take the extra time to hang up any wet gear before storing your kayak for any length of time. Once you have over hauled your boat, then you need to make sure that all it’s components are with the unit, and this can be easily done by putting all you equipment and gear inside.

You can do several things when it comes to storing your kayak in the garage. There are simple as well as elaborate kayak storage systems, with prices ranging from under fifty dollars to well over a hundred.. For an example, if you want an economical as well as simple way to store your kayak on the wall there is the Boat Keeperz Storage System. This system include two, 2″ wide polypro straps, with secure lock fasteners and zinc plated 2.5″ lag bolts for stud mounting. Your boa simply sits in the straps, and can be secured with with Velcro loops and quick release buckles. This is a lightweight and economical way to store your boat up and out of the way. Each loop is 3′ long and weighs just 4.2 ounces, and is available in black. This system costs just $34.95.

For a more secure kayak garage storage solution, there is also Kayak Wall Cradles. These hook like mounting brackets are permanently attached to your garage wall with lag bolts. They are powder coated with cushions support where the hooks are, and are lightweight, yet strong enough to hold even ocean style kayaks. They are twenty four inches long, and fourteen inches wide. They are sold in pairs for just under $70.

These are just a few of the many selections for kayak storage. There are some other unique ways to do kayak garage storage systems, from hanging over head hooks, to manual lift elevators. The most important thing is that you keep your kayak storage simple, cost effective, and safe. Doing so will ensure that your kayak will be in good operating condition every time you use it, whether you take it out on a regular basis or not.