Ben Underwood is a 14 year-old kid from Sacramento, CA. He skates, plays basketball with his mates and video games with his brothers. And he says, "I tell people I'm not blind, I just can't see."
At the age of 2 he was diagnosed with retinal cancer that led to the complete surgical removal of both his eyes. He now uses echoes of his tongue clicks to get around. His technique of echolocation is similar to that used by bats and dolphins. We've all heard of the sharpened sense of hearing in blind people but you have only to see this video to appreciate the magnitude of what Ben has achieved. I admire him completely, without a moment of reservation.
The minute the exam ended last year, I scuttled away from the city. With our funds pooled, me and Hamza decided to go horseback riding in New Forest but the events leading upto the ride were as much fun as the ride itself. In London, I managed to master chopsticks over lunch at Chinatown, shop on Oxford street, pierce wicked err places at Leichester square, and gather up the patience to listen to an hour-long fretting over wanting-to-get-a-tattoo but too-chickenhearted-to-get-one dilemma of my dear friend. By the end of that fret-hour it was too late and we had to get our butts moving. There was more drama in the Underground tube on our way to the Central. The samosas and bajis we gobbled down had us reeking with that Indian smell, and pretending it wasn't us didn't work that well, not given the close confines of the coach or our skin tones..
We made it to Southampton well after nightfall. Of course we got off at the wrong stop, what did u expect? I luv the way Fuzz chuckles and says "oops'' everytime we made a mistake. Anyhoo, before long, we were in the company of some very warm people. Out we went with the lads, with Ben putting on the best moves ever!. Brunch the following morning was enjoyable, mostly because of the good conversations we cooked up.. smthing about peoples' mentality not opening up enough despite gaining more education. We bid farewell and left for Brockenhurst in the afternoon, which was just about half an hour's train ride from Southampton.
Brockenhurst is a small village situated in the national park, New Forest. We managed to call up a taxi from the train station, and of course we didn't have the address of the hotal we booked, what did you expect? I thought he had it and he thought I did. No fuss, we got ourselves sorted in no time. We were dropped off at an exquisite cottage but the luxury wasn't enough to curb our starving tummies. Luckily we weren't too late to catch some dinner at the local pub, but the lack of night-time entertainment in the quiet countryside was a bit of a let-down. Tele kept Fuzz occupied while I caught up on my lost Zs.
Woke up to sunshine the next morning. It was a mild and beautiful day, the best you could ask of a wintery day. After a hefty breakfast, we strolled through the area before heading to the riding school. I was geared up and saddled onto Gypsie in no time, and we trotted through New Forest for two hours. Came across a grassland where several wild ponies grazed lazily, and it was hard to deter Gypsy away from grazing on the grass or darting towards the low shrubs. Here's a picture of Gypsie for ye.
Cute, isn't she? I'm dying to go riding again. Two more weeks to go before I'm done with me exams. Meanwhile I can't seem to think of or talk about anything else..
Most of the judicial hangings today opt for the long drop method. Here is a historical overview of the other methods employed in public hangings. The long drop is designed to break the person's neck by allowing him/her to fall a pre-determined distance and is then brought up in a sharp jerk by pulling on the rope. The drop is calculated based on the person's height, weight and physique.
"At the end of the drop the body is still accelerating under the force of the gravity but the head is contrained by the noose which delivers a massive blow to the back and the side of the neck, which combined with the downward momentum of the body, breaks the neck and ruptures the spinal cord causing instant deep unconsciousness and rapid death." The eyelet used in the noose is positioned under the angle of the left jaw such that the head is snapped backward with such force that the posterior aspect of the forarm magnum cuts the spinal cord at the 2nd/3rd or 4th/5th vertebrae, causing unconsciousness in about a second. So, even if complete death took more than 15-20 minutes, the person wouldn't be able to feel the pain - if done correctly.
Miscalculation of the drop can have serious consequences. A longer than ideal drop can cause decapitation and a shorter drop, strangulation. For more details check out the article how does death by hanging work at howstuffworks. So if you are thinking about hanging yourself, think again!
There is a lot of controversy around the recent execution of the Iraqi former leader Saddam Hussain. At least they showed the courtesy of getting the execution procedure right.
UPDATE (15th January): And they didn't show the same courtesy towards his half brother, Barzan Ibrahim, who got decapitated during his execution today - BBC link.
Recently, scientific enquiries have zeroed in on Tibetan Buddhism, to see if their 2500-year history of introspective enquiry into the nature of human mind, can possibly provide insight into the mechanisms of brain function. The Buddhist tradition has developed theories and practices that can help attain mental well-being, mainly through focused attention, or meditation. The fundamental priniciples of Buddhism are based on identifying the inner causes of human suffering, liberation from the suffering (or "sorrow of life") and attaining enlightment/Nirvana; the priniciples of which do not revolve around a superior/divine/supernatural god or deity (Wallace 2003).
Research into meditation using powerful brain imaging techniques has unveiled interesting phenomena. Studies have found certain brain areas firing off and other areas shutting down during meditative states (see illustration). Lutz et al (2004) reported gamma-band oscillation in participants during non-referencial compassion (objectless) meditative states. A study by Yale University reported thickening of brain cortices in individuals who meditated regularly (ScienceDaily article).
The most recent model to bridge the wisdom of buddhism and findings of psychology was proposed by Wallace and Shapiro (2006) that posited the cultivation of four types of mental balance for well-being: conative, attentional, cognitive and affective. The whole paper is available online if you want to dig further, Mental Balance and Well-Being.
As wise as the principles of Buddhism are, it becomes nonsense when it is practiced as a faith, as religion, with irrational beliefs corrupting the beauty of the teachings. Some believe Padmasambhava appeared in a lotus upon being incarnated as a child, while others believe wearing exactly 108 beads in the necklace or keeping Buddhist statues around would bring them good fortune. Here is an article you cannot miss, Sam Harris's Killing the Buddha.
. Brunch the following morning was enjoyable, mostly because of the good conversations we cooked up.. smthing about peoples' mentality not opening up enough despite gaining more education. We bid farewell and left for Brockenhurst in the afternoon, which was just about half an hour's train ride from Southampton.
