Brilliant Body Mind Spirit

Obama Warns of Trillion-Dollar Deficit Potential

2009-01-07T09:58:00.003-06:00

By JEFF ZELENY and EDMUND L. ANDREWSWASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday braced Americans for the unparalleled prospect of “trillion-dollar deficits for years to come,” a stark assessment of the budgetary outlook that he said would force his administration to impose tighter fiscal discipline on the government.Mr. Obama sought to distinguish between the need to run what is likely

A Pitch for Mass Transit

2009-01-05T11:29:00.001-06:00

Unlike President Bush, Barack Obama is going to enter office with a clear appreciation of the urgent problems of climate change and America’s growing dependency on foreign oil — and a strong commitment to address both.One way he can do this is to give mass transit — trains, buses, commuter rails — the priority it deserves and the full financial and technological help it needs and has long been

Relentless Challenger of Apartheid System, Is Dead at 91

2009-01-02T09:13:00.001-06:00

By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELLHelen Suzman, the internationally renowned anti-apartheid campaigner who befriended the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and offered an often lonely voice for change among South Africa’s white minority, died in Johannesburg early on Thursday, a family member said. She was 91.Her son-in-law, Jeffrey Jowell, a law professor in London, said she died peacefully at her home in

And the Fighting Continues in the Middle East

2008-12-30T13:47:00.003-06:00

War Over GazaBy ETHAN BRONNER and TAGHREED EL-KHODARYPublished: December 30, 2008Israel must defend itself. And Hamas must bear responsibility for ending a six-month cease-fire this month with a barrage of rocket attacks into Israeli territory. Still we fear that Israel’s response — devastating airstrikes that represent the largest military operation in Gaza since 1967 — is unlikely to weaken the

The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself

2008-12-29T10:28:00.007-06:00

In Desperate Times, the Rise to Take the Reins and Take On Fear ItselfBy EDWARD ROTHSTEINHYDE PARK, N.Y. — As winds howl through the empty rooms of failed financial institutions and foreclosed homes, as unemployment statistics spike and stocks plunge, as an era of high hopes stutters with fear, and seeming shelters shake on fraudulent foundations, who would not hope that new leadership might

Angry Youths Become a Force in Darfur

2008-12-23T10:05:00.004-06:00

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR HAMIDIYA CAMP, Sudan — The sheik was in a panic. The agitated youth in this West Darfur refugee camp, young men and adolescents who traditionally would have deferred to his authority, had gotten wind of his presence at a ceremony also attended by an official with the Sudanese government, their longtime antagonists. Terrified that the youths would accuse him of

Obama's choice for U.N. Strong Advocate for Action Against Mass Killings

2008-12-22T16:00:00.002-06:00

By PETER BAKER CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his foreign policy adviser, Susan E. Rice, to be ambassador to the United Nations, picking an advocate of “dramatic action” against genocide as he rounds out his national security team, Democrats close to the transition said Sunday. Mr. Obama intends to announce Ms. Rice’s selection at a news conference here Monday

W. Mark Felt, Watergate Deep Throat, Dies at 95

2008-12-19T13:55:00.002-06:00

By TIM WEINER W. Mark Felt, who was the No. 2 official at the F.B.I. when he helped bring down President Richard M. Nixon by resisting the Watergate cover-up and becoming Deep Throat, the most famous anonymous source in American history, died Thursday. He was 95 and lived in Santa Rosa, Calif. His death was confirmed by Rob Jones, his grandson. In 2005, Mr. Felt revealed that he was

A humerous look at the Change of White House Décor when Obama Enters Office?

2008-12-18T13:50:00.003-06:00

By PENELOPE GREEN EVER since Mary Todd Lincoln overshot the White House decorating budget by $6,700 (a third of her $20,000 appropriation), infuriating her husband and delighting a press corps that had already turned against her, the redecoration of the president’s house has been a public relations minefield. Some new administrations tiptoe through it unscathed; others are less nimble,

Iowa Justices Hear Same-Sex Marriage Case

2008-12-17T10:58:00.001-06:00

By KIRK JOHNSON In a case that could make Iowa the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage, the Iowa Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed lawyers for both sides with sharp questions on topics like the 4,000-year-old history of marriage and whether a ruling favoring gay couples would open the door to polygamy. The legal core of the case, Varnum v. Brien, is whether the state’s

Freedom Fighter in Life Becomes Potent Symbol in Death

2008-12-16T10:12:00.001-06:00

One of the first scenes in “Milk” is of a pick-up in a New York subway station. It’s 1970, and an insurance executive in a suit and tie catches sight of a beautiful, scruffy younger man — the phrase “angel-headed hipster” comes to mind — and banters with him on the stairs. The mood of the moment, which ends up with the two men eating birthday cake in bed, is casual and sexy, and its flirtatious

Barred From Zimbabwe, but Not Silent

2008-12-15T09:45:00.005-06:00

By CELIA W. DUGGER JOHANNESBURG — Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, 84, managed to keep three members of the Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela to tackle intractable problems, out of Zimbabwe over the weekend. But the members gave Mr. Mugabe and leaders from across southern Africa an earful on Monday about Zimbabwe’s grave humanitarian crisis and their responsibility to act more

Gay Marriage and a Moral Minority

2008-12-11T09:50:00.002-06:00

By CHARLES M. BLOW Published: November 29, 2008 We now know that blacks probably didn’t tip the balance for Proposition 8. Myth busted. However, the fact remains that a strikingly high percentage of blacks said they voted to ban same-sex marriage in California. Why?There was one very telling (and virtually ignored) statistic in CNN’s exit poll

Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Ban Inspires New Wave of Activists

2008-12-10T09:54:00.003-06:00

By JESSE McKINLEY Published: December 9, 2008SAN FRANCISCO — They’re calling it Stonewall 2.0.Outraged by California voters’ ban on same-sex marriage, a new wave of advocates, shaken out of a generational apathy, have pushed to the forefront of the gay rights movement, using freshly minted grass-roots groups and embracing not only new technologies but also old-school methods like sit-ins and

Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies

2008-12-04T09:27:00.003-06:00

Odetta, the singer whose resonant voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 77.The cause was heart disease, her manager, Doug Yeager, said.Odetta, who lived in Upper Manhattan, had been admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital three weeks ago with a number of ailments, including kidney trouble, Mr. Yeager said. In

Puck's Gay Love Potion Splashed Across Town

2008-11-21T10:47:00.006-06:00

A Note From Alan:Puck's love potion sprinkled in the eyes of all who voted for Proposition 8 . Might turn this world into a love friendly world versus a hate filled world. (In regards, to California's Gay Marriage Ban.)By STEPHEN HOLDEN Published: November 21, 2008What teenager hasn’t fantasized about wielding magic to transform an indifferent object of desire into a besotted lover? In “Were the

Everybody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

2008-11-21T10:38:00.002-06:00

Joe Biden has been a Senator for 36 years. He has vast understanding of constitutional law and foreign affairs, among other topics. But his most important qualification for Vice President is that his wife and daughter were killed and two sons badly injured in a tragic auto accident in 1972. At least that is the impression you get from listening to Barack Obama and other Democrats as they tout

Obama Affirms Climate Change Goals

2008-11-20T10:04:00.003-06:00

By JOHN M. BRODER Published: November 18, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama, in strongly-worded remarks to a gathering of governors and foreign officials on Tuesday, said he had no intention of softening or delaying his aggressive targets for reducing emissions that cause the warming of the planet.Speaking by video to a climate conference in Los Angeles, Mr. Obama repeated his

Across U.S., Big Rallies for Same-Sex Marriage

2008-11-19T10:41:00.005-06:00

By JESSE McKINLEY Published: November 15, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO — In one of the nation’s largest displays of support for gay rights, tens of thousands of people in cities across the country turned out in support of same-sex marriage on Saturday, lending their voices to an issue that many gay men and lesbians consider a critical step to full

Military Retirees Call for Repeal of Policy on Gays

2008-11-18T10:36:00.003-06:00

More than 100 retired generals and admirals called Monday for the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays so they can serve opnely, according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press.The move by the military veterans confronts the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama with a thorny political and cultural issues that dogged former President Bill

Sister Emmanuelle, Revered in France for Candor and Caring, Is Dead at 99

2008-11-17T09:40:00.002-06:00

A Note from Alan: A Great Example of Moral IQ in Today's World. Serving the Poor and Needy.By BRUCE WEBER Published: October 24, 2008“When you hear this message, I will no longer be there,” the voice, characteristically spirited, confident, just a little bit cheeky and familiar to all of France, said on a tape released this week. The words were those of Sister Emmanuelle, a nun revered for her

A New You....When I Snap my Fingers Twice You Will...

2008-11-14T10:19:00.005-06:00

By JANE E. BRODY Published: November 3, 2008 My husband, Richard, smoked cigarettes for 50 years, having failed several attempts to quit on his own. When a friend told him in August 1994 that hypnosis had enabled her to quit, he decided to give it a try.“It didn’t work; I wasn’t hypnotized,” he declared after his one and only session. But it did

They’ve Got Your Number

2008-11-13T10:09:00.004-06:00

By ROB WALKER Published: October 31, 2008Maybe you’re the kind of person who doesn’t believe that the kind of person you are can be deduced by an algorithm and expressed through shorthand categorizations like “urban youth” or “hearth keeper.” Maybe I’d agree with you, and maybe we’re right. But the kind of people — “crack mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers” — whom Stephen Baker

Finally, a Thin President

2008-11-12T09:42:00.004-06:00

By COLSON WHITEHEAD Published: November 5, 2008OVER the coming days and weeks, there will be many “I never thought I’d see the day” pieces, but none of them will be more overflowing with “I never thought I’d see the day”-ness than this one. I’m black, you see, and I haven’t gained a pound since college. I skip breakfast most days, have maybe half a sandwich for lunch, and sometimes I forget to

Our Founding Father's Eternal Revolution

2008-11-11T11:21:00.004-06:00

By ORLANDO PATTERSON Published: November 7, 2008BARACK OBAMA’S victory marks the end of another magnificent chapter in America’s experience of democracy. But rather than being seen as a radical transition, it is best viewed as part of an ever-evolving process that began with the election of George Washington in 1789. To interpret it as a foundational change, ushering something new and unknown,

Obama and the War on Brains

2008-11-10T09:36:00.003-06:00

Barack Obama’s election is a milestone in more than his pigmentation. The second most remarkable thing about his election is that American voters have just picked a president who is an open, out-of-the-closet, practicing intellectual.Maybe, just maybe, the result will be a step away from the anti-intellectualism that has long been a strain in American life. Smart and educated leadership is no

Yma Sumac, Vocalist of the Exotic, Dies at 86

2008-11-06T10:07:00.001-06:00

Yma Sumac, a Peruvian singer who burst on the American scene in the 1950s in a tornado of exotic publicity with a voice that glided preternaturally across four octaves, leading her to top record charts, fill nightclubs and become a cult heroine, died Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 86.Her death was announced on her Web site, yma-sumac.com. The Associated Press quoted her assistant, Damon Devine,

What else is there left to say...wow

2008-11-05T10:14:00.002-06:00

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” said Mr. Obama, standing before a huge wooden lectern with a row of American flags at his back, casting his eyes to a crowd that stretched far into the

Do Your Civic Duty: VOTE!

2008-11-04T09:45:00.003-06:00

Americans went to the polls on Tuesday to choose the next president of the United States, deciding whether Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain was better suited to guide the nation through an economic crisis at home and two wars abroad.In voting booths in every corner of the land, the people were collectively writing the ending to a political saga that has been unfolding for nearly two

An All-Out Attack on ‘Conservative Misinformation’

2008-11-03T09:20:00.002-06:00

WASHINGTON — They are some of the more memorable slip-ups or slights within the news media’s coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign. A Fox News anchor asks whether Senator Barack Obama and his wife had greeted each other with a “terrorist fist jab.” Rush Limbaugh calls military personnel critical of the war in Iraq “phony soldiers.” Mr. Limbaugh and another Fox host repeat an accusation

A Line in the Sand for Same-Sex Marriage Foes

2008-10-30T09:51:00.002-05:00

While the battle over same-sex marriage has been all but invisible in the presidential race this year, it is raging like a wind-whipped wildfire in California.Conservative religious leaders from across the country are pouring time, talent and millions of dollars into the state in support of Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. They are hoping to reverse a California Supreme Court

A Onetime McCain Insider Is Now Offering Advice (Unwanted) From the Outside

2008-10-29T09:56:00.005-05:00

When former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama on Sunday, most Republicans stepped in line behind Senator John McCain, declaring that the endorsement would have little bearing on the course of the presidential contest.With one notable exception. “A real sledgehammer blow to an already staggering campaign,” declared Mike Murphy in a verdict that ricocheted across

Austria Confronts a Leader’s Gay Sexuality

2008-10-28T09:42:00.002-05:00

By DAN BILEFSKY Published: October 23, 2008 PRAGUE — There were rumors for years, but they were widely ignored in Austria, a conservative nation not much interested in prying into the private lives of its leaders. Now, grieving over the death of Jörg Haider, the charismatic far-right politician, the country has been forced to confront directly

The Party of Yesterday

2008-10-27T10:27:00.005-05:00

By TIMOTHY EGAN Published: October 26, 2008Two years ago, a list of the nation’s brainiest cities was put together from Census Bureau reports — that is, cities with the highest percentage of college graduates, which is not the same as smart, of course. These are vibrant, prosperous places where a knowledge economy and cool things to do after hours attract people from all over the country. Among

Will The Green Movement be Killed By The Economy?

2008-10-24T11:08:00.005-05:00

The 2 is back. Last week, U.S. retail gasoline prices fell below $3 a gallon — to an average of $2.91 — the lowest level in almost a year. Why does this news leave me with mixed feelings?Because in the middle of this wrenching economic crisis, with unemployment rising and 401(k)’s shrinking, it would be a real source of relief for many Americans to get a break at the pump. Today’s declining

Obama Takes Time for a Woman Dear to Him

2008-10-23T10:08:00.004-05:00

In his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president, Senator Barack Obama spoke of how his grandmother started as a secretary without a college degree and worked her way up to be a vice president of a bank.“She’s the one who taught me about hard work,” Mr. Obama said in that speech in Denver. “She’s the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a

RNC Spends Thousands on Clothes for Palin & Family

2008-10-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

Is she a maverick, or a clotheshorse? The Republican National Committee paid more than $150,000 for clothing, makeup and accessories in September that apparently went to Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, according to an article on Politico.com. That included $9,447.71 to Macy’s, $789.72 to Barneys New York, $5,102.71 to Bloomingdales; $49,425.74 to Saks Fifth Avenue and $4,902.45 to Atelier. In

The Chronicle endorses Barack Obama for president and Joe Biden for vice president of the United States

2008-10-21T10:00:00.003-05:00

Rarely in our country's history has the electorate gone to the polls to choose a new president in such challenging times with more at stake for the nation. The economy is tottering under the strains of a global financial crisis unleashed by the unregulated excesses of U.S. lending institutions. American soldiers continue to fight and die in two separate conflicts that remain open-ended. At home

Homosexual Culture: Corpus Christi & The Laramie Project

2008-10-20T09:28:00.005-05:00

FOR American gay culture this month marks a doubly somber anniversary.Ten years ago, on Oct. 12, Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, died in a Colorado hospital almost a week after two men viciously beat him and left him tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyo. That same night Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi,” about 13 gay men who perform the story of Jesus, had its final preview

Harvey Milk: 30 Years Later a Film is Made

2008-10-17T09:48:00.003-05:00

LOS ANGELES — One morning in 1978 a disgruntled San Francisco politician, Dan White, climbed through a City Hall window, assassinated Mayor George Moscone, then shot and killed an openly gay adversary on the city’s Board of Supervisors named Harvey Milk.It was a fractured moment in a troubled time and place. Memories of it soon will be roiling the Oscar race. On Oct. 28 Focus Features expects to

Not Sure When Baseball became Important in the Presidential Elections....but Apparently it is Now

2008-10-16T10:47:00.004-05:00

Palin Splits Her Baseball Loyalties By Mark Leibovich Gov. Sarah Palin has added a twist on the old baseball maxim of “root root root for the home team” – as in, “root, root, root for the home team, depending on where you are.” As The Caucus noted, Ms. Palin visited Salem, N.H. Wednesday night and said she looked forward to

Progress: Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal in Connecticut

2008-10-15T09:31:00.003-05:00

A sharply divided Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the state’s civil union law on Friday and ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Connecticut thus joins Massachusetts and California as the only states to have legalized gay marriages. The ruling, which cannot be appealed and is to take effect on Oct. 28, held that a state law limiting marriage to heterosexual

Obama Details Plan to Aid Victims of Fiscal Crisis

2008-10-14T10:05:00.002-05:00

TOLEDO, Ohio — Senator Barack Obama proposed new steps on Monday to address the economic crisis, calling for temporary but costly new programs to help employers, automakers, homeowners, the unemployed, and state and local governments.In an address here, Mr. Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, proposed giving employers a $3,000 tax credit for each new hire to encourage job creation. He

Alaska Inquiry Concludes Palin Abused Powers

2008-10-13T09:33:00.004-05:00

Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, an investigation by the Alaska Legislature has concluded. The inquiry found, however, that she was within her right to dismiss her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, who was the trooper’s boss.A 263-page report released Friday by lawmakers in Alaska

Palins Repeatedly Pressed Case Against Trooper

2008-10-10T09:31:00.003-05:00

ANCHORAGE — The 2007 state fair was days away when Alaska’s public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, took another call about one of his troopers, Michael Wooten. This time, the director of Gov. Sarah Palin’s Anchorage office was on the line.As Mr. Monegan recalls it, the aide said the governor had heard that Trooper Wooten was assigned to work the kickoff to the fair in late August. If so, Mr.

Taxpayers, Not Lenders, Would Bear Costs of McCain’s Mortgage Proposal

2008-10-09T09:30:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON — The homeowner assistance plan that Senator John McCain announced without detail in the presidential debate Tuesday night would allow millions of financially stretched Americans to refinance their mortgages with government help, but it would leave taxpayers to cover the losses, rather than the financial institutions that hold the original mortgages.Mr. McCain said in the debate that

Palin’s Kind of Patriotism

2008-10-08T09:35:00.002-05:00

Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can’t just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the

Lessons from the Spirit World. Why McCain and Obama should visit Lily Dale

2008-10-07T09:19:00.003-05:00

Where do you go to get your vision corrected, your crystal ball polished? I figured August offered one last chance to check the instruments before the campaign homestretch. And in an election year haunted by all kinds of ghosts, I thought I'd check in with the people who talk to the dead all the time--just to get a different feel for the spirits that move us.A hundred years ago, the New York

Who You Callin’ a Maverick?

2008-10-06T10:23:00.005-05:00

There’s that word again: maverick. In Thursday’s vice-presidential debate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the Republican candidate, used it to describe herself and her running mate, Senator John McCain, no fewer than six times, at one point calling him “the consummate maverick.” But to those who know the history of the word, applying it to Mr. McCain is a bit of a stretch — and to one Texas family

Spiritual Leaders for Obama

2008-10-03T15:02:00.003-05:00

Deepak Chopra Jean Houston Jack Kornfield Sylvia Boorstein Roshi Joan Halifax Sharon Salzberg Marc Barasch Stephan Rechtschaffen Reggie Ray Cyndi Lee Jon Kabat-Zi Jack Canfield Julia Butterfly Hill Gay & Katie Hendricks Rabbi Michael Lerner Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi Sharon Gannon David Life Swami Beyondananda

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

2008-10-03T14:40:00.005-05:00

Hi all,Twitter is amazing. I keep finding the most humorous gems. I thought you guys might find this one funny. Especially after that horrible Katie Couric Interview. Yeesh! Love your way... you are Brilliant! Alan Davidson is the author of the Free report "Body Breakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak Your Physical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for a

Obama, Obama, Obama

2008-10-03T14:28:00.001-05:00

Love your way... you are Brilliant! Alan Davidson is the author of the Free report "Body Breakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak Your Physical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for a Sensational Life" available at www.throughyourbody.com Alan is also the author of Body Brilliance: Mastering Your Five Vital Intelligences (IQs) http://

Television Networks Love the VP Debate

2008-10-03T14:21:00.001-05:00

Big Ratings for V.P. Debate By Brian Stelter Democrats and Republicans are both claiming victory in Thursday’s vice-presidential debate. Soon a third party may cite a win as well: the television networks that showed the event. Preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research indicate strong interest in the matchup between

Play Palin Bingo

2008-10-02T09:46:00.002-05:00

Hi Guys,Came across this on the web and thought it was too funny! Enjoy!Click Here Love your way... you are Brilliant! Alan Davidson is the author of the Free report "Body Breakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak Your Physical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for a Sensational Life" available at www.throughyourbody.com Alan is also the author of Body

Poll Finds Obama Gaining Support and McCain Weakened in Bailout Crisis

2008-10-02T09:35:00.002-05:00

With the first presidential debate completed and both candidates grappling with the turmoil on Wall Street and in Washington, Senator Barack Obama is showing signs of gaining significant support among voters with less than five weeks left until Election Day, while Senator John McCain’s image has been damaged by his response to the financial crisis if (

McCain's Firebrand Style vs. Obama's Cerebral Style

2008-10-01T10:12:00.003-05:00

It was classic John McCain and classic Barack Obama who grappled with the $700 billion bailout plan over the last week: Mr. McCain was by turns action-oriented and impulsive as he dive-bombed targets, while Mr. Obama was measured and cerebral and inclined to work the phones behind the scenes. Mr. McCain, who came of age in a chain-of-command culture, showed once again that he believes that

Biden vs. Palin: Funny and Educational Video

2008-09-30T11:44:00.004-05:00

GOOD: Palin vs. Biden

Obama: To Thine Own Self Be True

2008-09-30T10:59:00.004-05:00

Is Barack Obama too cool to be elected president? That's what some of his own supporters are wondering after the first presidential debate. We aren't talking here about the kind of cool that makes you one of the most popular kids in school. Instead, the cool at issue here is the kind that means being low-key, a bit reserved and short on emotional displays. Desirable as such characteristics may be

Make a Donation to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's Name

2008-09-29T11:51:00.003-05:00

By Julie Bosman “Make a donation to Planned Parenthood,” the anonymous e-mail message urged. “Of any amount. In Sarah Palin’s name.” The message, which began circulating widely on the Internet last week, had one more instruction: request that the personalized thank-you card from Planned Parenthood be sent to Ms. Palin, the

American Prayer

2008-09-25T15:32:00.001-05:00

Stories come alive through the radio

2008-09-25T14:33:00.004-05:00

I came across several radio interviews that I did promoting my book "Body Brilliance" and my work and I thought several of my readers out there might be interested. Enjoy!Click here to listen to my interview with Michael Taylor of "A New Conversation with Men" about Overcoming Adversity with the Five Intelligences.Click here to listen in as Francesca Gentille and I discuss Mastering the Laws of

Afternoon of Yoga and Meditation Rescheduled

2008-09-23T14:46:00.001-05:00

Hello All!Due to Hurricane Ike's lasting effects we have made the decision to reschedule the "Afternoon of Yoga & Meditation" to October 19th. If you registered for this event we will be contacting you shortly to see if this date change coordinates with your schedule. If you have not registered, we still have several available spaces but are expecting them to go fast! Our limit is 50 individuals,

Sensory IQ or Sensory Amnesia: You Get to Choose

2008-06-24T15:49:00.003-05:00

Quick Sensory IQ Test for Feeling Great! We each have five vital intelligences; physical, emotional, mental, moral, and spiritual. Each of these IQs can be measured, and more importantly, boosted. Sensation is the language of the body. Mastering the four pillars of physical IQ; strength, flexibility, grace, and bearing, rest on your ability to sense your body. They fall into three

Body, Mind, Spirit Play

2008-02-18T08:17:00.003-06:00

© Alan Davidson- All Rights reserved The stained-glass windows in my Houston studio were flung open on a crisp spring day. I was dressing the massage table for my next client when I heard the faint sound of laughter. My third-story walk-up studio was near Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, and I had a bird’s-eye view of the playground from my bathroom window. It sprawled over an entire half block

Yoga in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2008-01-09T08:27:00.000-06:00

Yoga is 99% practice and 1% knowledge. Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois Big Al’s Rishikesh Series (with a Twist) Now that you’ve warmed up, you are ready to try the Rishikesh Series of poses, adapted by me, as illustrated on the following pages: · The Triangle: Trikonasana · The Tree:

Warm-up Stretches in Somatic Body MInd Spirit Integration

2008-01-08T09:42:00.000-06:00

Warm-up Stretches The following are some simple exercises to wake up and limber the body. All of these movements work more effectively in combination with the traditional hatha yoga breath for stretching: ujjayi (prohounced oo-JAH-ya). I call it the Darth Vader breath. · Keeping your lips closed inhale slowly through your nose. Close your

Rishikesh Yoga in Somatic Body MInd Spirit Integration

2008-01-03T07:14:00.002-06:00

The Rishishikesh SeriesEverything is in a state of vibration; everything is energy waves. Your body also vibrates at a specific wavelength. You learn to tune to specific wavelengths to get specific energy for strength or power.Swami Vishnu-devananda HOUSTON, Late Spring 1993: The room was just large enough for the two of us to lie still, like corpses, on the floor. Black bookshelves

Crow Pose in Yoga--Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2008-01-02T08:45:00.000-06:00

Flashback to my yoga class: Kay was leading us in the “crow,” and the pose challenged even her that morning. “Ohhh,” I groaned audibly. The “crow” was an advanced position that I just couldn’t seem to master. I slowly bent my knees into a squat and placed my hands on the floor. The idea was to crouch forward, balancing the knees just above the elbows, lift the feet of the floor and support the

Muscle’s Stretch Reflex in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2008-01-01T08:34:00.000-06:00

There are several ways to re-educate a muscle’s stretch reflex. The first is simply to wait it out. Hatha yoga relies on this traditional method of stretching by encouraging the student to go as far into a stretch as one can safely hold that position. If that pose occurs in concert with concentrated breathing, supported by good strength, the nerve’s stretch reflex will exhaust itself. Once

Thomas Hanna in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-31T08:30:00.000-06:00

Our muscles develop learned habits. Repeated muscle movements—ranging over a period of time—are the simplest form of body learning. However, very subtle but poor movement habits also affect muscle tone. If a muscle completely relaxes after a movement it has a tonus of zero. If, however, a muscle does not completely relax after its movement, the tonus can climb to 10, 20, 30 or even 40 percent

Muscle tonus in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-30T09:23:00.000-06:00

Over the years, I have seen how stretching complements the massage and bodywork I offer to clients and receive myself. The effects on the muscles and connective tissues are dramatic. I know my own posture has improved, and I feel more graceful as I move through space. Thanks to the yoga asanas, which mean “steady pose,” I know I’m more flexible. But flexibility represents much more than

Yoga Buzz in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-29T07:36:00.000-06:00

America is abuzz about yoga. The poses known as Sun Salutations are a staple now on American TV. Statistics from The New York Times estimate that as many as 12 million Americans do yoga. Forty percent of American health and fitness centers offer hatha yoga, with more facilities added all the time. A recent search on Amazon.com pulls up more than 1,350 yoga book titles. Celebrity interest

Yoga in Body Mind Spirit (Somatic) Integration

2007-12-28T10:10:00.000-06:00

Yoga Down How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see. Tao Te Ching, verse 21 (Mitchell) HOUSTON, Summer 2000: "Downward-facing dog," called out Kay Wescott, my yoga teacher. Like a dog doing a lazy wake-up stretch, she stood on all fours and stretched out her arms and chest, her body a sinuous upside-down “V.” I did my best to follow suit, spreading my fingers

Five Tibetans #5 in Somatic Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-26T23:04:00.000-06:00

Tibetan Five Lie facedown with your hands, palms down, resting by your chest. Lift into a push up, walk your feet forward and roll up on the balls of your feet. Your body makes an upside-down V. Stretch your arms and legs long. Breathing in, tighten your abdominal muscles and glutes as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. Your chin points toward the sky. Your torso

Five Tibetans #3 in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

Five Tibetans # ThreeKneel with your palms gently holding the backs of your thighs. Breathing in, drop your chin toward your chest.Breathe out and thrust your chest forward as you lift your chin toward the ceiling. Repeat twenty-one times.Tip: I keep my throat strong and the back of my neck soft by pointing my chin to the sky. This gives me a sense of a long throat. This emphasis

Five Tibetans #2 in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-22T07:37:00.000-06:00

Tibetan Two Lie flat on your back.Breathe in deeply as you roll your chin to your chest and lift your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor. Breathe out as you return to lying flat. Repeat twenty-one times. ==========

Tibetan One in Body Mind Spirit (Somatic) Integration

2007-12-20T07:34:00.000-06:00

Tibetan OneI call this the “dervish,” because one spins like Sufi whirling dervishes. Stand with arms outstretched. Find a landmark in the room on which to focus. As you spin past the landmark you can count off the reps. To honor the dervishes, spin counter-clockwise, with one palm turned up toward heaven and the other turned down toward the earth.Spin around twenty-one times.Tip: You are likely

Chakras, Energy Flow, The Five Tibetans in Body Mind Spirit (Somatic) Integration

2007-12-19T11:43:00.000-06:00

The Five Tibetans in Somatic Body Mind Spirit IntegartionWhereas a human’s gross anatomy refers to the parts we see and use—our limbs, organs, skeleton, muscles—the subtle anatomy deals with the energy centers that connect the body with the higher essential intelligences. Three distinct examples of the way different parts of the world look at the subtle anatomy include the Hindu belief in the

The Five Tibetans in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-18T07:13:00.000-06:00

The Five TibetansEvery man desires to live. But no man would be old.Jonathan SwiftThe origins of the Five Tibetans are shrouded in romance and legend. As the story goes, a British army colonel learned these exercises from Tibetan monks in an isolated Himalayan monastery. The monks were reported to have found the secrets to a “fountain of youth.” The colonel searched for years to find this

Flexibility in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

FlexibilityMen are born soft and supple . . .plants are born tender and pliant . . .Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.Tao Te Ching, verse 76 (Mitchell)PETALUMA, California, March 1994: That very first morning at the Lomi School we sat in meditation for an hour. The technique was simple: turn your attention to your body, to the actual sensations of sitting on the mats, your

Walking Lunges in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-13T07:22:00.000-06:00

Walking LungesStand with your feet hip-width apart and relax your body, beginning with feet then ankles, legs, knees, hips, pelvis, belly, back, shoulders, jaws, eyes and scalp. Your hands rest at your sides..Inhaling slowly, take a giant step forward with your right foot. Carefully lower your left knee toward the floor until it is hovering a few inches above the ground. Your torso is balanced

Hindu Squats in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-12T07:57:00.000-06:00

Hindu SquatsStand with your feet hip-width apart. Relax your body with your hands resting along the sides of your thighs.Breathing in slowly, bend your knees and carefully drop your hips toward the floor. As soon as your thighs are parallel to the floor, roll up onto your toes, balancing on the balls of your feet. Be sure to keep your back straight. With a spring-loaded motion raise your arms up

Abdominal Exercises in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-11T07:22:00.000-06:00

Ins and OutsSit with your body tilted back at a forty-five-degree angle. Your legs are lifted up with the knees bent, arms and hands pointing forward for balance. Tighten your abs and glutes for support. Pause and breathe.Breathe in slowly as you lean farther back, increasing the angle to about sixty degrees. Your legs piston out with a spring-loaded motion. Pause.Breathing out, slowly return to

Bicycle Abs in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

Bicycle AbsLie on your back with your fingers interlaced behind your neck or head. Your knees are bent with the thighs forming a ninety-degree angle to your body.Breathing in slowly, the right elbow compresses toward the left knee, lifting the torso slightly. With a piston-like motion your right leg extends parallel to the floor. Your heel is fully extended with the toes pointing away.Breathing

Bench Dips in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-09T08:16:00.000-06:00

Bench DipsSit on the edge of a sturdy bench as your hands rest by your sides. Grasp the bench firmly, extending your legs fully with the toes pointing toward the ceiling (keep them active during the exercise).Taking a deep breath, lift your hips off the chair as you slightly bend your arms. Feel the sensation of your weight being supported on the heels of your hands. Pause.Breathing in slowly,

Diamond Push-ups in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-08T10:45:00.000-06:00

Diamond Push-Ups1. Your thumbs and index fingers touch to form a diamond as your hands rest under your chest.2. Tighten your muscles. The head,back, glutes, legs and ankles form aneven plank. Breathing in, slowlyextend your arms, lifting your body up.Finish breathing in (inhalation) andpause just before your elbows lock.3. Slowly breathe out and lower yourbody, maintaining your even plank.Your

Push-Ups in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

Some ways of working with our bodies . . . can be taught so that a person can develop his or her sensitivity to experiences of toning, stretching, and vigorous effort, coming to a fuller knowledge and appreciation of oneself.UnknownPush-UpsLie facedown on the ground and curl your toes up so that you rest on the balls of your feet. Rest your hands alongside your chest, palms down.Tighten your

Super-Slow Training in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-05T10:09:00.000-06:00

Recently, Ken Hutchins, a former trainer for Nautilus exercise equipment, revived interest in super-slow training. Back in the 1970s, Hutchins worked with elderly women in an osteoporosis clinical study. Osteoporosis is also known as brittle-bone disease. He felt that the traditional speeds of lifting were too fast for such frail patients. So Hutchins used his slower lifting speeds with great

Conscious Calisthenics in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-04T09:38:00.000-06:00

My twist is to combine the trainer Alvin Reuben’s slow, conscious movements with traditional calisthenics. It takes more strength and control to do these calisthenics meditatively than to rush through them. The key is to slow down and use your breath as a guide. Match your movements to slow inhalations and exhalations. Breathe in to a slow count of four, and breathe out to a slow count of four.

Weight Training in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-03T12:39:00.000-06:00

Weight training is done to build bigger and stronger muscles. In a gym, with proper weight machines, you can easily isolate the muscles you are training and adjust the weight of the exercise. With calisthenics you are limited to the weight of your body, for better or worse. Once you reach peak performance with calisthenics you can’t gain extra strength without going to a gym. But most folks

Weight Training and Aerobics in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-12-02T09:20:00.000-06:00

Compare calisthenics to the two most popular forms of exercise: weight training and aerobics. Aerobic exercises are running, biking, brisk walking and swimming. According to Yoga Journal, aerobic exercise is anything that raises your heart rate to at least 55 percent of its maximum (the highest rate you can maintain during all-out effort is generally estimated at 220 minus your age). Calisthenics

Conscious Calisthenics in Body Mind Spirit

2007-12-01T07:58:00.000-06:00

A bench press is little more than an upside-downpush-up . . . and a lot less convenient.Kristofer HoggMy years in the gym and as a massage therapist have taught me the importance of strong healthy muscles, and I knew I wanted to include “working out” in Body Brilliance. SEAL PT showed me that any park in the world is a potential gym; picnic tables, bleachers, jogging trails and sandy volleyball

Body-Mind-Spirit-Houston

2007-11-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

I had never worked as hard in my life as I did in the SEAL PT Navigator program. But I liked the challenge and felt slow, often achingly slow, progress. I was getting stronger and my stamina improved. Marlene said it took about six weeks for the body to acclimate to the intensity of the workouts.As I jogged along through Memorial Park that July morning, I recalled how it had taken every ounce of

Back Strength in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-11-29T06:45:00.000-06:00

My friends Gibbie and Marlene are SEAL PT Lifers. They met at SEAL PT and later married. I had always blown off the whole boot-camp-and-exercise-at-5:30-in-the-morning thing. When Marlene was ready to return to SEAL PT after Emily, their daughter, was born, she opted to start with the Navigators, which met at a more civilized 6:30 am. I was intrigued as Marlene described the easier pace and

Weight Training in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-11-26T07:03:00.000-06:00

One morning a few months later, Alexander and I were out walking, and I heard the Voice in the back of my mind again. This time it said, “Ask Gary to work out with you. Get a trainer.”It was no surprise to me when Gary Archer, my old friend, said, “Great idea.” In a few weeks I joined the Downtown YMCA, and Gary and I had a trainer and a regular workout program. Our trainer, Mary Hodge, was a

Whisper: Body Mind and Spirit

2007-11-25T08:55:00.000-06:00

In December 1997, I went to visit my good friends Creighton Edwards and Michael Fife at their home. Both are regular massage clients. Creighton is an internationally respected surgeon. Once after an angioplasty he asked me to come to the hospital to deliver some aromatherapy oils for his sutures and give him a reflexology foot massage. I wasn’t about to miss a surgeon asking for natural

Seal PT Body Camp in Body Mind Spirit Integration

2007-11-24T07:38:00.000-06:00

There are two levels of entry: Boot Camp and Body Camp. Boot Camp is a two-week intensive, some might say exhaustive, mental and fitness training program. After finishing Boot Camp graduates may choose to continue in the ongoing “Lifers” program. The “Lifers” workout at 5:30 AM is intense (I would say grueling) and doesn’t leave time or energy for socializing.Body Camp is billed as a four-week

Seal PT in Body MInd Spirit Integration

2007-11-23T08:10:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, July 2004: It was 7:30 in the morning, and I was plastered again. I don’t mean plastered in the usual sense of “way too many beers,” but plastered as in soaking wet, of every fiber of my clothes drenched in sweat. I was half way though an hour of military-style maneuvers. My chest was heaving from a vigorous blend of calisthenics and running/walking. Welcome to SEAL Physical Training (PT

Wilma Rudolph-The Physical Intelligence of an Olympic Champion

2007-11-22T06:02:00.000-06:00

From Polio Braces to Gold Medalist--Wilma Rudolph-The Physical Intelligence of an Olympic ChampionBy Alan Davidsonhttp://www.throughyourbody.com/© Alan Davidson- All Rights reserved= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =ROME, Italy: On September 7, 1960, Wilma Rudolph made Olympic history by becoming the first woman, not to mention the first African-American woman, to win three gold medals.Her