December 17 | Go Physically Deeper in Yoga Poses If you're looking to go deeper in your physical asana practice, learning a bit about your body's mechanics is a great way to start. Try using the following in your next practice session and see for yourself it allows you to open up a little more and allow you to move a little deeper in your pose. There are a variety of spinal cord reflex arcs that regulate tension and muscle length during your pose. These arcs automatically occur during movement of the body on varying degrees as a protective mechanism to ensure that the muscle does not get hurt. The reflex arcs are similar to the one that I’m sure you have seen or experienced when a physician taps the front of your knee with a rubber mallet -- your lower leg moves forward, without you doing anything -- that is a spinal cord reflex. Ballistic Stretching On the other hand, passive stretching would be using one’s own body weight, gravity or props to create a stretch. Active Static Stretching Let’s use Janu Sirsasana as an example.
Unions aren't to blame for Wisconsin's budget Posted at 9:36 AM ET, 02/18/2011 By Ezra Klein Let's be clear: Whatever fiscal problems Wisconsin is -- or is not -- facing at the moment, they're not caused by labor unions. That's also true for New Jersey, for Ohio and for the other states. There was no sharp rise in collective bargaining in 2006 and 2007, no major reforms of the country's labor laws, no dramatic change in how unions organize. Blame the banks. Of course, the fact that public-employee pensions didn't cause a meltdown at Lehman Brothers doesn't mean they're not stressing state budgets, and that the pensions they've been promised don't exceed what state budgets seem able to bear. In fact, it particularly doesn't work for what Walker is attempting in Wisconsin. More than half of the lower estimate ($117.2 million) is due to the impact of Special Session Senate Bill 2 (health savings accounts), Assembly Bill 3 (tax deductions/credits for relocated businesses), and Assembly Bill 7 (tax exclusion for new employees).
Hearts In Harmony | Love That Lasts Forever "Blood diamond" regulation system broken The recent approval of Zimbabwean diamonds mined from the $800bn Marange fields by the Kimberley Process (KP) chair, the DRC's Mathieu Yamba Lapfa Lambang, has prompted a global "human rights" outcry with KP members such as Canada, the EU, and the US claiming there was "no consensus". Meanwhile, other countries like China (the world's fastest growing diamond consumer market), and India (which cuts and polishes 11 of 12 stones) have all given the green light to Zimbabwe, removing any potential problems of surplus minerals from Marange, which has been described by Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti as "the biggest find of alluvial diamonds in the history of mankind". With potential revenues pegged at $1-1.7bn annually, the support of neighbouring governments like South Africa, another major diamond producer, and "host" country to 3 million Zimbabwean political and economic "refugees", is not surprising. Governments given a free pass No matter. De Beers funds African conflicts
How to Grow Your Own Lemon Tree From Seed Even in northern climates and in the dead of winter, a productive lemon tree can be growing inside of your home or garage. They are quite beautiful in appearance, both in regard to their dark-green leaves and their snow-white blooms, and they also emit a pleasant, refreshing fragrance. To grow your own lemon tree, you will need to obtain the following: An organic lemon since non-organic lemons often contain non-germinating seeds Fertile potting soil, preferably containing peat, vermiculite, perlite, and natural fertilizers A planting pot that is six inches wide and six inches deep A seedling pot that is about 24 inches wide by 12 inches deep A sunny, indoor growing location and possibly a grow lamp Follow these steps to grow your own lemon tree: Moisten the potting soil so that it is damp, but not soaked, all the way through. Eventually, your hard work will pay off with a fruit-bearing tree. Watch YouTube Gardener Mitchell Boyle's Technique For Growing Lemons...
Labor Rights Now! How to Release the Stress stored in our Bodies Do you spend much time sitting in front of a computer, on a plane, in a car? If so your hips may be locked up which effects your ability to dance, but worse than that it may be causing you undue stress and fear. The Psoas Muscle, is a long muscle located on the side of the lumbar region of the vertebral column and brim of the pelvis, that is also known as the “muscle of the soul”. It is one of the largest muscles in the body and it is a place where we often store stress or trauma that can literally influence our mood and our outlook on life. In humans, the extremes of the two polarities might appropriately be described as LOVE (+) and FEAR (- ). If you spend long hours sitting, your hips may be locked up, causing you undue stress and fear How built up stress makes us easy to manipulate Being in a state of fear allows us to be easily manipulated. The effects of stress on the body Where is a majority of the stress stored? There are many yoga poses to stretch the psoas muscle
Foxconn sees latest worker suicide following Chengdu fire｜Economy The latest suicide by a Foxconn employee brings to thirteen the number of such worker deaths since January last year. Picture: Outside Foxconn's Chengdu plant, the site of an explosion last week. (File Photo/CFP) Nearly a week after an explosion at Foxconn's factory in Chengdu, one of the company's employees jumped to his death from his apartment in the local township of Deyuan. The employee, a 20-year-old whose surname is Hou, committed suicide on Thursday morning (May 26) without specifying the reason, said a person familiar with the matter. The latest death is the thirteenth in a string of suicides among Foxconn employees since the first tragedy was reported on January 23, 2010. Gou traveled to the company's Shenzhen factory in person to handle the twelfth suicide case on May 26 last year, since when the company has raised wages and pledged to improve working conditions to limit the damage to its reputation. References: Foxconn 富士康 Terry Gou 郭台銘