Social media can be a wonderful tool for staying connected. It allows you to catch up with old friends and make new ones. However, it can also be a dismal place for your self-esteem. In this article, I share a time in my life when I was consumed with social media, and with the feelings of inadequacy that came from constantly comparing myself with the way others were portraying their lives. From the experience, I’ll share how I broke free of the comparison trap, and how you can, too.

Mind the Comparison Trap: Why Life’s Race Is Only Against Yourself

I looked at my phone in disdain. What I had hoped for was a short recess from the grind to catch up on the news and the happenings from my circle of friends. It turned into a long and depressing chronicle of self-loathing and discouraging self-sabotage.
It wasn’t the bad news. On the contrary, it was the good news and, specifically, the abundance of it that had me in a tizzy.
On Facebook, it seemed as though everyone I knew was making excellent progress on his/her dream. The dizzying array of feel-good headlines threw me into an abyss of inadequacy: “I’m so thankful for everyone who believed in me because I just became the new blah blah blah”; “I’m happy to announce that we have launched blah blah blah”; and on it went.
I had to escape the bombardment. Unfortunately, Linkedin was my ill-advised choice for the escape route. For within that realm, I realized how many of my colleagues and friends who started at the same time as me have become managers. And while I’d already made the decision long ago to forgo the management path, the sight of everyone else making it there unnerved me.
I panicked.
I threw the phone and myself on the bed, covered my face with my hands and let go a long sigh. Every piece of someone else’s good news was a dagger to my self-esteem. Where have I been? Have I done nothing? Why is everyone else getting ahead and I’m lagging behind? The questions buzzed around me like a locust swarm.
I sank into the comforting embrace of the bed and fell asleep.

Giving ourselves credit and painting the path forward

After that episode, I gave social media a rest. Over the next few days I went back over my personal timeline and realized that while I was ogling over others’ achievements, I had foolishly devalued my own worth and successes, of which I had many.

I came to learn, first, how easy it was to fall into this self-deprecating trap — to feel stuck in place, anxiously watching your peers wave good-bye as they speed ahead. Second, it became clear to me that I ought to give myself more credit for the incredible journey I’d already taken, and for the stones I’ve laid for the steps ahead. And lastly, I realized that the path each of us takes is unique to our situation, and that our worth shouldn’t be calculated based on skewed comparisons with others.

Behind the scenes of the airbrushed facade

Imagine two new drivers embarking on a journey. James is gifted a brand new Tesla Model S by his family; Jessica inherits a ten year-old Honda Civic. They take off from the same starting place, full of excitement and hope for the road ahead. Unfortunately, Jessica’s car breaks down 100 miles down the road. As she struggles to fix the flat tire, James passes her by. While they started together, their path diverge from that point on.
Feeling frustrated, Jessica trudges on with one bad tire, resenting her place in the world. But unbeknownst to her, James was pulled over for speeding in a residential zone. After the setback, he cautiously hobbles his way back onto the freeway just as Jessica makes the exit. Their paths cross for a moment and they share their successes so far — neither mentioned the obstacles they had cleared.
This analogy provides a few important lessons:
  1. We might all start our journey at the same place, but we’re not similarly geared. Therefore, it is often not fair to compare whether we arrive sooner or later than someone else.
  2. Each of our journeys is different. Some might be fraught with difficulties, challenges, and setbacks. Sometimes you get lost in a circuitous route. And sometimes you get lucky and all the lights turn green for a smooth ride.
  3. Most times, people don’t share how they arrive at the destination, or talk about all the pain suffered in the process. You might only get the message that they arrived. The point is that you’re not the only one running into potholes, and you never know the full story.
  4. Just because someone gets a head start doesn’t mean you can’t catch up. The journey is full of surprises. You might get a helping hand or run into an idea that could change your path completely. So don’t panic. There’s plenty of time and opportunities down the road.
  5. The end goal for each of us might be similar, but it is uniquely our own. While it might be a marker for where we want to go, comparing our progress to others might not make much sense. If you want to go to Disneyland, why would you keep track of someone going to Universal Studios?
  6. When you feel like you’re not moving as fast as your peers, take a step back and look at your own accomplishments. It’s okay to feel proud of the many trials and tribulations you’ve surmounted. And if you don’t feel like you’ve accomplished much, now is a good time to put your plan for success into motion.
Competition is ingrained in cultures all over the world, so it’s difficult to get away from comparing yourself to others. And while it can drive us to improve, it can also cripple our motivation and hope. Because we don’t know where our peers have been or where they might be going, the best bet is to focus on our own path — and try to take a step forward every day, no matter how small that step might be.

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Netflix Flixtape: Is it Mixtape for Movies/TV Shows and ready for prime time?

Netflix recently launched Flixtape, a new feature which lets you make playlists of six movie or TV titles shareable with friends, and it can be created to fit a mood, send a message or focus on any particle theme.

The Flixtape can be based on a genre or theme of some sort, and can be shared with friends or family over text message, email or social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

While Flixtape is free, you’ll need a Netflix subscription to watch the videos in the playlists you’ve created.

Netflix describes the new service as a mixtape for movies and TV shows, but unfortunately, has placed a limit to the number of titles that can be added to each Flixtape.

Albeit, a “mixtape” isn't supposed to include endless entries, the artificial limit Netflix has placed on it could inhibit the possibility to create a long-standing collection.

And the provided options to pick a list of canned mixes (“Made for You”), or click the “inspire me” button to see some suggestions is perhaps too spooky given the limited inventory in Netflix’s library.

But notwithstanding, Flixtape is fun to use, and even more useful as it offers way for users to share more personal, word-of-mouth recommendations. Unlike Netflix’s recommendation system that doesn’t effectively tap into social connections.

As mixtapes are meant to be personal and customizable, also with Flixtape, you’re able to customize the “cover” with title, doodles and even add the name of the person the Flixtape is to be shared.
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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Reprogram your Matrix for Abundance and Relationships

Mashhur is an alchemist of life transformation, who is guided by a belief and deep knowing that anything is possible. Over the years, curiosity, exploration and a desire to help humanity raise its collective consciousness, have guided him to explore the holographic nature of our universe. He has uncovered a multitude of algorithms and equations that create and design our reality as we know it.

Mashhur’s background in technology, coupled with extensive exploration of multi-dimensional existence has helped him uncover and develop several holographic tools and programs. These tools are complex in nature but at the same time, easy to use, allowing anyone from any background to launch and work with them.

During the most important time of planetary transformation, holographic tools can be used all over the world to transform lives, raise our vibration, expand our consciousness, reprogram our abundance matrix, redesign our relationship patterns and restore inner and global harmony, and redesign our reality.
On this call you will discover:
-An understanding of holographic tools and programs
-How they can transform our lives and help with manifestation
-How to disconnect from non-beneficial morphic fields and connect with empowering group consciousness
-A guided journey and processing for abundance, awakening the chakras, and transforming limiting beliefs


Trending down

Despite more limited data, labor shares have also declined in emerging market and developing economies since the early 1990s. This is especially the case for the larger economies in this group. In China, for example, despite impressive gains in poverty reduction over the past two decades, labor shares still fell by almost 3 percentage points.

Indeed, as growth remains subpar in many countries, an increasing recognition that the gains from growth have not been broadly shared has strengthened a backlash against economic integration and bolstered support in favor of inward-looking policies. This is especially the case in several advanced economies.

Our study takes an in-depth look at the symptoms and drivers of this downward trend in labor share of income.

Technology: a key driver in advanced economies

In advanced economies, about half of the decline in labor shares can be traced to the impact of technology. The decline was driven by a combination of rapid progress in information and telecommunication technology, and a high share of occupations that could be easily be automated.

Global integration—as captured by trends in final goods trade, participation in global value chains, and foreign direct investment—also played a role. Its contribution is estimated at about half that of technology. Because participation in global value chains typically implies offshoring of labor-intensive tasks, the effect of integration is to lower labor shares in tradable sectors.

Admittedly, it is difficult to cleanly separate the impact of technology from global integration, or from policies and reforms. Yet the results for advanced economies is compelling. Taken together, technology and global integration explain close to 75 percent of the decline in labor shares in Germany and Italy, and close to 50 percent in the United States.

Global integration: largely benign in emerging market economies

In emerging markets and developing economies, global integration has allowed for expanded access to capital and technology and, by raising productivity and growth, has led to a rise in living standards and lifted millions from poverty.

However, these forces may also be associated with declining labor income shares, by shifting the production in emerging market and developing economies towards more capital-intensive activities. We find that global integration, and more specifically participation in global value chains, was the key driver of declines in labor shares in emerging markets.

This effect could, however, be interpreted as benign: it is the result of capital deepening that is not necessarily accompanied by dislocation of employment or reduction in wages. In Turkey, for example, the decline in labor income share of around 5 percentage points is explained almost exclusively by the rapid rise in participation in global value chains.

Technology, in contrast, has played a small role in these economies. This reflects a smaller decline in the relative price of investment goods as well as a lower share of automatable jobs.

Hollowing out of the middle-skilled labor share

Another key finding of our research is that the decline in labor shares in advanced economies has been particularly sharp for middle-skilled labor. Routine-biased technology has taken over many of the tasks performed by these workers, contributing to job polarization toward high-skilled and low-skilled occupations.

This “hollowing-out” phenomenon has been reinforced by global integration, as firms in advanced economies increasingly have access to a global labor supply through cross-border value chains.

Dealing with disruption

We conclude that although technological advancement and global economic integration have been key drivers of global prosperity, their effects on labor shares challenge policymakers to find ways to spread those benefits more broadly. The design of specific policy responses, of course, will have to depend on country circumstances and be anchored in their social contracts.

In Part 2 of this blog, we will discuss our findings on the skill and sectoral trends in labor income shares as well as possible policy responses. We also elaborate on a new cross-country index to measure the share of occupations that are at risk of being automated. Stay tuned!


Birthday Cake

I found the recipe for grown-up birthdaycake on the Food52 website.  This is probably the easiest cake that I have ever made and one of the most delicious.  The cake is so incredibly moist and tasty.  The butter wasn't melted enough when I made the frosting, hence the little butter bumps, but the taste made up for it.

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking soda

2 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup white wine

1 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Really butter two 9 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.

In a mixer, mix together the eggs and sugar until thoroughly blended.  Slowly add in the vanilla, wine and olive oil.

Add the flour mixture, one cup at a time, until thoroughly combined.  Don't over mix.

Pour equally into the baking pans, bake for about 25 minutes or until done.   Let this cool completely before taking out of the pan.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1 cup unsalted butter, totally soft

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup dutch processed cocoa

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Blend the butter and sugar.  Add the cocoa.  Slowly pour in the milk and vanilla while mixing until it begins to look like frosting.  Whip it up until it is really the right consistency.

A total winner.


England Followed Hindu Vikrama Saka Calendar Before 1752?

Which Calendar did people use before Julian Calendar?

There have been two methods.

One based on the movement of the Sun,Solar Calendar.

The other is based on the movement of the Moon,Lunar Calendar

The Solar Calendar is called Surya Maanasa and the Lunar,Chandra Manasa.

Both are in vogue in India.

There are some more caledars based on important events ,like King Vikramaditya’s reign.

There are,

Hindu ,

Bengali and

Nana Sakhi.

While India has been traditionally following either the Solar or Lunar Calendars, in the West,there has been confusion galore.

In India,though two primary Calendars,Solar and Lunar, for religious purposes to fix the Nakshatra ,the Solar Calendar is followed because the Sun was recognised as a Star by ancient Hindus and for Thithi,which deals with the movement of the Moon is followed.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is also a Vikrama Calendar,Vikrama Samvatsara.

The curious fact is that England, Wales and Scotland were following the Vikrama Samvatsara till 1752 when they changed it.

Yet another proof of India having once ruled England is the fact that until 1752 A.D. the English New Year began on March 25.

That is the exact time of the year when the Indian New Year begins.

As March 25 marks the beginning of the Indian Vikram Samvat it is plausible that England was part of Vikramaditya’s Indian empire.

Please read my article Vikramaditya Date and His World Kingdom

Reference and citations.

Beginning in 1582, the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian in Catholic countries.

This change was also implemented in Protestant and Orthodox countries some time later.

Vikram Samvat or Bikram Samvat is a calendar era used in a Hindu calendar.

It uses lunar months and solar sidereal year.

The Vikrama Samvat is said to have been founded by the legendary Indian king Vikramaditya, variously considered to be a partly historical figure or a purely mythical character.

However, this era is mentioned as “Vikrama Samvat” only after the 9th century CE.

When Did Kali Yuga Begin

Indian texts texts speak of Time as one continuous flow, that it is Cyclic and Non Linear.

That is Time flows in a Circle and Time recoils on itself.

There are four Aeons, Yugas.

Krutha or Satya Yuga,

Tretha Yuga, when Rama lived,

Dwapara Yuga, when Krishna lived and  the present one in which we are living

Time in Hinduism is Cyclic
Time in Hinduism. Yugas

Image credit.

By Ingo Kappler –Inka 23:32, 8 May 2005 (UTC) – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134870

The Mahabharata  War took place towards the closing years of the Dwapara yuga.

Kali yuga is reported to have begun after the departure of Lord Krishna and after Yuga Sandhi.

Yuga Sandhi is the Interregnum  is the period between two yugas.

When did Kali Yuga begin?

Indians follow an almanac system based on the movement of the Sun and Moon.

Time is divided into finest parts and large numbers are also discussed..

This Almanac is called Panchanga s it takes into account five factors,Pancha means Five.

The Five are,

Thithi, waxing and waning of the Moon,

Vaara, Day,

Nakshatra, Stars and their Movements,

Yoga,  a specific time of the day which indicates auspiciousness or otherwise and

Karana, yet another parameter of time to calculate auspiciousness.

The Panchanga is used by the Hindus daily to find out the auspicious dates.,movement of the Moon.

The Panchanga is read at the beginning of a year.

Panchanga predicts, among other things like natural calamities, general world status, weather.

And it predicts the Eclipses so accurately which tallies with modern scientific  calculations.

Based on the Panchanga , the date when Kali Yuga began is arrived at.

This is how it has been done.

The description is detailed to year-month-days of each and every king who ruled. By adding the total number of years of the four dynasties from Yudhishthir to Vikramaditya, it comes to 3,178 years which is 3141 Kali era or 39 AD, which represents the date when Vikramaditya left this earth planet.

According to the Bhavishya Puran and Rajtarangini, Vikramaditya lived between 102 BC and 15 AD; and according to the above details his period ends by 39 AD. There is only a difference of 24 years in the date-wise record of 70 kings who ruled Hastinapur for 3,085 years. A discrepancy of 24 years in 3,000 years of record could be a copying or printing mistake, and is thus negligible when we are dealing with a longer span of years. In this way the predicted period of the dynasties of Magadh and the historic records of the dynasties of Hastinapur correspond with each other and justify their correctness, and vice versa.

Ancient Kings India
Magazine Text detailing the Early King list of India

The beginning of kaliyug, 3102 BC.

(1) Astrological.

(a) We still follow the ancient astrological tradition. There is a most prestigious, 48 page detailed date-wise journal (panchang) with all the astrological facts and figures called “Vishva Panchangam,” established in 1925 and published by Kashi Hindu Vishvavidyalaya (Benares Hindu University), Varanasi. It gives all the three eras: Kali era, Vikram era and (Shalivahan) Shak era.

It is as thus:

(b) Another panchang of India called “Shree Saraswati Panchangam” published from Navalgarh, Rajasthan, also gives all the calculations and says that 5,100 years of kaliyug had already elapsed before 1999.

(c) The “Vishva Vijay Panchangam” of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, says,

It means that 5,100 years of kaliyug had already elapsed before 1999 and 426,900 years of kaliyugare still left. Kaliyug is of 432,000 years (so, kaliyug started in 3102 BC).

Thus, the best team of the scholars of astrology all over India give the same figures of 3102 BC and publish it in the panchang (journal) every year.

These astrological journals are run by a group of the most learned astrologers of India, and thus it is mindlessness if any astrologer or scholar unnecessarily tries to argue about their accuracy.

(2) Others.

Alberuni. “Alberuni’s India,” first Indian print 1964 (S. Chand & Co., New Delhi) Volume I. In the second part of this book on page 4 Alberuni writes, “…the time which has elapsed since the beginning of kaliyug before our gauge-year, 4132 years, and between the wars of Bharat and our gauge-year there have elapsed 3479 years.” In the Annotations (p. 358) of the same book Alberuni tells about his gauge-year, which is: “A.D. 1031, 25th February, a Thursday.”

There is a difference of 968 years between 1031 AD and 1999 AD. Thus, adding 968 years to 4,132 years comes to 5,100 years, the period that has already elapsed since the beginning of kaliyugand up till today (1999), and this is exactly what is mentioned in the astrological journals of India.

Alberuni also mentions about Vikram era (57 BC) and also the Shalivahan Shak era which starts 135 years after the Vikram era.

Aryabhatt. The greatest astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhatt, was born in 476 AD. His work in astronomy is an asset to the scholars. He gave an accurate figure for pi ( ) 3.1416. He finished his book “Aryabhattiya” in 499 AD in which he gives the exact year of the beginning ofkaliyug. He writes,

“When the three yugas (satyug, tretayug and dwaparyug) have elapsed and 60 x 60 (3,600) years ofkaliyug have already passed, I am now 23 years old.” It means that in the 3,601st year of Kali era he was 23 years old. Aryabhatt was born in 476 AD. Thus, the beginning of kaliyug comes to 3,601 – (476 + 23) = 3102 BC.

Kali yuga, therfore began on 7 February 3104 BC

Citation in block quote and References .

Garbhodaki Vishnu Balarama Lakshmana In Quantum Wormhole

To understand Hindu History one should have an eye for facts, allegories, Facts and allegories combined together and allegorical stories to instill morality.

Vishnu in Anatha Sayana.jpg Garbhodaki Vishnu.

However one can easily identify the last mentioned by the statement in the body of the story or towards the end it to be a Moral story.But the Puranas, Vedas and the Ithihasas, Ramayana and Mahabharata belong to another genre .

Adi Sesha in Patala Loka.jpg. Adi Sesha Supporting the Earth.

Puranas and Ithihasas record facts as has been proved.

Gharbodhaka Ocean.jpg
Gharbodhaka Ocean.

Vedas belong to a category of Knowledge that is intuitively grasped and it is not through the senses we possess.

We can verify even this if we follow the laid down rules.

The Puranas contain facts as well as Higher Physical truths.

Some of these Truths enunciated in the Puranas are called as Lower Knowledge.

One such is the much overlooked Adi Sesha on whom Lord Vishnu reclines.

People are aware that Adi Sesha is the Bed on which Lord Vishnu reclines and he was born as Lakshmana in Ramayana and Balarama in Mahabharata times.

The importance of Sesha can be understood by the fact that  Lord Vishnu was born as a Younger brother to Balarama, an Avatar of Sesha, whom Lord Vishnu served diligently.

This is the expression of gratitude to Sesha by Lord Rama to Krishna hen he said to Lakshmana,

‘You have served me diligently sacrificing everything in your Life in order to serve me.

I shall repay it by serving as diligently to you in the next Avatar.

Lord Krishna executed His Machiavellian Schemes in the Mahabharata, be it the slaying of Drona,Fixing of the Muhurat for the Mahabharata war by switching the Full Moon Day(Bodhayana Amavasya), killing of Bhishma by placing Sikandi in front of Bhishma,The taking away of the fruits of Karna’s Good deeds by taking them away from Karna in the Battlefield,hiding the Sun to enable Arjuna to kill Jayathratha,of advising Bhima by slapping his thighs to indicate that Bhima as to hit Duryodhana below Duryodhana’s Thighs, the list is endless…

in the absence of His elder brother Balarama , an Avatar of Adi Sesha.

If Lord Krishna listened to in the Mahabharata at all it as only Balarama and no body else.

Such was his devotion to Balarama.

Apart from the incidents narrated thus about the respect shown to Balarama,is there any deeper meaning behind the importance given to Balarama by Lord Krishna?

From the scientific angle?

To me , it seems so.

Krishna represents, among other things the embodiment of the Universe, as He displayed it to Arjuna in Kurukshetra in His Viswaroopa.

Krishna, an Avatar of Vishnu is beyond Time and Space and in fact He is Time and Space.

Vishnu has three aspects,the fact many of us are unaware.

Please read my post on Three Visnus.

They are,

In Gaudīya Vaishnavism, a school of VaishnaVaishnavism, the Sātvata-tantra describes three different forms, or aspects, of Vishnu as Mahā Vishnu, Garbhodakaśāyī Vishnu andKsirodakaśāyī Vishnu (Paramātmā), with each form having a different role in the maintenance of the Universe and its inhabitants:

“For material creation, Lord Krishna’s plenary expansion assumes three Vishnus. The first one, Mahā Viṣṇu, creates the total material energy, known as the mahat-tattva. The second, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, enters into all the universes to create diversities in each of them. The third, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Vishnu, is diffused as the all-pervading Supersoul in all the universes in heart of every living being and is known as Paramātmā. He is present even within the atoms. Real object of meditation in Yoga is a Paramātmā. Anyone who knows them can be liberated from material entanglement.”(Satvata Tantra)

Now to Adisesha,

Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of the god Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, which translates as endless-Shesha or Adishesha “first Shesha”. It is said that when Adishesa uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place and when he coils back, the universe ceases to exist.

Please refer my posts on this.

I have also written on the Singularity in Blackholes,describes the Brahman described in the Vedas.

Time runs backwards,

It recoils.

Ina Blackole, all events appear to be at a Standstill, though it is not.

There is a Singularity in a Black hole which one can not perceive.

In the centre of a black hole is a gravitational singularity, a one-dimensionalpoint which contains infinite mass in an infinitely small space, where gravitybecome infinite and space-time curves infinitely, and where the laws of physics as we know them cease to operate. As the eminent American physicist Kip Thorne describes it, it is “the point where all laws of physics break down”.

There is a reference in the Ramayana that Hanuman entered into a Black hole/wormhole in the Vindhya Mountains during His search of Sita.

And Lakshmana wentdown the Sarayau River to Patala Loka.

Balarama entered Patala Loka as a white serpent,( basic Light) .

‘In Ramayana, Lakshmana went to the Sarayu river, ended life by engaging in meditation and stopping his breathing. It is said his soul went to Patala Loka’

Adishesha lies on the Garbhodaka Ocean. This universe lies inside Hiranyagarbh which also has 14 planetary systems. Beneath the 14 planetary system is the cosmic ocean known as Garbhodaka ocean.

According to SB 5.23.9, the last planetary system is Patala. Further 30,000 yojanas(ancient distance measurement unit) below, Adishesha lies on Garbhodaka ocean but doesn’t hold any planetary systems.

According to SB 2.7.1

Hinduism describes 14 Lokas belonging to This Universe and there are many more and these are explained in the Devi Mahatmiyam and in the Puranas that speak of Devi.

The point that there are unobservable Universes is agreed upon by Quantum and they admit to 10 such places.

Hinduism mentions 14.

I had written on these issues .

So, in the present context, The Time Principle is enumerated in the form of Lakshmana and Balaram where they had gone into the Garbhodaka Ocean which is the outer limit of our present Universe, though unobservable and all these rest on Garbhohaka Vishnu.

Please read my posts on Quantum in order to know more on this topic.

Related articles.

Moon Dial Konark Calculate To A Minute Sun Dial

Many of us are aware of Sun Dials.

Sun Dial, Konark,India.png Sun Dial, Konark,India.

Many would have visited the one at New Delhi.

But how does one calculate Time with the help of a Sun Dial?

Take the famous Sun Dial at Konark, Odisha, India.

There are eight spokes in the Wheel.

Now, at the edge of the wheel, you can see a lot of beads. If you observe carefully, you can see that there are 30 beads between a minor and a major spoke. So, the 90 minutes are further divided by 30 beads. This means that each bead carries a value of 3 minutes. The beads are large enough, so you can also see if the shadow falls in the center of the bead or on one of the ends of the bead. This way we can further calculate time accurately to the minute.

The sundial shows time in an anti-clockwise fashion. At the top, the major spoke stands for midnight and this spoke stands for 3 A.M and this one for 6 A.M and so on. When I place a finger or a pen at the tail of the animal in the axle, the shadow will fall on the edge of the wheel. Now, I simply note the bead where the shadow falls. Using the math we did before, I can easily tell the current time precisely down to the minute. Imagine how much time and coordination would have happened between the astronomers, engineers and sculptors to create something like this 750 years ago.

Now if you are observing closely, you would have 2 questions in your mind right now. The first question would be, what happens when the sun moves from east to west. Since the wheel is carved on a wall, the sun would not shine on this wheel at all. How can we tell time in the afternoons? Now, the Konark temple has another wheel or sundial, located on the west side of the temple as well. You can just use the other sundial that will work perfectly from afternoon, until sunset.

This is the second and the most interesting question. How do you tell time after sunset? There would be no sun, and hence no shadows from sunset till the next morning’s sunrise. After all, we have 2 sundials in the temple which work only when the sun shines. To this question, I want to point out that the Konark temple does not have just 2 wheels like this. The temple has a total of 24 wheels, all accurately carved just like the sundials. Have you heard of the Moondial? Do you know that the moondials can work just like sun dials during night time? What if the other wheels in the temple could be used as moondials?

Many people think that the other 22 wheels were carved for decorative or religious purposes and do not have an actual use. This is what people thought about the 2 sundials as well. Believe it or not, people thought that all the 24 wheels were just carved for beauty and as Hindu symbols. About 100 years ago, it became known that this was a sundial when an old yogi was seen calculating time secretly. Apparently selected people were using these wheels for generations and for 650 years no one else knew about it. They say that when they asked him about the purpose of the other 22 wheels, the yogi refused to talk and simply walked away.

And our knowledge of just these 2 sundials themselves is actually very limited. You can see how there are multiple circles of beads. You can see carvings and markings all over these sundials, and we don’t the meaning of most of them. For example, this carving on a major spoke has exactly 60 beads. Notice how in some carving you can see leaves and flowers which may mean Spring or Summer. Notice how in some carvings you can see lemurs mating, which only happens during winter. So, these sundials could have even been used as an almanac for a variety of different things. Now you can understand how limited our knowledge is about the rest of the 22 wheels.

Notice that there are clues on these wheels that people have overlooked for centuries. Notice how a woman wakes up and looks at a mirror in the morning. Notice how she is stretching, being tired and ready to go to sleep. And you can also see that she is engaging in sexual activity during night. For centuries, people have ignored these hints and thought that these were carvings of Hindu Goddesses.
This is also a perfect example of how people think ancient unexplainable carvings are just for beauty or religious purposes. If ancient people spent a lot of time creating something, there is a very good chance that it was done for a valuable, scientific purpose.

Moondials are time pieces similar to a sundial. The most basic moondial, which is identical to a sundial, is only accurate on the night of the full moon. Every night after it becomes an additional (on average)[note 1] 48 minutes slow, while every night preceding the full moon it is (again on average) 49 minutes fast, assuming there is even enough light to take a reading by. Thus, one week to either side of the full moon the moondial will read 5 hours and 36 minutes before or after the proper time.

Large Numbers Modern Maths Tamil Classics

World's Largest Number.png

In the highly complex world of Astronomy, where very huge distances are to be measured special numbers are needed to count.

The presence of Large numbers indicate that knowledge of such huge numbers were necessitated .

That is possible only when Knowledge of such numerals are needed.

World's Largest Number.png
World’s Largest Number.

And such a field is Astronomy.

Unless one has a very deep insight into the working of the Universe , one would not have devised the numbers and more importantly  would not have systematized them.

The largest Number used now ,

When a number represents a quantity rather than a count, SI prefixes can be used—thus “femtosecond”, not “one quadrillionth of a second”—although often powers of ten are used instead of some of the very high and very low prefixes. In some cases, specialized units are used, such as the astronomer’s parsec and light year or the particle physicist’s barn.

One of the first examples of this is The Sand Reckoner, in which Archimedes gave a system for naming large numbers. To do this, he called the numbers up to a myriad myriad (108) “first numbers” and called 108 itself the “unit of the second numbers”. Multiples of this unit then became the second numbers, up to this unit taken a myriad myriad times, 108·108=1016. This became the “unit of the third numbers”, whose multiples were the third numbers, and so on. Archimedes continued naming numbers in this way up to a myriad myriad times the unit of the 108-th numbers, i.e., (10^8)^{(10^8)}=10^{8\cdot 10^8}, and embedded this construction within another copy of itself to produce names for numbers up to \left((10^8)^{(10^8)}\right)^{(10^8)}=10^{8\cdot 10^{16}}. Archimedes then estimated the number of grains of sand that would be required to fill the known Universe, and found that it was no more than “one thousand myriad of the eighth numbers” (1063)….

The Largest Standard Dictionary Number, on date, is, Centillion ,10303.

Tamil Classics name, 1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 = MAHAYUGAM = Ten Undecillion = 10 37.

This is 10 steps later to Decillion.

That is adding the power.

The basic computation in a Language that is over 5000 Year old….?

Shall be posting on minute measurements in Tamil and on Large and smallest numbers in Vedic System.


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Advances in Composites

Volumes 150-151

doi: 10.4028/

Paper Title Page

Authors: Dan Hong Wang, Xiao Ru Zhao, Hui Nan Sun, Li Bing Duan, Chang Le Chen

Abstract: The sol-gel method was employed to prepare the Eu3+-doped TiO2 thin films. The influence of doping concentration and annealing temperature...

Authors: Guo Hua Xie, He Qing Du, Shu Jing Zhu, Yong Jie Xue

Abstract: Four kinds of industrial solid waste, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), electric furnace steel slag (EFSS), semi-dry flue gas...

Authors: Qiong Wang, En Dong Guo, Zai Rong Wang, Dan Yang

Abstract: Seismic damage, such as falling, fissure and dislocation of the lining may happen at location of fault movement. The model of enhancing...

Authors: Cha Xiu Guo

Abstract: The application of phase change materials (PCMs) is very promising in buildings because it allows the storage and discharge of considerable...

Authors: Zhi Yi Huang, Shao Rong Lu, Zhi You Yang, Chun He Yu, Dong Guo

Abstract: Liquid crystal polyurethane (LCPBI) containing biphenylnate and imide units was synthesized and characterized and used to modify the...

Authors: Chun Hua Zhang, Jin Bao Zhang, Mu Chao Qu, Jian Nan Zhang

Abstract: Basalt fiber and carbon fiber hybrid with alternate stacking sequences reinforced epoxy composites have been developed to improve the...

Authors: Wei Zhang, Wen Yong Tang, Ying Chao Pu, Sheng Kun Zhang

Abstract: Based on effective composite material failure criteria and property limited degradation model, axial compressive ultimate strength of...

Authors: Jun Xiao, Bao Guo Ma, Hong Bo Tan

Abstract: Several different sintering systems about the formation of C3A ,by mixing CaO and Al2O3 powder, are studied in this experiment. The sample...

Authors: Qian Xu, Shao Guo Wen, Hong Bo Liu, Ji Hu Wang, Yan Shen

Abstract: The core-shell acrylic emulsion was synthesized，with P(MMA/BA) as core，and with P(2-EHA/MBA/HPA) as shell. The influence of the mass ratio...

Authors: Jing Long Li, Shu Cai Li, Shu Chen Li

Abstract: The concrete cutoff wall is a technology used in reinforcing sick dams more usually in recent years. In the text, the advanced FLAC3D method...

Showing 141 to 150 of 366 Paper Titles


Pugs – The Apex of Canine Evolution

As America continues to plunge into a poverty-stricken police state, there remains at least one symbol of unyielding hope. The Pug provides the model from which we can restore the natural continuation of life. Beyond its stout figure and squishy face, lies a mysteriously powerful entity capable of transforming the human experience.

Some might call the Pug lazy, fat, ugly, stubborn, smelly, or even stupid, but this is merely a simple observation of the Pug’s outward appearance. The harmony that emantes from Pug’s inward energy results in perhaps the greatest breed of canine in existence. You must first ask yourself what constitutes canine greatness? Is it athletic ability? Ferociousness? Ability to perform tricks? Under these measures, the Pug would unquestionably fail.

However, the pug is an embodiment of peaceful thought. Like Ghandi or Ashoka the Great, the pug exploits its material existence to further a message of unwavering peace. Those who encounter the Pug will profess their peaceful demeanor without fluctuation. When the Pug senses sadness, it will, without hesitation, crawl into the arms of the human to provide unconditional condolence. When the Pug senses hatred, it will seek to transfer it’s abundance of positive energy to remedy the imbalance by whatever means available. Whether this message of peace is intentional or not, science has thus far not been able to prove. But the calculation of Pug’s message is irrelevant because the results are undeniable.

You can call it “Granger Causality”, “Cause and Effect,” or “Karma”, but the underlying truth is that all energy in the universe must eventually reach a state of equilibrium, whether physical or spiritual. So, we must assume that the Pug brings forth net positive energy into our existence. This energy is transmitted through the human sensory system and becomes the catalyst for complex electrochemical reactions in the human body, also known as the emotions of love, happiness, and zeal. Humans who have encountered Pugs will often report the experience conjoined to their own conscience existence. In other words, the human ego becomes an inseparable entity with the Pug’s existence.

Therefor, when considering the measure of net positive energy flow, the Pug must be considered the masterpiece of canine evolution.

A Pug Meditating in the Zen Garden

A Pug in Deep Meditation in the Zen Garden


Quantum Computer Breakthrough

Yesterday, researchers announced a breakthrough: a quantum computer based on a crystal composed of 300 atoms. Although it doesn’t sound like much, the potential computing power of this quantum computer dramatically outstrips all present day computers. The full details were published in Nature.

Instead of operating in a binary system like regular computers, a quantum computer can take advantage of a property called “superposition.” “Superposition” refers to the ability of a quantum particle to appear to hold two positions at once. The result is that through superposition, each particle, or qubit, can solve two equations at once. Therefore, the computing power of a quantum computer increases rapidly with each additional qubit. The formula is 2 to the n power, where n in the number of qubits, and the result is the number of states a quantum computer can possess (or calculations it can perform). I apologize to any physicists or computer experts out there if I misstate superposition or any aspects of a quantum computer–the science is a bit beyond me.

Although the processor here is only 300 atoms, the quantum computer itself currently requires a room filled with vacuum chambers, pumps, and lasers. This computer represents something the size of ENIAC and other early computers. But soon, it is hoped, you will find a quantum computer in every home (and soon in mobile devices?), with everyone taking advantage of the almost magical properties of superposition.


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Empathy Series: Buddhist Mind-Training (Lojong)

Master Shantideva

Empathy Series Class 2: Buddhist Mind-Training (Lojong)

Whatever joy there is in the world, comes from cherishing others.

Whatever suffering there is in the world, comes from only cherishing yourself.

What need is there to say more: the childish work for their own benefit while the Buddhas work for the benefit of others. Just look at the difference between them! – Shantideva

Meaning of the word Lojong:

Lo = Mind/Heart Jong = Training/Developing

Training the mind in wisdom, training the heart for compassion.
Implicit meaning is using life's challenges and difficulties for one's spiritual development.

Two Main Problems:

Svartha = self-preoccupation
Svabhava = self-existence

Two Main Remedies:

Karuna = Compassion
Prajna = Wisdom

History of Mind-Training:

The mind-training practice was developed over a 300-year period between 900 and 1200 CE, as part of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Atisha (982–1054 CE), a Bengali meditation master, brought these and other practices such as the stages of the path (lam rim) to Tibet. Atisha's most renown text is the Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhipathapradipam). The lojong practice is based upon Atisha's studies with the Sumatran teacher, Dharmaraksita, author of the lojong text called the Wheel of Sharp Weapons.

There are three lineages of the mind-training teachings: The Sevenfold Cause and Effect instruction; the Fourfold Equalize and Exchange of Self and Other (dakshen nyamje), which is the second point of the Seven-point Mind-Training system; and, the Elevenfold Mind-Training synthesis, which is an integration of the previous two systems. Numerous text and commentaries on these three systems comprise the mind-training literature. In 2006, a total of 43 texts on mind-training were edited by Thupten Jinpa and published by Wisdom Publications entitled Mind Training: The Great Collection.

The lineage of the mind-training traditions are directly linked to the Buddha. The Sevenfold Cause and Effect instruction was taught by Buddha to Maitrya, to Asanga, to Lama Serlingpa, to Lama Atisha, to Je Tsongkapa. The Fourfold Equalize and Exchange of Self with Other method, found within the Seven-point Mind-Training, was taught by Buddha to Maitreya, to Shantideva, to Lama Serlingpa, to Lama Atisha, to Je Tsongkapa. The Seven Point Mind-Training in its present form was composed by Geshe Chekhawa (1101–1175 CE). Chekhawa studied with Sharawa, who was a student of the great master Langri Tangpa Dorge Sangye (1054–1123). The Seven-point instruction and the Fourfold method were combined into an Elevenfold Mind-Training synthesis by Je Tsongkapa (1357-1419).

The rise of Mahayana Buddhism, occurs 500 years after the Buddha in a time when spiritual practices were becoming popular with the laity outside the monastic circles. At this time a new wave of teachings and literature on the wisdom of emptiness (shunyata) appear, which highlight the relativity and interdependence of things. The turn of the millennium in Buddhist India and East Asia is then characterized by an ethos of love and compassion designed to transform the very fabric of urban society. The emphasis on renunciation in early Buddhism is replaced in the Mahayana by compassion firmly grounded in wisdom. Spirituality is brought back from the ashrams on the outskirts of society, back into the marketplace and the hearts and mind of urban dwellers.

Extending the Nervous System:
Our three-part series follows the trajectory of the historical development of Buddhism in India known as the three vehicles (yanas). Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana are three systems of Buddhism each exploring new horizons while subsuming the teachings of the former. They can be characterized by their emphasis on: Hinayana = Dispassion/Renunciation and self-healing, Mahayana = Compassion and social healing, and Vajrayana = pure Passion and embodied healing.

If we use the lens of contemporary psychotherapy and attachment theory we might say that the first phase was about becoming a parent to ourselves, the second phase about becoming a parent to others, and the final phase about becoming a supremely blissful parent to all beings. First the nervous system is regulated and calmed, then the calm nervous system is extended to others who are deregulated, and finally the deepest potential of nervous system is harnessed to expedite the process of regulating others.

Sevenfold Cause and Effect instruction:

1. Recognizing all beings as kin.
2. Remembering their kindness.
3. Vowing to repay their kindness.
4. Developing love for all beings.
5. Developing compassion for all beings.
6. Generating the wish to save all beings.
7. Perusing full enlightenment in order to fulfill one’s wish.

Equalize and Exchange Self and Other
(Point 2 of the Seven-point Mind Training)

I. Equalizing Self and Other
II. Contemplating the Limits of Sefl-preoccupation
III. Contemplating the Benefits of Empathy
IV. Exchanging Self and Other
V. Giving and Taking Meditation (tonglen)

The Seven-Point Mind-Training (with the 59 slogans)
Source: Wikipedia Lojong Entry

ONE: The preliminaries, which are the basis for dharma practice
1. First, train in the preliminaries.

TWO: The main practice, which is training in bodhicitta.
Absolute Bodhicitta
2. Regard all dharmas as dreams.
3. Examine the nature of unborn awareness.
4. Self-liberate even the antidote.
5. Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence.
6. In postmeditation, be a child of illusion.
Relative Bodhicitta
9. In all activities, train with slogans.
10. Begin the sequence of sending and taking with yourself.

THREE: Transformation of Bad Circumstances into the Way of Enlightenment
12. Drive all blames into one.
13. Be grateful to everyone.
15. Four practices are the best of methods.
16. Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.

FOUR: Showing the Utilization of Practice in One's Whole Life
17. Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.

FIVE: Evaluation of Mind Training
19. All dharma agrees at one point.
20. Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one.
21. Always maintain only a joyful mind.

SIX: Disciplines of Mind Training
23. Always abide by the three basic principles.
24. Change your attitude, but remain natural.
25. Don't talk about injured limbs.
26. Don't ponder others.
27. Work with the greatest defilements first.
28. Abandon any hope of fruition.
29. Abandon poisonous food.
30. Don't be so predictable.
31. Don't malign others.
32. Don't wait in ambush.
33. Don't bring things to a painful point.
34. Don't transfer the ox's load to the cow.
35. Don't try to be the fastest.
36. Don't act with a twist.
37. Don't make gods into demons.

SEVEN: Guidelines of Mind Training
39. All activities should be done with one intention.
40. Correct all wrongs with one intention.
42. Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.
44. Train in the three difficulties.
45. Take on the three principal causes.
46. Pay heed that the three never wane.
47. Keep the three inseparable.
49. Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment.
50. Don't be swayed by external circumstances.
51. This time, practice the main points.
52. Don't misinterpret.
53. Don't vacillate.
54. Train wholeheartedly.
55. Liberate yourself by examining and analyzing.
56. Don't wallow in self-pity.
57. Don't be jealous.
58. Don't be frivolous.
59. Don't expect applause.

Quotes on Bodhicitta The Spirit of Enlightnement / Awakened Heart:

Although it is the stick that hurts me, I am angry at the one who wields it, striking me. But they in turn are driven by their hatred (and misperception); Therefore it is with their hatred that I take offense. - Shantideva
(v. 41, Chapter 6) on "Patience", from the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life

First of all I should make an effort

To meditate upon the equality between self and others:

I should protect all beings as I do myself

As a body that is to be protected they are one,

Likewise all the different sentient beings in their pleasure and their pain

The suffering that I experience

Does not cause any harm to others.

Thereby it becomes unbearable.

Likewise the misery of others

Does not befall me.

Therefore it too should be hard to bear.

Hence I should dispel the misery of others

Because it is suffering, just like my own,

And I should benefit others

Because they are sentient beings, just like myself.

When both myself and others

Are similar in that we wish to be happy,

What is so special about me?

Why do I strive for my happiness alone?
- Shantideva

From A Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Shantideva, tr by Stephen Batchelor, Chapter VIII, verses 90-95,, Snow Lion Publications.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Empathy Series: Attunement, Attachment, Meditation and Psychotherapy

Primary Reference: Daniel Seigel. (2007). The Mindful Brain.

Key words: Attunement, Attachment, Meditation, Psychotherapy and Empathy

Two Problems
1. Affect Disregulation / Nueral Unintegration
2. Traumatic Narrative

Assumptions about Attachment
• Attachment is the relationship of the child to the caregiver over time – first three years are crucial
• Attachment style of the care giver conditions the style of the child
• Research has shown attachment shapes the developing mind/brain
• Attachment impacts self-regulatory circuits

Attachment Styles: Relationship Type

Relationship Type => Parenting Behavior

Secure => Responsive, Consistent
Avoidant => Rejecting, Distant
Ambivalent => Rejecting, Distant
Disorganized => Frightening, Confusing, Fearful

Characteristics of Secure Attachment: The Trusting Child

Characteristics of Ambivalent Attachment: The Anxious Child
Ambivalently attached children usually become very distressed when a parent leaves. This attachment style is considered relatively uncommon, affecting an estimated 7-15% of U.S. children. Research suggests that ambivalent attachment is a result of poor maternal availability. These children cannot depend on their mother (or caregiver) to be there when the child is in need.

Characteristics of Avoidant Attachment: The Aloof Child

Characteristics of Disorganized Attachment: The Confused Child
The disorganized types seek attachment but experienced anxiety as a consequence of attachment. They also experience anxiety at the disappearance of the mother and are difficult to soothe upon reunion. Disorganized children are particularly ambivalent upon reunion with their attachment figure, both approaching and avoiding contact. Bowlby described these children as "arching away angrily while simultaneously seeking proximity" when re-introduced to their mothers.
Attachment Styles: Parents Narrative

Adult Narratives

Adult Narrative => Child Attachment

Secure => Secure
Dismissing => Avoidant
Entangled, Preoccupied => Anxious
Unresolved Trauma or Grief => Disorganized

Characteristic of Secure Narrative: The Balanced Adult
flexible, coherent, self-reflective, balanced perspective (positive with the negative)

Characteristic of Dismissing Narrative: The Adult in Denial
Incoherent-vague, inflexible-ridgid, minimize emotional significance, insist on lack of recall, based on denial

Characteristic of Entangled Narrative: The Preoccupied Adult
preoccupation with past, intrudes on present, intense idealization or fixation

Characteristic of Unresolved Narrative: The Traumatized Adult
disorganization, disorientation around issues of grief or trauma, unintegrated, spontaneously intrusive, disorienting

The Brain is a Social Organ

• The function of the brain is to engage with other people, other brains, in the shaping of its development over time and in shaping its activity in the present.

• Mirror Neurons and the capacity to develop empathy and insight = MINDSIGHT

• Our brains are extremely social. Areas involved in self-regulation overlap with those involved in interpersonal communication and plasticity

• How one brain interacts with another has important effects on how the brain functions: Social interactions are one of the most powerful forms of experience that help shape how the brain gives rise to the mind

• Mindsight enables us to meet life’s challenges with more flexibility and joy in our internal and interpersonal worlds

• We are ultimately connected to each other as part of a larger whole

Two Solutions:

1. Attunement via mindfulness (intrapsychically) and empathy (interpersonally via psychotherapy)
2. Coherent Narrative via psychotherapy

Secure Attachment and Empathy Fosters:

• Flexible self-regulation
• Prosocial behavior
• Empathy
• Positive sense of emotional well-being and self-esteem
• Coherent life-story
• Neural Integration

Brain Regions and Functions Integrated During Mindfulness and Psychotherapy:

I. Brainstem: Reptilian brain. Core functions. Heart. Respiration. Metabolism. Sleep-wake cycles. Fight-flight Response.

II. Limbic region: Mammalian brain. Social function. Connection with others. Memory processing into autobiographical context., Appraisal/meaning of sensations and emotions. Hormone regulation via the hypothalamus. Endocrine – autonomic and parasympathetic NS. Motivational drives and survival instincts.

III. Cortex: Neo- Mammalian brain. Cognitive function. Perception, planning, and attention. Resonance circuitr and mirror neurons. Imagination and empathy.

A. Left brain: language, linearity, logic, literal thinking. The narrarator.

B. Right brain: non-verbal, holistic, visiospacial, autobiographical memory, spontaneous emotion, stress modulation, empathic response, attention.

How Psychotherapy Cultivates Attunement, Self-regulation, and Neural integration:

Sharing coherence/integration
In the process of psychotherapy with a range of individuals with intact mirror neuron systems, shared states with the therapist may be an essential component of the therapeutic process. As two individuals share the closely resonant reverberating interactions that their mirror neuron systems makes possible, what before may have been unbearable states of affective and bodily activation within the patient may now become tolerable within conscious awareness. Being empathic with patients may be more than just something that helps them “feel better” – it may create a new state of neural activation with a coherence in the moment improves the capacity for self-regulation. What is at first a form of interpersonal integration in the sharing of affective and cognitive states now evolves into a form of internal integration in the patient. With the entry of previously warded-off states of being in conscious awareness, the patient can now learn to develop enhanced self-regulatory capacities that before were beyond their skill set. It may be that as interpersonal attunement initiates a new form of awareness that makes intrapersonal attunement possible, new self-regulatory capacities become available. - Seigel

Positive Attachment: Attunement and Narrative
Studies of attachment reveal that the parent’s openness to a child’s signals and the coherence of the parent’s own narrative are important predictors of a child’s development of security of attachment (13). Such factors seem to promote a form of resiliency in the child which self-regulation unfold as the child matures. Psychotherapy may naturally harness these developmental origins of well-being in creating a resonant state in which the therapist is sensitive to the patient’s signals and also has made sense of his or her own life. Being open to the many layers of our experience, often involving the non-verbal world of sensation and affect in addition to our verbal understanding is an important stance for the therapist to create toward the internal and interpersonal worlds. Within this framework, the state of brain activation in the therapist serves as a vital source of resonance that can profoundly alter the ways in which the patient’s brain is activated in the moment-to-moment experiences within therapy. Such interactive experiences allow the patient to “feel felt” and understood by the therapist, and they also may establish new neural net firing patterns that can lead to neural plastic changes. Ultimately lasting effects of psychotherapy must harness such experiences that promote the growth of new synaptic connections so that more adaptive capacities for self-regulation and well-being can be established. -Seigel

Adult Narrative made Coherent and Integrated During Psychotherapy:

A narrative is a story we tell ourselves that helps contextualizes our experience.
A narrative is just a construct, and needs to be flexible and adaptive.
In the case of traumatic experience, memories are decontextualized, fragmented, relegated to the unconscious and need to be reintegrated into a holistic, coherent and conscious narrative.
Implicit memories are procedural, non conscious, non verbal, non linear, unconscious, fragmented, emotional, somatic.
Explicit memories are conscious, autobiographical, verbal, holistic, cognitively contextualized.
We need to make positive meaning of our experiences in a coherent narrative.
This process of making meaning of traumatic experience is one of the hallmarks of good therapy.

Narrative: Making Sense of a Story

The hallmark of secure attachment being the ability to reflect on one's internal emotional experience, and make sense of it, and at the same time reflect on the mind of another. One can immediately see how these capacities are imbued in the infant through sensitive attunement of the caregiver. When a caregiver reads the verbal and non-verbal cues of the child and reflects them back, the child sees him or herself through the eyes of the attachment figure. It is through this attunement and contingent communication process that the seeds of the developing self are planted and realized. Insecurely attached individuals lack this reflective function either because their emotional responses are so repressed as in the case of the dismissing attachment status or exacerbated as in the case of the preoccupied attachment status that they are unable to either identify their own internal experience or reflect on that of the other. When either one of these extremes are the method of regulating the attachment behavioral system, the capacity for reflection (on oneself and others) is compromised. - Fonagy

Jeremy Holmes, likewise an analyst in England, has written the book The Search for the Secure Base: Attachment Theory and Psychotherapy (2001). Holmes talks at great length about the narratives of insecurely attached individuals. He refers to story-making, and story-breaking. In the case of dismissing attachment, where the story is so restricted as to reduce the possibility of dysphoric affect, the clinician is helping the patient create a story that is coherent, full of memory and manageable affect. In the case of preoccupied attachment, where anxiety over-runs the client's story in that it becomes convoluted and saturated with anger and disappointment, the therapist's role is to help break the negative cycle of the narrative, manage the affect more effectively and create a story that is balanced and coherent. - Dan Sonkin
See Sonkin's Article Attachment Theory and Psychotherapy

Nine Middle Prefrontal Functions
By Dan Seigel

Body Regulation:
Body Regulation is achieved by the Autonomic (automatic) Nervous System. This system generally works without conscious control and regulates functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, vascular tone, inflammation and immune response etc.

Attuned Communication:
Attuned Communication is defined as the coordination of input from another mind with the activity of one’s own, a resonance process involving these middle prefrontal areas. This is distinct from other resonant functions such as those achieved by the mirror neurons in the motor cortex that automatically interpret the motor actions of another as one’s own.

Emotional Balance:
Emotional Balance in this context is defined as being able to balance between rigidity and chaos. In other words, being able to keep from being overwhelmed or becoming inflexible in one’s emotional response.

Response Flexibility:
Response Flexibility is the capacity to pause before action. Such a process requires the assessment of ongoing stimuli, the delay of reaction, selection from a variety of possible options, and the initiation of action.

Empathy (Mindsight):
Empathy is defined as conscious awareness and sensitivity to the mind of someone else. It is the putting of oneself in someone else’s shoes.

Insight, or self-knowing awareness:
Insight links the past, present and future. The middle prefrontal cortex has input and output fibers to many areas. Insight means integrating cortical representation of autobiographical memory stores and limbic firing that gives emotional texture to the emerging themes of our present awareness, life story, and image of the future.

Fear modulation:
Fear can be modulated from the middle PFC via neurons that enervate the amygdala, a limbic structure that registers threat and opportunity. These neurons can release calming neurotransmitters (GABA) and can be consciously reprogrammed.

Intuition in this context means registering the input from neurons from the heart and gut. In other words, respecting one’s gut feeling.

Morality in this context means the ability to think of the larger social good and enact those behaviors, even when alone.

Nine Forms of Neural Integration
Adapted from Dan's Seigel's Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation (2010)

1. Integration of consciousness - Awareness of the body, mental/emotional, relational, and outside world. Openness to things as they are.

2. Bilateral integration - Left and right hemispheres working in synchrony. Left hemisphere is logical and linear, very literal. Right side is more creative, metaphoric, and symbolic.

3. Vertical integration - Body up, including lamina-1, from the brainstem through the midbrain (hippocampus) and into the cerebral cortex. [ME: Also look at the role of the vagus nerve in vertical integration.]

Gut, heart, and lungs all have neural networks that seek to communicate with the brain. Too many people are disconnected from the awareness from our bodies.

4. Memory integration - Implicit and explicit memory integration. When traumas become implicit memory, a schema, we are stuck in the past. To integrate memory, we make implicit memories explicit.

5. Narrative integration - Biographical memory, needs to be included. Run into the trauma, not from it. When a dog tries to bite you, stick your fist down it's throat - it'll gag and release. We get wounded, but not as bad as if we pull away and the dog's teeth tear the flesh from our hands.

6. State integration - we are multiple selves sharing a body. Three parts: We need to learn to honor our states (intrastate), interstate, honor that we have different needs at the same time and we need to pay attention to that, and interpersonal states, maintaining my own states while in relation with others.

Other states - such as gross, subtle, causal, nondual?

7. Interpersonal integration - Honoring and supporting the differences in each other promotes neural integration in the brain. Mind is energy and information flow. Talking about thoughts and feelings gets you nowhere. It's about nurturing energy.

Communication of feelings, not about feelings, can be integrative for the brain - promotes integrative fibers in the brain. Parent-child interactions that create healthy attachment work in this way.

8. Temporal integration - Making maps of time. Connected to narrative - we seek certainty, but change is the only constant. We also become aware of our eventual death.

Differentiation and linkage, chaos and integration. We need to differentiate before we can link, and we need to recognize the chaos before we can integrate.

9. Transpirational integration - The identity of a bodily self expands beyond the boundary of the skin - we sense our interconnection time, place, and people. Integration of integration. We Space consciousness.


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Why are some Nations very Rogue ?

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Why are some Nations very Rogue?

Here is a News Clipping on Epigenetic Memory. Read this before proceeding to read my post.

Scientists Just Observed Epigenetic Memories Being Passed Down for 14 Generations.

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Now let us think over why some nations are very rogue:

Look at various Nations. Most Nations have separate Identity in terms of Culture, Behavior etc. A Nation as a whole has a Mind set. It's the Religion, Culture etc that have shaped up the Mindset of the citizens. Religions have definitely served some purpose (Good as well as Bad) to shape the overall behavior of individuals. We have always noticed that some nations are always Satvik (righteous) in nature, whereas some have traditionally been rogue. As the King, so also the subjects. Ramayana and Mahabharata were written in India as epic to drive the point how the kings and the subjects should conduct themselves in a Dharmic way. But, in certain Nations, we have always noticed that Power Hungry persons did not even hesitate to kill their Fathers or Brothers and Family Members who were Kings to capture the throne. In certain Nations Dharma always prevailed over Power Seeking. Certain Nations were always very aggressive in Nature and fought over neighboring nations, captured them and converted their subjects to their own religions at the tip of swords. Certain religions have always believed in Violence whereas some religions have traditionally been preaching Ahimsa or Non Violence. Mahatma Gandhi who single handedly fought over British won liberation for India through the Principle of Non Violence. No doubt, it was Hinduism that shaped up the mind set of Mahatma Gandhi. No wonder, one Mahatma Gandhi could easily inject the principle of Non Violence into the mind of majority Indians.

We can not so easily wish away Religions as useless. But, certain Religions have always played spoiling game in shaping the destiny of their Nations. Similarly, the food habits of each nations have a strong bearing in the mind set of their subjects. Traditionally in India Meat Eating is considered as immoral and even many Non Vegetarian Indians also refrain from eating Meat on certain days of the week (1 -2 auspicious days in a week) as a symbol of adherence to their moral beliefs. In India, people don't serve meat in auspicious occasions like marriage. World's highest number of Vegetarian population belong to India. Even the Traditional Music of a culture will show how far it can make people Satvik in nature. Indian Traditional Music has always been extremely Melodic and pleasing to hear. Music, Dance and Divinity are synonymous in Hinduism and are meant to connect one to one's inner Soul. This shows that a country as a whole think in a particular pattern, if not fully, at least as a majority. Hinduism does not have any codes to make anyone become as Hindus. Religious conversion to Hinduism doesn't exist by any established means or procedures. If anybody wish to become Hindu, one can simply follow the Hindu Principles on their own without any official conversions. Hinduism strongly believes and advocates that Everyone is Divine in Nature.

Sanatana Dharma is is the original name of what is now popularly called Hinduism or Hindu Dharma. The terms Hindu and Hinduism are said to be a more recent development, while the more accurate term is Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a code of ethics, a way of living through which one may achieve moksha (enlightenment, liberation). It is the world's most ancient culture and the socio, spiritual, and religious tradition of almost one billion of the earth's inhabitants. Sanatana Dharma represents much more than just a religion; rather, it provides its followers with an entire worldview, way of life and with a coherent and rational view of reality. But more importantly, Hinduism is a way of life which guides men and women to live by. It makes sense, because each one of us is different by nature. Hinduism is more, a way of living, rather than a religion. The Supreme Court of India after long discussions refused to acknowledge Hinduism as a religion, but termed Hinduism as a way of living only.

The Multiple God system in Hinduism is derived based on thoughtful analysis, by creating a separate God for each and every principle of our nature like Wealth (Lakshmi), Health (Dhanvantari), Education (Saraswati), Valour (Durga), Love and Affection (Ganesha), Knowledge (Dakshinamurti) etc. There are thousands of Hindu Gods for everyone's liking and taste. This Multi God system definitely works even now. Multi God system doesn't mean that there are many Gods sitting and controlling the universe separately. Multiple God means, just as you act in multiple roles like Father, Husband, Boss, Student, Singer, Doctor etc even though you are the same person, the Multiple Gods of Hinduism is the Multiple Facets of one single principle behind all existence called Brahman. Even Atheism is wholeheartedly allowed and accepted in Hinduism.

Advaita, the principal and outstanding philosophy of Hinduism does not really advocate that everyone should dump religion or samsara into Trash Bin. Advaita accommodates all categories of people according to their evolution. Advaita allows unevolved persons to follow their own religious beliefs till they mature and realize the Advaitic principles. Advaita is the most accomodative philosophy that would have ever been created. Advaitic philosophy has shaped the mind set of billions and billions of people in India and elsewhere through out the world. With 1.27 Billion People belonging to several dozens of religions, many hundreds of languages, thousands of castes, the reason why India still behaves as a single cohesive country is because of the strong belief of the country's people in Sanatana Dharma and in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (, a Sanskrit phrase of Upanishads, which means "The world is one family". There cannot be a better phrase than this to express how a nation should value other nations and conduct itself.

Advaita Vedanta made India more of a Satvik Nature rather than aggressive. Thanks to the Advaita Principles that shaped the destiny of a Nation as a whole. It was one single wise and courageous man Adi Shankara (788 AD - 820 AD) who lived only for 32 years, relentlessly worked hard, travelled thousands of miles through forests and rough terrains on foot and sowed the seeds of Advaita Vedanta throughout the Indian Region. But for Adi Shankara Hinduism would have been wiped out of the earth due to the onslaught of foreign invasions on Indian Region.

Looking at the point of view of Education, it is clear that Education can not be the sole criteria to make people behave in ethical manner. The obvious example is again India where many people are uneducated and live as farmers, labours etc. It can be noticed that many such people lead an ethical way of life.

The purpose of writing this article is to bring out the fact that every Nation has a pattern of thinking based on several centuries of Ruler's Behavior, Religious Beliefs, Traditions, Food habits, Music, Dance, Cultures etc which would reveal the reasons why some nations were very Rogue and continue to be Rogue.

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Monday, December 14, 2015

A Cold Night in Istanbul

In the city of the world's desire
The night covered the lonely streets
With the rain ever falling
Visibility was a distant dream

Little Aleksandr cold and scared
Nothing to shield him from the cruel night
He strides on forward unprepared
Almost dragging himself with despite

Ever since father left
No happiness found little Aleksandr
Orphaned in foreign lands
Where Oh where would little Aleksandr go?

As the street loomed on forward
A distant light was shining at the end of the street
A translucent ray of hope
Little Aleksandr could do naught but stride on forward

The light stirred closer with every step
A blinding ray of hope
Cutting through the cruel night
The light stirred ever closer

The source was a building
A center, A center of hope
The sign on the side read 'Darulaceze'
On the other side read 'All is welcome'

The inspiration for this poem comes from a complex in Istanbul called Darulaceze, established in 1895 by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to help the city cope with the influx of citizens migrating from former Ottoman lands. Today, it continues to be a shelter for Turkey's elderly and impoverished in a multicultural/interreligious setting. Residents are provided with a place to worship in peace. Its garden houses side-by-side a mosque, church and synagogue.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

My artwork is entitled Karam, which means Generosity. Although it is a word of three letters in the Arabic alphabet, it has a great and deep meaning for Muslims. It is considered to be the basic element of life for Muslims. Islam has an obvious relation to peace because the ideal behavior that God asks people to follow is based on generosity, peace, and humility.
Muslims believe that everything on earth originated from god and will return to him even their souls. Thus, people have to behave as all of what they possess belongs to God and they have to protect, preserve, and share with others in order to satisfy God and have peace.
Many people attack Islam and describe it as a religion of terrorism. They claim that Islam teaches people to be aggressive and not to help others. However, the main approaches of Islam are generosity and forgiveness that are considered the main principles of peace. Those people have to study and look at the history of Islam and the ideal behavior of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Islam asks Muslims to forgive others even if they hurt them. Islam asks Muslims to forgive and not hurt their enemies. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) asked Muslims to not kill or hurt the people (his enemies) who the Muslims captured in one of the battles, and he freed them after he asked them to teach Muslims how to read and write.
Islam is the religion that asks people and encourages them to be generous and kind to others without expecting anything back from them. Thus, to be a true Muslim, people have to help others and give and support them freely. Being generous and kind in Islam is not about just giving money to others, but it is more about helping and supporting others by giving them advice, money, and knowledge. In addition, the concept of generosity in Islam includes treating other people nicely and smiling in front of them. The concept of generosity in Islam is not about giving others things that people do not want anymore, but it is about sharing what they have and love with others. As Ibn Abbas said that he heard the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) saying, “the believer is not the one who eats when his neighbor beside him is hungry”. Also, according to another companion who heard the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) saying, “the believer is simple and generous, but the wicked person is deceitful and ignoble”.
Therefore, peace is not a small part of Islam, but it is the main core of Islam. All of what God asks Muslims to do has a good impact on them. He rewards Muslims who adopt generosity as their main characteristic by offering them good life and promises them paradise. God says in the Qur'an that he will reward the generosity of a believer. “And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.” (Al-Baqarah 2:272). That is why one of the names of God in Islam is Al Kareem, The generous. In addition, the best example of generosity is the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is famous for his ideal behavior and characteristic of being generous and kind. He was the most generous of people especially in Ramadan.
The impacts of being generous on Muslims’ lives are great. It helps them get rid of being selfish. The more they give to others, the better they feel. It gives them a feeling of unity and equality. They all care about each other, and there are no differences between rich and poor or white and black. Moreover, Islam guides people toward peace by asking them to be generous in term of knowledge. Muslims who are well-educated have to help others and declare the wrong concepts of life for them. Generosity in Islam is not limited to the relation between human themselves, but it also includes the good behavior of treating animals and the environment around them nicely because it is gift from god, so people should protect and preserve it.
Furthermore, generosity was one of the factors that helped in spreading the Islam in early times. There were a lot of people, who were fighting against Islam, and became part of it after they saw the generosity and simplicity of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He was kind to non-Muslims as well and that was what softened their hearts and made them convert to Islam.
Therefore, that is how peace engages in the religion of Islam. Islam is the religion of justice. Muslims do not have to be taught the concept of peace in schools because it is already inherited inside them by their Islamic attitudes. Non-Muslims should not attack Islam and say it threatens the peace of the world due to some Muslims’ wrong behavior. Therefore, my message is that being kind to others enables people to love, respect, and care about each other. Thus, if people adopt the ideal characteristics of Islam that God asks them to follow, peace will be all around them.
I came up with the idea of generosity and Islam that leads to peace because I was inspired by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his ideal behavior that attracted most of people to Islam. Then, I did a research on the subject of Islam and peace along with generosity. I found out that many scholars have discussed the relation between generosity and Islam in what they believe Islam is all about peace. As Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah states, “It is certain that the Qur'an insists against murder, the Qur'an equalizes the injustice on one soul to the whole of humanity. Islam prohibits the intimidation of others, even in a joking manner. A Muslim relationship with others is one of friendship and companionship.” (Bin Bayyah). He believed that the relation between people in Islam that is based on justice and kindness is the ideal approach of peace. Also, there are many scholars mentioned that the good deeds and generosity of people make others remember them more than their high position or wealth. Moreover, the relation between generosity and peace is adopted in people’s hearts. For example, Warren Buffet, who is one of the richest men in the world, gave 85% of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help the foundation pursue its longstanding goal of curing the globe's most fatal diseases and improving American education. Thus, this shows how the generosity can make people’s lives better and leads them to peace.
For my artwork, I chose to have the word Allah written in Arabic with calligraphy style of Salman Khattak because Al-Kareem (the Generous) is one of the ninety-nine names of Allah. The calligraphy is written on A3 cardboard to give a rough surface that help the colors to stand out. Then, the colors I chose symbolize nature that was created by God. The white color symbolizes purity and peace. The green color symbolizes paradise, and the red color symbolizes passion. The blue color symbolizes heaven for me where the sky and God dwell. Also, I added small pieces of crystals on the calligraphy part to reflect the purity and beauty of Islam. In addition, I added a text that refers to God's generosity and God who loves generosity to emphasize my message that is about the main concept of generosity in Islam.
In addition, I was influenced by Salman Khattak, a contemporary artist who is famous for the combination of the Arabic calligraphy and texts of the names of God and verses from the Qur'an. He is skilled in scripts ranging from copperplate to italic to Gothic styles. He is also interested in Arabic and Western calligraphy.
Furthermore, I am Libyan. I have lived in different countries, but now I am staying in Dubai. I am a student at the American University in Dubai, and I am majoring in Interior Design. I am interested in studying Islamic history, calligraphy, architecture, Design, and art. I believe that Islamic art is one of the most interesting subjects to study due to its deep meanings.
In conclusion, Islam is all about peace due to the precious values and characteristics that Allah and the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) ask Muslims to have.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

الهائم / Al Haem

My Art work “الهائم / Al Haem” is an abstract figure of a whirling dervish.  The figure is 9 cm long, made of only white clay and painted. The figure is placed on a black board and verses of a Sufi poem are written on the board with a golden marker.

Through this art work I meant to express my appreciation of the relationship Sufis have with God, one that is based on love and only love. Freeing oneself from every regulation and worshiping God just to get closer to him.

Moreover, I want to emphasize on the several values the Sufi dance provides us with, such as, tolerance, peacefulness, humility, and most importantly love.

Also, the verses of poetry written on the black board are from the poem “In the love of Allah" by Rabia’a Al Adawiya who is definitely one of the main mystics and poets who inspired me.

يا سروري ومنيتي وعمادي
وأنيسي وعدتي ومرادي
أنت روح الفؤاد أنت رجائي
أنت لي مؤنس وشوق كزادي

I should also mention that the poetry workshop we had last week strongly inspired me in order to have a better idea of what I want to do.


Travel “on the run”, offensive player takes 3 steps after receiving the ball

This is an example of a traveling violation. A moving player may only take 2 legal steps after catching the ball to shoot, pass or to come to a stop. On this play, the offensive player catches the ball in the air and lands with a left, right, left prior to shooting. This is a traveling violation for taking 3 steps.


World's drinking water contaminated with plastic fibres, study finds

"What we have here is plastic in the drinking water that human beings are consuming every day" - author of study, Dan Morrison, tells euronews.

Now Reading:

World's drinking water contaminated with plastic fibres, study finds

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A new investigation has discovered the presence of microfibres in tap water worldwide.

“What we have here is plastic in the drinking water that human beings are consuming every day,” co-author of the study, Dan Morrison, told euronews.

Europe lowest contamination rate

European nations had the lowest contamination rate, an investigation by Orb Media found, but this still stands at around 72 percent. On average, 4.8 fibres were found per 500 ml sample in the US and 1.9 in Europe.

Morrison, one of the Orb Media reporters carrying out the research on microplastic contamination, called for greater analysis of water quality.

“What we have here is something new. We’ve, for the first time, established the presence of microscopic plastic fibres in global tap water samples. What this calls for is a great deal more research into the force and the behaviour of these fibres”, he told euronews.

“In the broader sense what this calls for is a greater look at water quality and a greater look at the flow of plastic pollutants around the world.”

How has plastic ended up in drinking water?

The way microplastics end up in drinking water is not clear. The atmosphere could be one source, with everyday objects, such as tyres, clothes and carpets emitting particles into the air.

Europe is below the worldwide average of 83 percent. At 94 percent the US, the study suggests, is above the worldwide average. Morrison told euronews one theory he is considering for the difference in levels is the way tumble dryers generally operate on the two sides of the Atlantic. In the US, around 80 percent of dryers are vented into the open air, while in Europe a different kind of tumble dryer is generally used, “which does not vent into the open air.”

Are there any health effects?

There is no research on the impact – if any – these fibres have on human health. However, research on marine animals has shown that toxic chemicals are released in the body. The concern is, Morrison says, “that these fibres might behave the same way in the human gut. But at this time no one knows for sure.”

“We set out with a question and the question was: if microplastics are being found thick in the marine environment and thick in freshwater environments, are they in tap water? […] There was no public research that addressed this question. So, the only way to answer that question was to, ourselves, design a study and carry it out. So, we have carried out the first global survey of tap water to answer this question: is there microplastic in the tap water? And the answer indicates a strong ‘yes’”, said Morrison.

But, he explained, switching from tap to bottled drinking water may not necessarily be the answer.

“Packaged drinking water and bottled water in many jurisdictions, including the United States, is not subject to the same, strict guidelines that the water that comes out of your faucet is. So your drinking water – at least in New York City, where I’m from – is more tested than the bottled water you’re paying for from the shelves. I’m not sure that bottled water is a solution. I think, in the long term, what we need is more attention by regulators into plastic fibres in drinking water and to a host of other plastic-related chemicals in drinking water.”

Plastic omnipresent

Some 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced annually. Only around 20 percent is recycled or incinerated, meaning much ends up littering the environment. A report published in Science Advances found that since 1950, when plastic started being fabricated on a large scale, some 8300 million metric tonnes have been produced. Its authors warn that plastic waste has become ever-present in the environment.

“I’m not sure that one can escape plastic fibres at this time and this is because most of the food that you eat is also itself also prepared with water. […] What’s needed at this time is to assess how much of a risk this is. Is this something that should consume public health officials? Is this something that should just be worked on, with an eye towards solving it in the future? In the United States we have something called the Contaminants Candidate List, which is a list of contaminants that are not regulated, that are being considered for regulation. And plastic fibres aren’t even on the list of things that they’re considering regulating. So, we’re way off from dealing with this, I believe”, said Morrison.

with Luke Barber


12 de março de 2017

Dave Mail 32: The huge pedal chain during Stadium Arcadium

Did you help John choose the setup on the pedals beforehand or did he change them depending on what feeling he had at the shows? With that many pedals during the Stadium Arcadium tour, was there like a "textbook" with the pedals's setup? If so, do you still have it and can make it available for us?

Dave Lee: "Haha. No textbook. He would just show up with some crazy new (or old) pedal and say "I wanna try this...". He usually already had an idea where he wanted it on the board. Josh does the same thing. "

Does John's setup still have any secrets we don't know about? Any particular thing that he demanded?

Dave Lee: "Nothing that I can think of."

Questions by:
- Leonardo Rodrigues - Cachoeira do Sul, RS - Brazil

Check out our interview with Dave Lee: Português | English

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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Lemon-Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry-Citrus Syrup

Summer. The season when nature's bounty is at its greatest. The time for juicy tomatoes, backyard-grown herbs, squash galore, and of course mountains and mountains of berries and fresh fruits.

Although I tend to sway savory when I head out for brunch, every once in a while I can be convinced to swear allegiance to the almighty waffle. I prefer waffles made in a Belgian-style waffle maker because they have deeper pockets for holding syrups and toppings, and also tend to have a slightly crisper texture because they are less doughy.

Belgian waffles are traditionally small rectangles, but most Americans expect their Belgian waffle to be served as a giant round. Either way works fine, but I use my tiny little Belgian waffle maker that makes 2 waffles at a time.

It gets the job done, and I can easily keep the waffles warm in the oven as I finish cooking. For a party, however, it would be best to invest in something bigger, or perhaps borrow a friend's waffle maker and have two going simultaneously.

Lemon-Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry-Citrus Syrup are absolutely perfect for any summer weekend. The waffles themselves have a fantastic texture, heightened by a bit of crunchy cornmeal and creamy ricotta cheese. Buttermilk adds tang, while a generous amount of lemon zest and lemon juice add beautiful brightness in flavor.

Don't even get me started on the Blueberry-Citrus Syrup. Nothing this good should be this easy to make. Water, brown sugar, strips of lemon zest, and blueberries bubble together to create a slightly citrusy berry-laden syrup that really elevates these waffles to another dimension. This is definitely a more summer spin on syrup than your standard maple variety.

I know this is a pretty bold statement, but these waffles just might be my favorite waffles I've made thus far. I'm always trying different recipes, and honestly all of the ones I've shared in the past--from tangy Yogurt Waffles with Honey Cream to traditional Belgian Liège Waffles, citrus-infused Sour Cream-Orange Waffles to autumnal Pumpkin Waffles with Sour Cream and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds--are all really fantastic recipes. Yet these waffles may be a step above the rest.

What I love most about them is that they're not too sweet (really none of the ones I've shared above rank high on the sugar scale) and yet feel light and decadent all at once. Definitely try these next weekend. You won't be sorry.

Lemon-Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry-Citrus Syrup
(From Waffles)

Blueberry-Citrus Syrup:
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (6 oz/185 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
6 lemon zest strips (use a vegetable peeler)

2 large eggs, separated
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) buttermilk
3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (6 1/2 oz/200 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz/45 g) cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or a pinch of ground nutmeg
Confectioners' sugar for serving

To make the blueberry-citrus syrup, place 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water and the brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the blueberries and lemon zest and bring to a simmer. Cook until the berries pop and form a thick syrup, about 5 minutes (it will thicken more as it cools; remove lemon zest strips before serving).

Preheat a waffle maker.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, and butter. Gently stir in the ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

In the bowl of a stand mixture using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Stir in the granulated sugar and whip until stiff peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the egg mixture, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Ladle (or scoop) the batter into the waffle maker, using 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter per batch (my waffle maker takes a heaping 1/3 cup per waffle square). Spread the batter so it almost reaches the edges of the waffle maker. Cook until the waffles are crisp and browned, 4 to 6 minutes. These waffles tend to be slightly wet, so you have to cook them a little longer than usual.

Using a spatula, remove the waffles from the waffle maker and serve right away, or place on a baking sheet in a single layer in a 200 degree F oven for up to 20 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the blueberry-citrus syrup, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Cook's Note: The measurements in this recipe are directly from the book, however the ounce and gram conversions are generally not very accurate, especially for the larger values. It seems as though whoever did the conversions just tried to round to the closest number, but in some cases it's vastly different. For example 185 grams of ricotta cheese is closer to 6.5 ounces, not 6, but 60 grams of sugar is 2.1 ounces, so that's at least much closer to 2. I'm not sure which measurements were the author's original, however, I use the gram measurements and find those to yield good results.

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