Greetings from LIFESTYLE CHOICES!
OLEANDER PARTY PICTURES!
Thanks to everyone who attended our party on May 22. It was our biggest and best one yet! Andy Eng, photographer extraordinaire, has posted them and you can look for yourself or your friends at this link: http://andyeng.zenfolio.com/p937048768
Scientists Use Twitter to Predict Spread of an Infectious Disease
From RWJ Foundation: “A new study suggests that information shared via Twitter can be used to predict the extent and severity of infectious disease outbreaks like the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Philip Polgreen, M.D., and his colleagues at the University of Iowa, collected and analyzed public tweets relating to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak to see if they could track the spread of H1N1 more rapidly than current methods. They also analyzed information from Twitter in order to gauge public concerns about the H1N1 virus.
The analysis showed that information from Twitter could be used to rapidly estimate the scope of the outbreak—so in theory, public health officials could use Tweets to help shape and direct their response to an emerging outbreak almost in real time. In addition, the Twitter data showed that the public had responded to educational messages aimed at reducing fears about H1N1.The paper, published in the May 4 journal PLoS ONE, was supported in part by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson. “
From TED- Ric Elias: “3 things I learned while my plane crashed”
What did one man learn as his airplane pilot came over the loudspeaker and muttered three life-changing words — “brace for impact”? Short video- only 5 minutes!
The Power of Music
Living on Galveston Bay is like living at a resort—wearing casual, tropical clothing, listening to the seagulls, hearing boat horns blaring off in the distance, wild parrot spotting, watching sailboat regattas, being around relaxed attitudes and…enjoying live music! Although here on the Gulf Coast we have the third largest concentration of recreational boats in the U.S., many people don’t realize we also have more live music than most anywhere else. Many of the restaurants on the water, in addition to other inland locations, have bands playing genres to suit just about any music lover’s taste. Although jazz, salsa, and funk can be found, many of the local Bay Area eateries seem to prefer tropical rock, country, soul, and classic rock. We even have a couple of Greek restaurants featuring belly dancers!
Music is powerful and the medical profession is now looking at the therapeutic benefits derived from it. Music reduces stress when it provides a sense of well-being to the listener. This feeling of well-being can promote deeper breathing and changes in heart rhythms which affect your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hormones. Music can even lower our blood pressure. One area of research being done involves intentionally manipulating certain notes and sounds to produce songs which stimulate our immune systems. Scientists at Stanford University report, “Rhythmic music may change brain function and treat a range of neurological conditions, including Attention Deficit Disorder and depression.” Gabe Turow, a visiting scholar at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford, stated in 2006, “We may be sitting on one of the most widely available and cost effective therapeutic modalities that ever existed. Systematically, this could be like taking a pill. Listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication, in many circumstances.”
The other day I was listening to a classic rock band at the Kemah Boardwalk and watching people of all ages smiling and moving to the music. What fun it was to even see babies laughing, dancing and clapping their little hands! Other children were nearby playing in the dancing fountain and squealing with delight as the water shot up in syncopated rhythms. I observed total strangers sitting together telling stories of what a particular song had meant to them when they were younger. One was a Vietnam War veteran who’d experienced Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome—I witnessed him animated and smiling as he conveyed his appreciation to the band leader.
Here is the healing power of music I observed on that spring day:
- Laughing (elevating mood or depression)
- Dancing (exercise)
- Enjoying music together (socializing)
- Deeper breathing (synchronization of the ANS)
- Enjoying being in the moment (increase in the anti-aging hormone, DHEA)
- Being outdoors (Vitamin D from sunshine)