Tag Archives: Body & Mind

SARS Treatment Nears

Scientists in Beijing have discovered that there are two human antibodies that neutralise the active components of SARS. SARS is a respitory illness and caused a lot of fear a couple years ago. Fear no more, or less, now that research is finding ways to combat the infectious SARS.

Scientists have identified two human antibodies that neutralise the viral strains that caused the two outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) between 2002 and 2004.

These antibodies could be the first step in producing a treatment to disable the virus that causes SARS.

Sicko Inspires Audience to Fight Injustices

After watching Sicko, an entire audience broke into conversation and grouped together to make their country better. If that’s not good enough, get this – it happened in Texas!

The talk gradually centered around a core of 10 or 12 strangers in a cluster while the rest of us stood around them listening intently to this thing that seemed to be happening out of nowhere. The black gentleman engaged by my redneck in the restroom shouted for everyone’s attention. The conversation stopped instantly as all eyes in this group of 30 or 40 people were now on him. “If we just see this and do nothing about it,” he said, “then what’s the point? Something has to change.” There was silence, then the redneck’s wife started calling for email addresses. Suddenly everyone was scribbling down everyone else’s email, promising to get together and do something… though no one seemed to know quite what.

Via boingboing.

The Question You’ve All Been Secretly Asking

Vortextual
Q: Why, oh why does the shower curtin blow in when I’m in the shower?

A: A vortex.

To do the calculation, I drafted a model of a typical shower and divided the shower area into 50,000 minuscule cells. The tub, the showerhead, the curtain rod and the room outside of the shower were all included. I ran the modified Fluent software for two weeks on my home computer in the evening and on weekends (when my wife wasn’t using the computer). The simulation revealed 30 seconds of actual shower time.

SiCKO

I just watched Michael Moore’s new movie Sicko last night and let me tell you – it’s amazing! Sure, the movie is upsetting at points because you feel for all the poor people who suffer due to the American health care system. Granted, that isn’t good, but what is good is that Moore continuously reminds us that change is possible!

He shows us how the Canadian, English, Cuban, and French health care systems provide universal care for their citizens, and how great those systems are in comparison to the for-profit USA system. Being a Canadian, I was reminded about how good we have it in Canada, and makes me want to sign up on this site. Watch this movie, and get inspired to make a healthy change for this world.

Watch the movie below:

If the video above no longer works, just try this search. On a more cinematic note, this is Moore’s best film since Roger and Me (I found his last two lackluster).

Slow Down, Improve Your Life

Carl Honoré wants us to slow down and take things easy, that doesn’t mean that he wants us to become lazy though. He wrote a book “In Praise of Slow” to let us know about the slow movement. In a world in which everything (including walking speed) is speeding up we no longer take time to stop and smell the roses – let alone deliver them on a unicycle.

CNN, the 24 hour information-overload news network, has a good article on why we should slow down.

If it all sounds to you like the musings from a slacker’s manifesto, you’re not yet in tune with the concept of the slow life. Resist the tug of technology: turn off your mobile, don’t send that email just yet and try and forget, just for a few minutes, about the thousand tedious tasks that you feel need to be done.
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As well as the slow food movement, there are slow towns, aiming to improve the quality of life for inhabitants and making them more pleasant places to live. It’s more a philosophical statement rather than a directive. Ludlow was the first UK town to achieve slow town status, but admittedly, life in this Shropshire market town has never been anything other than sedate