WiFi in schools puts children at real risk

Some alarming news about wifi:

WiFi in schools puts children at real risk

We at Mast Sanity are campaigning for WiFi to be removed from schools pending proof of safety which has never been shown.

On the contrary, much of the scientific evidence, and there are thousands of papers on microwave radiation, point to harmful effects such as DNA damage and cancers in the medium term.
To put WiFi in schools is simply unacceptable and unethical.
We already know what the Government’s ‘research’ on WiFi in schools will say.

We already know the exposures are similar to being in the main beam from a phone mast as we have already measured them. It does not take two years and £300,000 of taxpayers money.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines do not protect the public from anything but heating in the short term. They do not protect against any other effects from constant exposure.

At a recent conference in London the head of the Russian equivalent organisation, Prof Grigoriev, said the guidelines are out of date and the safety of the future generations is not assured.
The Health Protection Agency will merely compare their results with these out of date guidelines and say that WiFi is fine.

Meanwhile, we have reports of teachers suffering effects such as migraines from WiFi exposure.
No one knows what the children are suffering as no one has done a health survey and no one will.

Source

Yoga for Children

Yoga for Children

Wholesome is a word we often associate with our children's well-being. We feed our kids wholesome food to nourish their growing bodies. We encourage wholesome activities to help them develop good habits and useful skills.

Yoga is not only wholesome, but holistic as well. In other words, it's an activity that develops the whole child—physically, mentally, and emotionally. What's more, kids of all ages have fun doing yoga and watching their balance, flexibility, and strength improve. They also learn to focus and relax. This positive experience is likely to keep them practicing yoga as adults, reaping yoga's many benefits for years to come.

Many types of exercises help children develop strong muscles, but the strength they gain is rarely balanced with increased flexibility. Yoga postures, however, improve both strength and flexibility, giving kids an ease of movement that helps them improve their performance and prevent injuries. They develop balance, coordination, and the ability to focus. Even kids who aren't athletic enjoy yoga. Because yoga is a gentle, noncompetitive form of exercise, they can practice, do well, and build confidence in a nonthreatening environment.

On a deeper physical level, yoga's focus on good posture helps young spines grow straight and strong. The poses regulate and balance the production of hormones, which is especially important as children approach and pass through puberty. Yoga also improves their digestion, nutrient absorption, and elimination while helping to strengthen the immune system.

In yoga, kids get their bodies and minds working together. They concentrate on positioning and moving in a slow, controlled manner. Sometimes they focus on holding a pose, on their breathing, or on the animal they are imitating. This ability to focus carries over into other aspects of their lives, making it easier for them to concentrate on schoolwork and other important tasks.

Yoga also gives children valuable tools to help them cope with the stress they often face. This stress may be in the form of academic pressure, sports competitions, problems at home, and so on. Yoga postures, breathing, and relaxation techniques teach them how to calm the mind and release excess tension from the body.

Yoga is a wonderful activity for children. It builds strength, stamina, and flexibility and teaches patience, perseverance, and concentration, helping kids become happier and more productive. Whether children are dealing with tight muscles, obesity, divorce, fear, or anxiety, they can use yoga to bring them relief not only throughout their childhood, but also in their adult live

Keeping healthy over the holidays

With all the holiday cooking- and eating- there's always a bit of worry that comes in with it. Cook and eat healthy over the holidays with Wai Lana's help, kick back, eat all you want, and be happy. :)

Click here to get some of Wai lana's recipes

Women's safety

I got this little email today.. I haven't been able to check the sources but I think it may just be valid. Better safe and informed than ignorant right?

Use pad for more than 3 hours can cause cervical cancer & bacteria infection.


FOR THOSE OF US WHO USE SANITARY NAPKINS/PADS:

IF u ever wondered what were the ingredients that made popular brands so
'free! and light and carefree', well here's the bit:

The material that makes the pad so paper THIN, is cellulose gel. YEap,
it's not even cotton!!!!!!

DO NOT wear the same pad for more than 3 hours of a maximum!!! After
this duration, the genital area is prone to bacterial action and may
result in cervical cancer or other complications!!!!!!!!!!

REMEMBER! NEVER NEVER NEVER WEAR THE SAME PAD FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS!!!!

SO yes, please pass on this message to as many women as possible and
save lives!!!!!!!!!!

If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read
this and pass it on to your friends. For the men receiving this email,
please forward it to your friends, significant others, wife, sisters, mothers,
daughters, etc.) Thanks!

Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to
buy the next time and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs
stated in this email.

No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and
womb tumors. Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in
tampons? Why would they do this?

Because asbestos makes you bleed more, if you bleed more, you're going
to need to use more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so
dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), did
not consider tampons as being ingested, and, therefore, didn't consider
them illegal or dangerous.
This month's Essence magazine has small article about this and they
mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies
are: Organic Essentials @1-800) 765-6491 and Terra Femme @(800)755-0212.

A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder sent the
following: 'I am writing this because women are not being informed about
the dangers of something most of us use: tampons. I am taking a class
this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and women,
including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that
tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell
you this - after learning about this in our class, most of the females
wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for
one, am going to do something about it To start, I want to inform
everyone I can, and email is the fastest way that I know how


HERE ! IS THE SCOOP:
Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmf ul: Rayon (for
absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The
tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white
products in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem
here is that the dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process,
can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially
carcinogenic cancer-associated)and is toxic to the immune and
reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower
sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system.


Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that
there really is no set 'acceptable' level of exposure to dioxin given
that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes
from repeated contact Karen Couppert 'Pulling the Plug on the Tampon
Industry'). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month,
for 38 menstruating years is 'repeated contact', wouldn't y! ou? Rayon
contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly
absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left
behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground
for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just
cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome)
occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all
cotton. Other feminine hygiene products
(pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as
dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The
pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but, obviously, tampons are
the most dangerous.


So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that
are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there
are very few compani! es that make these safe tampons. They are usually
only found in health food stores.


Countries all over the world (Sweden, Germany, British Columbia, etc.)
have demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the U.S. has decided
to keep us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a
campaign against chlorine bleaching. Six weeks and 50,000 letters later,
the makers of sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the
green methods available) (MS magazine, May/June 1995).

WHAT TO DO NOW:
Tell people. Everyone. Inform them. We are being manipulated by this
industry and the government, let's do something about it! Please write
to the companies: Tampax(Tambrands), Playtex, O.B., Kotex. Call the 800
numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product
ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.

AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO USE SANITARY NAPKINS/PADS:

IF u ever wondered what were the ingredients that made popular brands so
'free! and light and carefree', well here's the bit:

The material that makes the pad so paper THIN, is cellulose gel. YEap,
it's not even cotton!!!!!!


DO NOT wear the same pad for more than 3 hours of a maximum!!! After
this duration, the genital area is prone to bacterial action and may
result in cervical cancer or other complications!!!!!!!!!!

REMEMBER! NEVER NEVER NEVER WEAR THE SAME PAD FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS!!!!

SO yes, please pass on this message to as many women as possible and
save lives!!!!!!!!!!

References:
1 Women Health Issues - Thrush

Making a difference: The Lipstick Plant

I found this to be an interesting little article:

Making a difference: The Lipstick Plant

By Anne Moore
November 25, 2008 6:00 AM

Q. What is the difference between a trailing vine and poison ivy?

A. Lipstick!

Another definition, as if we needed one! But while the subject is fresh in our minds, let's take a look at a favorite plant that lives up to its name.

Once in a while in giving a common name to a plant, we run across one that is so perfectly obvious that nothing else will do. It's all here. The bright red two-inch flowers (the lipstick) grow out of a dark red, almost brown, calyx (the tube), and look for all the world just like the lipstick looks when you have twisted it upward and are ready to apply it.

As long as the flowers are in bud, they retain the smooth oval rounded shape of a lipstick. Once the bud opens, however, the several petals form a trumpet shape and the long stigma emerges. This gives the flowers a different and very dramatic appearance, but the bright red color remains.

The Lipstick Plant, Aeschynanthus, is one of a large family of plants, the gesneriads, many of which are among our most popular and decorative houseplants. Unlike most plant families that originate from similar climate zones, gesneriads are found in moist, warm tropics as well as high, cold and dry regions. Some are epiphytes from the Greek EPI "on" or "upon" and Phyte "plant," which means that, in their native habitats, they grow on or upon other plants as opposed to growing in soil. Think of bromeliads up in the tropical forest canopy as a good example of epiphytes.

Other gesneriads are lithophytes from the Greek Litho "stone" and Phyte "plant," which means that they are found growing on rocks. In both cases, the growth habit is to facilitate the plants' need for brighter light and better nourishment than they would find on the forest floor. But it does not mean that they live off their host in the sense that they take nourishment from it as would a parasite, from the Greek Para "beside" and Sitos "food," or "one who sits next to his host and steals his food!"

A little Greek can be a dangerous thing! The point to be made is that these plants already have exhibited a high degree of independence in their evolution, which means that they can be housetrained to live happily with us in pots.

As always, we have a choice of family members. One original popular species, A. Hildebrandii, produces flaming orange flowers on a more upright plant. There are other species with slight degrees of variation in form and foliage, but all produce brightly colored flowers.

Q. What happens when you take away the lipstick?

A. It's still a lovely plant!

Deadheading helps keep the plant in bloom. But even when the flowers fade, the long, trailing stems with their small opposite leaves give the plants a delicate, chain-like appearance that make them very attractive foliage plants, especially in hanging pots or baskets.

Lipstick plants originated in the humid tropical regions of Malaysia and Java, giving us a good clue to their care in our homes. Like most epiphytes, the Lipstick Plant requires growing conditions that provide bright light combined with well-drained soil that is allowed to dry out somewhat between waterings.

Gesneriads' number one requirement is strong, bright light but not scorching sunlight. For maximum bloom, they require 12 to 14 hours of bright light each day, which can present a bit of a problem during the winter. You can place them in a south-facing window with a little shade, or in an unshaded east or west window, but they will do better with the addition of some artificial light and are good candidates for growing under lights.

If you have a grow-light stand, or a single grow-light bulb, place the plant directly under it for an even longer period, 14 to 16 hours per day. Or use fluorescent lights, one cool white and one warm white flourescent tube together in a 4-ft. stand. Inadequate light will result in slow growth and weak bloom.

Maintain the soil at an evenly moist level using tepid water and avoid getting water on the leaves. These plants do not like chlorine or salts in their water. Use collected rain water or distilled water if you can, or allow your watering pot to sit uncovered overnight, which eliminates those additives.

These plants like humidity. Feed them with ¼ strength balanced fertilizer each time you water, or ½ strength once every two weeks, when they are growing actively and/or in bloom. Although they do not like drafts, they do appreciate good air circulation. And they like it warm — normal home temperatures of 70 -75 degree during the day, with a 10 degree drop at night, are fine. When it comes to care they pair well with their cousins, African violets.

After flowering, prune back the stem ends to prevent the plant from getting straggly and to promote new growth. Root up the stem ends as cuttings and repot to increase your collection. Prepared soil mixes for African violets work well, or mix your own soil at a ratio of 1 part packaged potting soil, to 2 parts peat moss, to 1 part each of builders' sand (not beach sand) and perlite. A "soilless" mix of one-third each perlite, vermiculite and peat moss with a bit of lime would do as well.

Your Aeschynanthus will love to go outdoors in the summer, hanging from branches of a tree in bright light or dappled shade. It won't be lonely ...

Q. What is the difference between a well-fed hummingbird and a hungry one?

A. The Lipstick Plant.

Source

Making a difference: The Lipstick Plant

I found this to be an interesting little article:

Making a difference: The Lipstick Plant

By Anne Moore
November 25, 2008 6:00 AM

Q. What is the difference between a trailing vine and poison ivy?

A. Lipstick!

Another definition, as if we needed one! But while the subject is fresh in our minds, let's take a look at a favorite plant that lives up to its name.

Once in a while in giving a common name to a plant, we run across one that is so perfectly obvious that nothing else will do. It's all here. The bright red two-inch flowers (the lipstick) grow out of a dark red, almost brown, calyx (the tube), and look for all the world just like the lipstick looks when you have twisted it upward and are ready to apply it.

As long as the flowers are in bud, they retain the smooth oval rounded shape of a lipstick. Once the bud opens, however, the several petals form a trumpet shape and the long stigma emerges. This gives the flowers a different and very dramatic appearance, but the bright red color remains.

The Lipstick Plant, Aeschynanthus, is one of a large family of plants, the gesneriads, many of which are among our most popular and decorative houseplants. Unlike most plant families that originate from similar climate zones, gesneriads are found in moist, warm tropics as well as high, cold and dry regions. Some are epiphytes from the Greek EPI "on" or "upon" and Phyte "plant," which means that, in their native habitats, they grow on or upon other plants as opposed to growing in soil. Think of bromeliads up in the tropical forest canopy as a good example of epiphytes.

Other gesneriads are lithophytes from the Greek Litho "stone" and Phyte "plant," which means that they are found growing on rocks. In both cases, the growth habit is to facilitate the plants' need for brighter light and better nourishment than they would find on the forest floor. But it does not mean that they live off their host in the sense that they take nourishment from it as would a parasite, from the Greek Para "beside" and Sitos "food," or "one who sits next to his host and steals his food!"

A little Greek can be a dangerous thing! The point to be made is that these plants already have exhibited a high degree of independence in their evolution, which means that they can be housetrained to live happily with us in pots.

As always, we have a choice of family members. One original popular species, A. Hildebrandii, produces flaming orange flowers on a more upright plant. There are other species with slight degrees of variation in form and foliage, but all produce brightly colored flowers.

Q. What happens when you take away the lipstick?

A. It's still a lovely plant!

Deadheading helps keep the plant in bloom. But even when the flowers fade, the long, trailing stems with their small opposite leaves give the plants a delicate, chain-like appearance that make them very attractive foliage plants, especially in hanging pots or baskets.

Lipstick plants originated in the humid tropical regions of Malaysia and Java, giving us a good clue to their care in our homes. Like most epiphytes, the Lipstick Plant requires growing conditions that provide bright light combined with well-drained soil that is allowed to dry out somewhat between waterings.

Gesneriads' number one requirement is strong, bright light but not scorching sunlight. For maximum bloom, they require 12 to 14 hours of bright light each day, which can present a bit of a problem during the winter. You can place them in a south-facing window with a little shade, or in an unshaded east or west window, but they will do better with the addition of some artificial light and are good candidates for growing under lights.

If you have a grow-light stand, or a single grow-light bulb, place the plant directly under it for an even longer period, 14 to 16 hours per day. Or use fluorescent lights, one cool white and one warm white flourescent tube together in a 4-ft. stand. Inadequate light will result in slow growth and weak bloom.

Maintain the soil at an evenly moist level using tepid water and avoid getting water on the leaves. These plants do not like chlorine or salts in their water. Use collected rain water or distilled water if you can, or allow your watering pot to sit uncovered overnight, which eliminates those additives.

These plants like humidity. Feed them with ¼ strength balanced fertilizer each time you water, or ½ strength once every two weeks, when they are growing actively and/or in bloom. Although they do not like drafts, they do appreciate good air circulation. And they like it warm — normal home temperatures of 70 -75 degree during the day, with a 10 degree drop at night, are fine. When it comes to care they pair well with their cousins, African violets.

After flowering, prune back the stem ends to prevent the plant from getting straggly and to promote new growth. Root up the stem ends as cuttings and repot to increase your collection. Prepared soil mixes for African violets work well, or mix your own soil at a ratio of 1 part packaged potting soil, to 2 parts peat moss, to 1 part each of builders' sand (not beach sand) and perlite. A "soilless" mix of one-third each perlite, vermiculite and peat moss with a bit of lime would do as well.

Your Aeschynanthus will love to go outdoors in the summer, hanging from branches of a tree in bright light or dappled shade. It won't be lonely ...

Q. What is the difference between a well-fed hummingbird and a hungry one?

A. The Lipstick Plant.

Source

Teachers, you lead the way

Here's a nice little proverb from Wailana to ponder on:

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
Chinese proverb

Anyone and everyone is a teacher sometime or other in their life. Parents are the first teachers of a child, then later, school teachers, professors, spouses, siblings, friends- we all teach one another. This little proverb reminds me of that beautiful fact.



As for Wailana- being my yoga teacher, I give many thanks to her and to all my past and present teachers, who have given me so much and helped me become who I am today.